Ways You Can Help Ukraine

I think a lot of you will agree that, when we started the transition to adulthood, we never expected a global pandemic, race riots, or a war on European soil. But here we are. 

Heavy-handed regulations enacted across the globe in response to the pandemic renewed the fight for freedom and Russia’s unprovoked attack of Ukraine has sounded the alarm. 

I know we don’t all have millions to give to support the people of Ukraine but, what little we do have, we can pool for greater impact. We can make a dent together to give Ukrainians a fighting chance.

We can make sure the people doing good work have the funds they need. We may be young, but our dollars really do have an amazing impact in dire circumstances such as these. 

But where can you give—not only to help Ukrainians—but to keep those fighting for freedom going? 

Atlas Network, Human Rights Foundation and Philanthropy Roundtable three groups Novus Society and DonorsTrust work with regularly—are closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Ukraine. Below are giving opportunities they have shared in recent days.

Maintaining the Fight for Liberty

A number of Atlas Network affiliates operate in Ukraine. All of them have spent years promoting the ideas of liberal democracy and free markets in a nation still finding its footing on both fronts. And now our friends are in a struggle, not just for their ideas, but for their lives.

Consequently, Atlas Network launched the Ukraine Freedom Fund to raise $500,000 to support the needs of these groups on the ground and to position them, once the fog of war has lifted, to build on a renewed understanding of the value of liberty.

For Novus Society members it’s even easier to support these groups and groups doing similar work. Simply send in a grant request through your Novus Society account with a note designating the grant go to Atlas Network’s Ukrainian Freedom Fund. 

For those looking to give directly, you can make a contribution on this page. Atlas Network-affiliated organizations in Ukraine include the following:

–Ayn Rand Center Ukraine

-Bendukidze Free Market Center

-CASE Ukraine

-Centre for Economic Strategy

-EasyBusiness

-Ekonomichna Pravda

-Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting

-Ukrainian Economic Freedoms Foundation

-Ukrainian Students for Freedom

-The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) fights for the rights and dignity of people across the globe, exposing and standing against government tyranny.

HRF has shared a list of groups doing good work to help those displaced and injured in the fighting (see this page). 

*Important note: As of this writing, the Novus Society [www.novussociety.org] at DonorsTrust has not yet vetted these organizations below to confirm they can receive contributions through our donor-advised funds but, if you have specific interest in any of these organizations, please reach out. This also goes for any other donor-advised-fund providers; simply reach out to your account manager to make sure these groups can receive a grant from your account.

–The Hospital Medical Battalion, which is helping healthcare workers in conflict zones.

-Vostok SOS, which provides humanitarian aid and helps internal refugees.

-Voices of Children Foundation, an NGO that aids traumatized children in Ukraine.

-Razom for Ukraine, a foundation that assists healthcare and education in eastern Ukraine.

-The Kyiv Independent, a media outlet producing some of the best independent media in Ukraine, and on the ground reporting.

-The Center for Civil Liberties, a Ukrainian human rights organization supporting human rights and democracy.

Our friends at the Philanthropy Roundtable have likewise listed a number of organizations helping meet the immediate needs of displaced individuals and families in Ukraine. Find their suggestions below:

Global Empowerment Mission – This organization is primarily focusing on relocating displaced Ukrainians and making sure they are relocated in a country where friends or family members are present

Global Giving – This organization is focusing on aiding the most vulnerable Ukrainians and providing them material relief—food, shelter, water—and giving them access to medical treatment and economic assistance

Nova Ukraine – This organization has aided Ukraine in a variety of ways over the last eight years, including gifting medical equipment to treat wounded Ukrainian troops and providing clothes for Ukrainian orphans.

Razom’s Emergency Response – This organization procures and delivers medical supplies to the people of Ukraine and spotlights Ukrainian voices.

Save the Children – This organization is setting up safe zones in Romania, where displaced Ukrainian children can safely play and learn as they cope with their grief and loss. 

The Jewish Federations of North America – This organization is providing critical assistance—for example, providing temporary housing and launching an emergency hotline—to the more than 200,000 Jewish men, women and children living in Ukraine. 

Your Gift Makes a Difference

During crises like the one we are seeing in Ukraine, the philanthropic community can often act quickly in targeted ways. 

For you and others committed—not solely to human safety –but to human freedom, a long-term vision for your giving matters as well. We can’t all take up arms to fight for freedom, or work in policy to protect freedom on our shores and abroad. 

But we can support those who do and make sure they are able to continue their good work. The Atlas page about its Ukraine fund says it well:

“Already, the Ukrainian people have reminded the world that freedom is precious and worth fighting for. Let’s work with our Ukrainian partners now so the country not only survives Russian aggression, but becomes living proof that peace and prosperity can grow when free institutions are successfully planted by local advocates of our principles.”

Lydia Pitea is director of the Novus Society, a project of DonorsTrust committed to helping young givers strengthen their charitable goals. Lydia is an avid reader and traveler, an excellent petter of cats, and a believer in all things magical (and yes, that means unicorns).

A version of this blog originally appeared on the DonorsTrust website. It has been reprinted with permission.