Under the BLOOM Programme, Almost 50 LGBTQI+ Businesses, as well as Businesses Friendly to the Community, Were Supported Across Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Chernihiv Regions

The supported initiatives included projects in the areas of beauty and wellness, education, agriculture, construction and repair, manufacturing, craft workshops, photo and video services, retail, food and hospitality, culture, services, IT, and tourism. This diversity once again demonstrates that LGBTQI+ entrepreneurs and community-friendly businesses are active across a wide range of sectors, responding to current community needs and contributing to local economic development.
For PO “ALLIANCE.GLOBAL”, participation in the implementation of this programme is about more than financial support alone. Above all, it is an opportunity to strengthen the capacity of people who, despite difficult circumstances, continue to build and grow their own businesses, create jobs, support the economic resilience of their communities, and foster a safer, more visible, and more welcoming environment for LGBTQI+ people in Ukraine.
In this context, support for small businesses carries particular importance. For many entrepreneurs, running their own business is not only a source of income, but also a way to maintain independence, realise their professional potential, and remain an active part of their community. This is why supporting such initiatives is a contribution not only to economic development, but also to stronger social cohesion, mutual support, and inclusion.
The BLOOM programme has become an important step in creating additional opportunities for LGBTQI+ people and community-friendly businesses that are determined to work, grow, and build their future in Ukraine. We believe that supporting such initiatives contributes not only to the development of individual businesses, but also to shaping an environment in which diversity, dignity, and the right to self-realisation are recognised as an integral part of public life.
In its first year of implementation, the program was implemented by the BLOOM consortium consisting of Mercy Corps, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Swisscontact, and the Right to Protection (R2P).