KSE Foundation supported 15 Ukrainian organizations providing mental health services to help them continue their work amid a sharp decline in international funding. Over the six-month program, these organizations delivered more than 10,000 consultations, supporting military personnel and veterans, their loved ones, children and families, as well as people who have experienced captivity, loss, violence, occupation, and other consequences of the war. At least 2,800 people received psychological and psychosocial support.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) study, more than 70% of Ukrainian adults experienced symptoms of anxiety, depression, or severe stress over the course of a year. Meanwhile, the need for psychological support among Ukrainians has risen to 71%.
In early 2025, a sharp reduction in international funding further complicated the situation. Some organizations faced the risk of suspending their operations, while people already undergoing therapy could have lost access to essential support.
To prevent disruptions to these services, KSE Foundation implemented a grant program focused on mental health.
“Eighteen months ago, we identified a serious risk to Ukraine’s civil society sector: declining international funding threatened to force organizations with years of expertise to suspend psychological support programs, including those serving veterans and their families, women, children, and young people. For us, this was not only about ensuring continuity of care but also about preserving the institutional capacity these teams had spent years building,” said Svitlana Denysenko, Executive Director of KSE Foundation, — That is why we invested in organizations that had already demonstrated their effectiveness and ability to deliver meaningful social impact. During the war, we also see it as our responsibility to support essential social institutions, particularly where systemic support mechanisms have yet to be established or cannot fully meet people’s needs. Preserving these capacities today is far more important and effective than having to rebuild them from scratch tomorrow.”
The grants were awarded to organizations working with a wide range of communities. In particular, the National Psychological Association, Words Help NGO, Pochuta NGO, Vilnyi Vybir NGO, the Integration Mental Health and Trauma Therapy Center, and the Association of Psychological Counseling and Trauma Therapy provided psychological counseling, psychotherapy, and support for people who had experienced traumatic events.
Save Ukraine, VAZHLYVI NGO, Lada Mothers’ Generation NGO, Wives of ATO Veterans NGO, Veteran Hub, Lisova Polyana Resource Center, First Aid for the Soul Charitable Foundation, Lysets Hospital, and the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health worked with children, families, women, military personnel, veterans, and other people in need of support. Their services included individual and group counseling, psychotherapy, psychiatric care, and social support. Some organizations also provided training and supervision for mental health professionals.
Among the program’s results, the National Psychological Association delivered 3,617 consultations over four months. The most common reasons for seeking support were family-related difficulties and stress reactions.
Save Ukraine provided 958 individual consultations and conducted 298 art therapy sessions for children and families affected by occupation, deportation, evacuation, and other consequences of the war.
Veteran Hub delivered 808 consultations to 169 military personnel, veterans, and their loved ones.
The program results are based on the final reports submitted by organizations supported by KSE Foundation. The number of consultations does not equal the number of people who received assistance, as individuals may have attended multiple sessions.