Philanthropic Causes in Ukraine
a list of charitable causes worth donating to in the country
This is a list of many of the charitable causes I am aware of in Ukraine. I will try to indicate whether the cause is a registered non-profit with US 501(c)3 status (and thus donations are tax write-offs for those paying US taxes). I will also provide recommendations where I have them, with a separate section for causes I have found, but do not yet have positive information on.
I would also be very happy to provide recommendations from any of you. If you have a favorite charity in Ukraine, please share it with us, so I can add it to the list. Please add your recommendation in the comments section of the blog entry associated with this page.
Humanitarian Causes
Peace Corps Projects: As an RPCV, I can definitely say that Peace Corps projects tend to be inexpensive and small-scale, which make them great for seeing how a little bit of your money helps, and contributing enough of a percentage to really feel a strong bond to the project. A sample of the current projects looking for funding in Ukraine: an AIDS and health issues awareness camp, beach cleanup project, environmental test kits for students, ecology poster contest, and money to rebuild a gym and sports facility. (170(c)1 - public charity with 50% deductability limit)
Winrock International: An organization focused on widely-defined empowerment goals. I worked with an organization they funded in Kherson for a while (a Women's Center dedicated to combatting spousal abuse and providing work and job skills to women). The organization has since shifted its focus, and seems to have less of a presence in Ukraine, but it is certainly an organization I respect. (501(c)3)
Religious Causes
The CrossRoads Foundations: A religious non-profit that works with homeless children in Kyiv. This is the organization that runs the very sweet Scenes from the Sidewalk blog. I've heard good reports from it, though at this point it's just grapevine kinds of recommendations. If you have a direct one, please let me know.
Media and Watchdog Organizations
The Jamestown Foundation: Source for the Eurasia Daily Monitor, one of the sources I quote the most about on this site. EDM is a fabulous source of information on Eastern Europe and Central Asia, indispensable for persons interested not just in Ukraine, but in a great number of countries in the region, about which high-quality news is hard to find. (501(c)3)
Causes Without Personal Recommendations (yet)
Broad Mandate Causes
US-Ukraine Foundation: Runs travelukraine.org, buyukraine.org, and businessukraine.org. It also sponsors summer work programs for Ukrainian students to go to the US, student leadership projects, and various conferences. (501(c)3)
UCAN (Ukraine Citizen Action Network): An organization funded jointly by USAID and the ISC (Institute for Sustainable Communities). The former is a US government organization, but the latter is a non-profit that accepts donations, which you can designate for Ukraine. (501(c)3)
Humanitarian Causes
PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health): An international non-profit that focuses on health and nutrition. In Ukraine, it has a program intended to combat tuberculosis. (501(c)3) - Charity Navigator profile; Better Business Bureau profile)
Children's Hospital of the Future: A very large scale children's hospital project. It's been in the works for at least a year and a half. Their recent news is dominated by the choice of a designer for the project: BDP, a design firm based in Britain.
Sources For Finding Other Causes
What follows is a list of some non-profit directories and non-profit rating agencies that may be of use in finding other opportunties for philanthropy in Ukraine. However, bear in mind that the rating organizations focus on the measurables, which for non-profits can help identify the swindles, but won't help separate the great charities from the good ones.
For example, Charity Navigator (one of the most prominent charity rating organizations) judges based on the the amount spent on programs as opposed to administration and fundraising, the growth of revenues, and the working capital ratio. What's missing, because it would be fiendishly difficult to measure, is an understanding of the value one gets for one's money with different organizations. Even if an agency has good ratios right down the board, and a 4-star (highest rating) on their listings, it does not guarantee that the "program expenses" are being used primarily on high impact activities instead of, for example, inefficient research in whatever the current hotbutton issue is with donors.
Charity Navigator: One of the major charity rating organizations.
Network for Good: Probably the best directory listing of charities.
Charity Guide: Another charity directory.