A Vibrant Civil Society

From 2002 to 2008, ISC managed a nationwide project in Ukraine designed to make the nonprofit sector a more effective, influential, and permanent partner alongside local governments and businesses in shaping the country's future. By helping these nonprofits secure a seat at the table and increasing citizen involvement in all aspects of public life, ISC helped Ukrainians voice their priorities and constructively address them.

As people pressured into passivity during the Soviet era transform themselves into active citizens, they most often do so through nonprofits—the most direct way for citizens to be active. Along with helping the sector grow and thrive, we also worked on getting the story out about why nonprofits are essential to a health society, and why they matter to all Ukrainians.

Successes include:

• 69 of our grantees successfully drafted or lobbied for critical legislative and policy changes at the local and national level addressing such issues as anticorruption, judicial reform, citizen access to services, human rights protection, and environmental protection.
• ISC helped launch 15 social enterprises, creating more than 20 full-time and 40 part time employees. These businesses found creative ways to raise funding for their social service programs.
• ISC's fundraising and organizational management coaching of community organizations helped them achieve a 160% increase in funding. We also launched special initiatives to encourage domestic philanthropy, community foundations, and corporate giving-to ensure that the sector can thrive in the future.

In Ukraine this program was known widely as UCAN (the Ukraine Citizen Action Network).