Aid going directly to the civilians and combat units in Ukraine has been critical in helping the Ukrainian people persevere through the war waged against them. Below are some organizations to consider donating to in order to continue helping the people there. Before donating to any charity, be sure to do as much research (Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, GuideStar, etc.) and vetting as you can to confirm the charity’s track record, legitimacy, and alignment to your personal values. Reach out to me if you know of an excellent organization that should be added to this list.

Other Sources’ Lists

If you aren’t comfortable sending money somewhere because a random person on the internet is asking you to, below are some curated lists of charitable organizations from media outlets and other groups.

Ukrainian Government

It is possible to donate directly to the central treasury of the Ukrainian government as well as for specific governmental projects.

  • National Bank of Ukraine
  • United24 – Donations can be directed to the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Healthcare, or Ministry of Infrastructure. Audited by Deloitte Ukraine.

Military

It is possible to donate to NGOs which supply military units with equipment like drones, vests, medical kits, trucks, etc. It is also possible to donate directly to units, volunteers, and activists themselves (Kamil Galeev’s lists).

  • Come Back Alive – Operating since Russia’s initial 2014 invasion; provides drones, tablets, body armor, and thermal imagers.
  • Army SOS – Operating since Russia’s initial 2014 invasion; provides UAVs and software.
  • Charity Foundation of Serhiy Prytula – Provides communications, medical, transportation, and surveillance systems.
  • People’s Project – Provides both military and civilian aid across multiple projects, you can donate to specific projects.
  • DOPOMOGA 2022 – Provides anti-drone systems, communications and medical equipment, and body armor.
  • Blue/Yellow – Based in Lithuania; provides gear like clothing, armor, optics, and medicine.
  • Dzyga’s Paw – Provides both military and civilian aid across multiple projects.
  • Predators PMC – A group of volunteers fighting near Mykolayiv, background and donation info can be found here. Get in contact with the group before donating to get the latest info (their Facebook page has not been updated in many months).
  • Georgian National Legion – Originally started in 2014 by Georgian volunteers to fight against Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the group has become one of the primary organizations (along with the International Legion of Ukraine) for volunteer soldiers from all over the world to serve in Ukraine.
  • Trident Defense Initiative – Provides NATO-level training in combat medicine and tactics.
  • Lists from Kamil Galeev, a Russian political, economic, and cultural analyst with ~350K followers on Twitter. These lists have donation information for specific combat units and volunteers.
  • Volunteers for Ukraine – Helps with the logistics of getting military and non-combatant volunteers to Ukraine. Accepts donations of airline miles/points as well as funds.

Civilian

Below are links to organizations focusing on civilians with humanitarian, medical, and social aid.

  • Razom – Works on a variety of projects including but not limited to toy drives, policy and advocacy, medical supplies.
  • United Help Ukraine – Provides medical and humanitarian aid to civilians as well as non-combat aid to soldiers.
  • International Committee of the Red Cross – Helps with humanitarian and medical aid.
  • Saint Javelin – Sells clothing and other merchandise to fund donations for various social and humanitarian causes (like providing winter supplies) as well as some aid going directly to military units.
  • 2402 Fund – Provides funding for journalists and reporters.
  • UNICEF UK – A former colleague of mine is doing a fundraiser for donations going to Ukraine and Turkey. His team will be cycling 400 miles from Venice to Rome to raise funds.