© K. B.
Two years since the beginning of the Russian attack, Ukraine remains a priority for the EVZ Foundation. Russia’s war of aggression has inflicted immense suffering on the population and poses a fundamental threat to Europe as a whole. In this existential crisis, the EVZ Foundation continues to stand by Ukraine’s side: having approved 4.4 million euros in funding from 2024 to today (as of March 2025), it supports projects for Ukrainians across a range of different funding programs. The EVZ Foundation stands side by side with the state and civil society in democratic Ukraine. One of the main objectives is to assist survivors of National Socialist persecution, who are particularly vulnerable due to their old age and the injustices they suffered. Read here to find out more about the activities of the EVZ Foundation in support of Ukraine.
Archives, libraries and museums are being destroyed in the course of the war with the aim of weakening Ukrainian culture and its national identity, and ultimately erasing the historical memory of the Ukrainian nation. The EVZ Foundation seeks to counteract this through its new funding program YeMistechko – a place for everyone in Ukraine, which helps Ukrainian cultural institutions transform into places of interaction and coexistence. Diverse groups are targeted including minorities (Jews, Roma/Romnja), survivors of National Socialism, veterans, internally displaced persons and returning refugees.
SpilnoHub - Third place in the youth library of the city of Dnipro
© Aliona Vovk
The Russian interpretation of history has dominated German scholarly discourse for decades, in turn informing debate in society at large. Through its event series EVZ Conversations!, the Foundation contributes to the acknowledgement of other historical perspectives, in particular that of Ukraine.
The Foundation’s funding program local.history supports locally and regionally active history initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine. Funding is available for projects that focus on places, people and events relating to the history of National Socialism. The aim is to shed light on overlooked aspects of National Socialist history.
Aid Network for Survivors of Nazi Persecution in Ukraine
In response to the Russian war of aggression, several memorials, museums, associations and historical initiatives from all over Germany joined forces on March 9, 2022 to form a Aid Network for Survivors of Nazi Persecution in Ukraine. As early as March 15, 2022, the EVZ Foundation provided financial support for the establishment of the network's office, which is based at the Berlin association “Kontakte-Kontakty”. At the same time, the EVZ Foundation has also become a member of the aid network.
This start-up funding of currently 220,000 euros has been successful: to date (as of July 2025), the network has been able to provide over 992,000 euros in donations and third-party funds in 7,250 emergency financial aid and relief items for survivors of Nazi persecution. In over 1,040 cases, additional support was provided to relatives and Ukrainian colleagues from memorial sites, museums and Nazi victims' associations. 200 survivors of Nazi persecution currently receive a monthly sponsorship from private donors.
The funding for the office of the aid network by the EVZ Foundation will be phased out by 2026, as announced.
Tetiana Radyvylovska was deported for forced labor as a teenager
© Anna Yatsenko / After Silence.
Despite their advanced age and the health challenges they face, many Holocaust survivors in Ukraine choose not to evacuate – even from areas where there is heavy fighting. The funding program My Porutsch (“We’re here!”) does much more than provide humanitarian aid for this particularly vulnerable group. Since 2024, Nazi persecution survivors have participated in activities at local third places under the funding program YeMistechko, giving them the opportunity to get actively involved in community life.
The LGBTQ community is among those suffering from the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Many members of the community have lost their jobs and face considerable uncertainty. The aims of our Regranting Program are as follows: Using Foundation funds, ILGA-Europe supports the community by offering flexible and long-term funding, as well as direct assistance with capacity-building. The strategic objective is for project sponsors to have a broad impact on the LGBTIQ movement in Ukraine and become more resilient themselves.
A total of 14 projects in Central and Eastern Europe are receiving funding of almost 500,000 euros.
Members of the Roma minority in Ukraine often live in precarious circumstances, frequently suffering discrimination and marginalization. As such, this community is especially affected by the repercussions of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The funding program Latcho Dives (“Hello” in Romani) improves the situation of survivors of the genocide against the Romani people, strengthening local communities, autonomous organizations, and social participation, and promoting their culture of remembrance.
Young people from the Roma community in Uzhhorod
© Viktor Tschowka
Since 2014, the EVZ Foundation has supported youth projects in and with Ukraine through its programs MEET UP! and YOUNG PEOPLE remember international, promoting cross-border networking, education in the area of history and politics, and youth participation. These initiatives address the impact of Russia’s war, forced displacement, Nazi persecution, forced labor, and the genocide of the Romani people. In this way, participants become multipliers and activists, preserving a culture of remembrance and driving change.
Vitsche is a Berlin-based association of Ukrainian activists that represents the voice of Ukrainians in Germany. It is running a project from 2023 to 2024 that aims to raise awareness in German society of the urgent problem of the deportation of Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the violations of human rights that are occurring. The NGO informs the general public about this issue by means of a media campaign: in addition to a panel discussion, videos and posters provide information on the topic.
Running from 2022 to 2024, the Vidnova Fellowship Program will be implemented to support Ukrainian civil society actors both in exile and in the country itself. The fellowship enables activists to continue to work for human rights, democracy and participation in Ukraine while at the same time forging links with new partner organizations abroad.
In the “Three questions for ...” column, Vidnova fellows talk about their experiences in the fellowship program.
Vidnova Fellowship recipient, President of the “Human Rights Roma Center”. Click here for the interview.
Vidnova Fellowship recipient, President of the Roma Youth Organization “Youth Agency for the Advocacy of roma Culture ARCA”. Click here for the interview.
(they/them), Vidnova Fellowship recipient, Ukrainian filmmaker and queer activist. Click here for the interview.
What holds a society together when bombs fall? How do people preserve their dignity, their culture and their stories in the midst of destruction? This podcast shows a country that not only survives despite war but also reinvents itself in it. The podcast sheds light on how Ukraine is dealing with old and new traumas, transforming museums into digital spaces and shaping a resilient civil society. Each episode introduces everyday heroes and visionary projects that illustrate why Ukraine is of central importance to Europe. In four episodes, Ira Peter, the former writer-in-residence of Odesa, talks to inspiring guests: survivors of National Socialist crimes, museum directors who protect works of art from missiles, young people who build bridges between Germany and Ukraine, and activists from the Roma community whose voices often go unheard.
For more information.
