Ukrainian Youth Fund Web Portal

Kitsoft has developed the web portal* for the newly established Ukrainian Youth Fund (UYF) — a state institution under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, aimed at supporting Ukrainian youth initiatives and providing them with the necessary financial, informational, and consulting resources through transparent competitions. UYF will provide budget grants to enable young people to develop their potential in Ukraine.

According to a study by the analytical center Cedos and the research agency Info Sapiens, 72% of young people are ready to contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine, yet only 1% of those surveyed are currently doing so.

This indicates that projects need to be created to increase public activity among young people and their participation in social life. The systematic nature of these steps is especially significant in wartime, as young people and the rising generation will be the driving force behind the reconstruction of Ukraine's economy in the post-war period.

UYF aims to be the expert in implementing such youth policy projects. Our task as developers was to create a platform where youth could easily find current grant programs and receive expert support and all the necessary information to participate in them.

*The site is in the testing and filling phase. Some sections may be temporarily unavailable or hidden.

The audience for the UYF web portal is young, active, goal-oriented, energetic people interested in positive changes. Therefore, in designing the graphic interface, we moved away from the formal and restrained style of state websites and made it more modern and youthful.

The design of the site uses a bright color palette that on one hand creates a sense of positive energy and dynamics, and on the other, attracts attention to key interface elements, making it easy to perceive and understand.

Despite the bright design, the web portal meets the criteria for web inclusiveness: all interface elements are easily recognizable on monitors of any contrast and brightness and accessible to users who cannot distinguish certain colors.

The UYF site is a vivid example of how state web resources can look different. It stands out with a fresh and modern design but meets the requirements of current legislative acts and contains all the necessary information for users. We consider this one of our victories, and are truly grateful to UYF for trusting us.

– says Olga Kononova, Kitsoft Project Manager. 

As the web portal not only facilitates the prompt publication of information about the activities of the Ukrainian Youth Fund but also serves as a tool for providing services for participation in grant programs, its interface must meet several requirements:

• Clear navigation and simple controls;

• Minimal actions required to solve key tasks;

• No unnecessary functions or elements are needed for solving key tasks.

The main page of the web portal opens with a block of dynamic materials featuring three bright banners, the color scheme of which echoes the UYF logo. Sliders can change in an autonomous mode set by the site administrator or be switched manually by the user.

Banners contain information about current grants and scholarships, for which youth can apply. For convenience, a practical block with instructions on how to apply and receive a grant for implementing their concepts is located immediately below them.

Below is an analytical block that displays the results of the Fund's activities. The main page also lists available grant programs, UYF news and events, and implemented projects. For communication with visitors and enhancing the user experience, there is a feedback form through which anyone can share their impressions.

With special modules, site administrators can change the order of blocks and their display to users according to their needs.

Special attention in development was given to the «Grants and Programs» section, as it is through this that youth will learn about available opportunities for funding and implementing projects and submit applications for their receipt.

For this purpose, we developed a special module that allows browsing and selecting grants, scholarships, and other forms of financial support offered by the youth fund with the support of international and Ukrainian partner organizations.All grant programs can be conveniently filtered by type, status, and date.

The «Grants and Programs» section lists all available programs and a brief description of each. The grant program card includes the name, status, purpose, amount of the grant, and the final date for application submission, as well as information on who can be an applicant.

Each grant program has its own separate page with a detailed description and all necessary materials for review.

The «Materials» block supports various document formats and allows users to either view them in a separate window or download them as needed. All important elements, including the application deadline, funding amount, documents, etc., are visually highlighted and separated from the text part of the page.

Also, the page features an online application functionality, a feedback block with contact information for the responsible person, and an FAQ with the most common questions. Additionally, anyone can share grant programs with a single click on their social media pages.

The «Press Center» section is included in the main menu of the site and allows sorting materials by type (all news, broadcasts, media galleries, pages, events), category (news, implemented projects), themes, and period. The Implemented Projects section is also featured in the main menu.

For the convenience of searching for materials and organizing information on the web portal, we developed a system of thematic tags that can be updated by the moderator. 

The most popular tags are also displayed separately on the news page and allow users to find all available materials on these themes with one click. Each separate news page is supplemented by blocks of recommended and popular materials.

On the Press Center page, users can subscribe to updates on the web portal and receive a weekly digest of UYF news.

The news center also allows adding broadcasts and event announcements, as well as conducting media accreditation through an online form. Users can add reminders about events to their calendars and view other recommended announcements on the right-side block.

The «Media Gallery» block is also included in the main menu under the Press Center section and allows moderators to publish news in photo and video formats and create albums for various events.

The «Site Directory» section is intended to provide the user with all necessary materials and answer the most common questions regarding the submission and review of applications, financial and technical aspects that may arise in the process. It also contains UYF's media kit and communication guide.

The Ukrainian Youth Fund is not a typical state institution. Besides organizing transparent grant competitions, it aims to become a full partner for youth in their self-realization in various areas. Therefore, proper support and mentorship are key factors in the success of this process.

To introduce the mentors of UYF, we developed sections on the web portal «Experts and Team» with information about employees and mentors and the career opportunities at the Fund. Also, a static page «Become a UYF Expert» is available, where all interested individuals can find the requirements and steps for this.

We thank Kitsoft for their professional approach and implementation of our wishes in the development of the UYF web portal. We are pleased that our website not only provides easy access to information about grants and participation in them but also reflects the energy and initiative of Ukrainian youth through design.  

– says Dmytro Tverdokhlib, director of UYF.

The site was created with the support of the International Charity Organization «East Europe Foundation» within the framework of the international technical assistance program «Electronic Governance for Accountability and Community Participation (EGAP)», funded by the Government of the Swiss Confederation through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).