Support of the Civil Society in Ukraine: Problems and Prospects

The institutional role of international donor organizations while supporting the civil society in Ukraine is investigated. Based on the analysis of expert reports provided by the international rating organizations and interviews conducted with employees of the public sector who represent different regions of Ukraine, main problems of the NGOs in Ukraine are stipulated. In particular, they include the NGOs’ financial weakness, inability to properly determine the long-term priorities for cooperation and submit grant applications, etc.
Conclusions and practical recommendations are focused on the needs for tax optimization of the NGOs’ activities in Ukraine, budget support of the civil society institutions, and promotion of social entrepreneurship. Civil society institutions are recommended to consider possibilities of receiving income from their main and additional activities, expanding target audience, involving highly skilled professionals, providing public declaration of their activities and transparency of financial processes.
Keywords: NGO, international donor, grant, civil society.

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Igor MYKLASCHUK