East Europe Foundation is a Ukrainian non-profit charitable organization whose story starts all the way back in 1992. At that time, the team was part of Eurasia Foundation, which included national and regional foundations in different counties, like Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and other. Back then, Eurasia Foundation in Ukraine worked with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), developed community organizations, and fostered and fostered the development of Ukrainian territorial communities.
In 2007, Eurasia Foundation’s American partners saw that the Ukraine team could determine its own strategic directions and carrying out programs at the international level. It was proposed that we set up a Ukrainian organization. The accumulated knowledge and best practice of the founder made it possible for East Europe Foundation to make its appearance in 2008 as an international charitable organization.
Today East Europe Foundation is one of the leaders in Ukraine’s civil society sector, having completed more than 100 programs of various scales, duration, and complexity. Our areas of activity include the development of democracy and civil society, instituting e-government, developing small and medium enterprises and social entrepreneurship, supporting projects in energy efficiency, and much more. In our work, we rely on a broad network of partners: state and local government agencies, community leaders, NGOs, associations, universities, research institutes, and technical assistance organizations—because we firmly believe that in partnership lies our strength. East Europe Foundation is a member of the Eurasia Partnership Network, which gives us access to the Eurasia Foundation’s experience.
We are changing our country and we want to see it become modern and innovative—a country that is attractive both to its people and to the world of the future. A country whose government is effective, accountable, and responsible, and whose people have opportunities to actualize their potential.
To this end, our team has been working more than a decade to bring about positive change in all areas of Ukrainian society. Since it was founded, EEF has directed close to $30 million into national programs and local initiatives aimed at the development of civil society, stronger communities, and effective government.
People. We believe that people, their dignity, rights and diversity must be the highest value in everything that we do. We value our colleagues and the people in partner organizations. We help uncover their potential and provide the conditions for this potential to be realized.
Respect. We respect those with whom and for whom we work: our beneficiaries, our donors, our partners, and our colleagues. We support diversity among our colleagues, partners and the communities with which we work, without discrimination and without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, confession, age, physical state, or political preferences.
Honesty. We are dedicated to the highest standards of ethical behavior in everything that we do. We are confident that honesty, transparency and accountability are key to mutual trust between us and our partners.
Partnership. We believe in success through responsible partnership, synergy, equal relations, and mutual responsibility. We are certain that partnership based on trust, consensual decisions, and completely open communication is the foundation of all our achievements.
Innovation. We believe in new ideas and are always working to find new approaches to solving the problems facing individuals, communities and Ukrainian society as a whole. We’re oriented towards the future and are the bearers of unique know-how that combines the use of high technology and innovative social practices.
Impact. Based on our own experience and our role as leaders and agents of change, we believe in having a strategic impact. We establish a synergistic space for transformations for the wellbeing of the individual and social progress, and we focus exclusively on long-term results in our work.
In our work, we follow the best international standards for the work of non-profit organizations: transparency, openness and democratic governance. It is these approaches that ensure high quality in the execution of our projects and programs.
In addition, Foundation relies on policies and procedures in its work, which makes it possible to professionally run donor-funded programs in line with international standards. Such policies and procedures include provisions for the management of projects, anti-corruption policies, ethical guidelines, and policies regarding the provision of subgrants and subcontracts, the handling of procurements, communications, and so on.
EEF also submits to independent reviews, both financial audits and compliance audits for recipients of US government funds—OMB A133.
East Europe Foundation is one of the few foundations in Ukraine that has an independent Board of Directors consisting of prominent Ukrainian and foreign members of business and socio-political circles.
For as long as EEF has been operational, its board has included more than 30 distinguished individuals such as Natalie Jaresko, Ivanna Klympush-Tsytsadze, Stephen Pifer, Vitaliy Sych, and Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta.
The Board supervises all areas of activity of Foundation. It also provides recommendations regarding the strategic institutional and program development of our organization, advocates for key issues at the highest political level, and raises funds.
In addition to the Board of Directors, EEF also has an Advisory Council.
East Europe Foundation has a staff of over 50, individuals with considerable experience in project management, managing grants and contracts, monitoring and evaluating, and public relations. With their experience and understanding of Ukraine’s problems and global issues, Foundation’s staff are regularly invited to work in various expert committees and working groups and to participate in drafting national reforms.
EEF receives funding to carry out its programs from a large number of donors, including USAID, the European Union, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), European governments, international organizations, foundations, charitable organizations, local government agencies, and from Ukrainian and international companies operating in Ukraine.