An American fund will provide $100,000 in micro-grants to Ukrainian small businesses.

The American direct investment fund Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF) will join the financing efforts for the Own Business government program within the framework of the eRobota project.

“The micro-grants will help people create their business and provide additional opportunities for developing innovative projects,” noted WNISEF president Yaroslava Zelinska-Johnson.

Economy Minister Yulia Svyridenko emphasized that micro-grants increase employment in Ukraine. The entrepreneurs who received funding last year are expected to create 8,000 jobs.

WNISEF is the first regional direct investment fund in Ukraine and Moldova, with $285M in capital financed by the US government through USAID. The fund invested $188M in 136 companies and made it possible to attract $2.3B in Ukrainian and Moldovan companies. Since 2015, the fund has implemented a $35M technical assistance program in Ukraine and Moldova.