Since 2015, UGS has helped 250 Ukrainian students receive $62+ million in scholarships against cumulative operating expenses of $575K. Our business model is such that we put maximum effort into identifying and mentoring top talent, making sure our applicants are highly competitive for the scholarship money provided by schools. That being said, the organization does incur significant operating expenses, from covering our students’ application fees, to organizing our annual summer camp in Western Ukraine, and other miscellaneous expenses on a case-by-case basis (such as limited assistance with airfare and health insurance when these costs are prohibitive to the student's family). We rely on grassroots fundraising in the US and in Ukraine to sustain our organization and would be grateful for any contribution. Please see details below.
Our yearly needs amount to $160K, mostly driven by:
- Summer and SAT/TOEFL prep camps: every summer, we work with professional standardized test instructors to prep our new cohorts for SAT and TOEFL tests. Additionally, we hold a 10-day onboarding camp for ~50 new scholars run by ~50 volunteers, typically held in Slavske, Lvivska Oblast. UGS also covers associated transportation expenses to attend the summer camp.
- Compensation: we have 1 full-time staff. Our ambition is to grow the full-time staff to 3-5 members over the next 1-3 years.
- Application support costs: We cover the full cost of SAT I, SAT II (for college applicants only), TOEFL tests and other application expenses for all our scholars.
- Miscellaneous expenses: In some cases, we may cover additional students' expenses, such as airfare or health insurance, after a careful review by the Leadership Team. Other miscellaneous expenses include the cost of annual events, marketing, etc.