On March 12, an official meeting was held in Zhytomyr to sign grant agreements with the winners of the Local Initiatives Competition. Four non-governmental organizations received funding to implement projects aimed at strengthening the social resilience of the community.

The projects cover key areas ranging from psychological recovery and youth development to the improvement of urban spaces. The total grant fund of 200,000 UAH was provided by the Zhytomyr Community Foundation and the Board Zhytomyr business community.

Zhanna Solovyova, Head of the Board of the Zhytomyr Community Foundation: “The signing of these agreements is not just a formality, but the start of real changes in Zhytomyr. It is extremely valuable to us that local business has not only provided financial resources but is also ready to share experience through mentorship. This creates a new culture of interaction where every hryvnia and every idea works to strengthen the resilience of our community.”

The Expert Council selected initiatives that demonstrated the highest readiness for implementation and relevance for city residents:

NGO “Territory of Health, Beauty, and Success” with the project “Step to Recovery: A Practical Comprehensive Program for Psychophysical Support, Recovery, and Community Cohesion.” Iryna Snihurivska, Head of the NGO “Territory of Health, Beauty, and Success”: “We want everything to be done decently, in a European manner. But at the same time, we want people to learn about different highlights of our Zhytomyr that they might not have known about before.”

NGO “Zhytomyr Enthusiasts” with the initiative “Alley on Lesia.” Kyrylo Onatskyi, Head of the NGO “Zhytomyr Enthusiasts”: “We will have a very tight schedule for the summer. We plan to develop several locations simultaneously to show real results.”

Special attention was paid to educational and cultural-historical initiatives that shape the community’s identity:

NGO “Chess Federation of Zhytomyr Region” is implementing the project “From Pawn to Queen: Chess and a Start in STEM.” Liudmyla Kytsak, President of the NGO “Chess Federation of Zhytomyr Region”: “Stereotypically, chess is considered a male sport, for boys. Moms and dads often enroll boys specifically, whom they then mold into champions. Our goal is for the percentage of girls in chess to grow.”

NGO “Ts-TVOIE” will implement the project “Community Treasure – Shared Memory.” Petro Avramenko, Head of the NGO “Ts-TVOIE”: “We thought it was such a simple idea: children would learn the history of their community… But when we launched the project, we were amazed by the activity of the children and the resonance it caused in Baranivka and Olevsk. It was much more powerful than we expected.”

Dmytro Epik: “These projects are the first, but certainly not the last. I believe that in the cooperation between business, entrepreneurs, and public organizations—people who carry a sincere idea in their hearts—we can create much more.”

What’s next? In addition to financial support of 50,000 UAH, each winner receives mentoring support from Board Zhytomyr entrepreneurs. This will help the public sectors adopt the best management practices from the business world.

The implementation of all initiatives will continue until the end of spring — May 31, 2026.