Most Ukrainian civil society organizations are operating under growing financial pressure. According to a study by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 65% of NGO representatives reported a lack of financial resources. By comparison, this figure was 58% in 2023 and 52% in 2022.
The survey was conducted as part of the research project “Civil Society in Ukraine Under Wartime Conditions, 2022–2025,” presented by KIIS Executive Director Anton Hrushetskyi. He noted that each year the financial burden on the civic sector increases, while opportunities for external support continue to decline.
In 2023, nearly 70% of organizations received funds through donations or membership fees. That number has now dropped to 46% among those with such income sources. Meanwhile, the share of NGOs that receive no financial support at all has risen to 27%. Roughly one in four organizations continues to cooperate with international donors.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) played a key role in ensuring financial stability for the civic sector. Until February 2025, 27% of surveyed organizations reported having direct or indirect support from the agency, and 8% received direct funding. After USAID’s withdrawal, 22% of respondents said their operations were negatively affected.
Hrushetskyi emphasized that the absence of stable funding poses risks to ongoing reforms, could lead to project shutdowns, and increases competition among NGOs for limited grant resources. This trend, he warned, threatens not only individual initiatives but also the overall resilience of Ukraine’s civil society, weakening its democratic mechanisms.
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