According to last year's results, the Community Foundation «Podilska Hromada» implemented 22 grant projects and allocated over UAH 28 million to support the military.
Myroslava Zhylyna, Program Director of the Community Foundation «Podilska Hromada» spoke about last year's key achievements during a broadcast on Radio «Misto nad Bugom». Throughout 2025, the Foundation signed 22 grant agreements (three of which will continue in 2026). Most of them were implemented thanks to the support of the ISAR Unity NGO and the National Network for the Development of Local Philanthropy.
Among the implemented projects, the top five initiatives can be highlighted.
The first is the «Spilno» (Together) project. It involved a series of workshops for representatives of the government and the public sector. They developed their ideas, selected the best ones, and received funding. As a result, four initiatives were implemented: «Healthy Children – Healthy Community», which was developed by the Mother and Child Center and the Diaditi NGO. They purchased equipment for the Vision Correction Center. «Legal Advisor» – the Department of Legal Policy and Quality of the Vinnytsia City Council and the NGO «Academy of Success». Together they developed a chatbot that Vinnytsia residents already use to obtain legal advice. «Security Code» – the Children's Services Department and the NGO «Innovative Action», which conducted a series of media literacy training sessions for children and an exciting quest. «Unity Carriage» from the Vinnytsia Transport Company and Veteran Hub. They specially equipped a public transport carriage, placing important information for veterans and their families in it.
Throughout the year the Foundation also supported the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service in Vinnytsia region. As part of the project, specialized high-altitude climbing equipment and GPS trackers were purchased for rescue units.
The Foundation worked to improve conditions for children in hospitals. In particular, thanks to the project «Children`s Space» a fully equipped kitchen and a children's room for children and parents undergoing long-term treatment were set up in the oncohematology department of the Vinnytsia Regional Children's Clinical Hospital.
The Foundation also implemented educational initiatives aimed not only at improving the material and technical base, i.e., providing furniture or equipment, but also at creating interactive learning spaces. One example is the «Museum at School» project. This was an initiative to create five interactive museums in high schools in the Vinnytsia community. As a result, two science museums were opened, as well as museums of pre-medical care, sustainable development goals, and history.
A separate area of the Foundation's activity was and remains the coordination of the work of the Vinnytsia Humanitarian Aid Hub. In 2025, the Humanitarian Hub received 76 trucks of humanitarian aid from partners in Ukraine and abroad and closed 974 requests. That is how many acts of receipt and transfer of humanitarian aid were drawn up, which averages out to almost three closed requests per day. In total, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Hub has processed 3517 requests, received 2363 tons of humanitarian cargo, and redirected 2327 tons of aid as needed. These are not one-off actions. These are processes, a team, and a transparent system with acts of receipt and transfer, responsibility, and trust.
«2025 was a difficult year due to the depletion of resources, a decrease in international aid, and emotional burnout. At the same time, the Foundation continued its work thanks to long-term partnerships and the trust of donors», noted Myroslava Zhylyna. «Among our key international partners, we cannot fail to mention the Rosinen Initiative from Vinnytsia's German sister city, which regularly supports Vinnytsia with humanitarian supplies for schools, medical facilities, and the military».
One of the most emotional projects of last year was the «Garden of Support», planted opposite the Pirogov National Museum-Estate. As part of the initiative, trees were planted in honor of the fallen, captured, and missing defenders, as well as to motivate teams, companies, and simply for the sake of children. The project brought together the community, business, and government and raised about 90,000 hryvnias, which were used to support the military.
An important moment for the entire Foundation team was that at the end of 2025, the Community Foundation «Podilska Hromada» received the «United Community» award at the XIV Civil Society Forum based on the results of an open vote. Therefore, in 2026, the Foundation plans to intensify its work in the area of cohesion, uniting the efforts of the authorities, business, and the community around supporting the military and the activities of the Humanitarian Hub for the financial stability of the organization and the development of the community.
