Projector Foundation: “Ukraine of the Future is a Creative Hub”

Being responsible and thinking beyond the office walls is becoming a must in today’s business environment. In many ways, business is stepping in to fill the roles traditionally held by the state, offering support in solving social issues and helping develop the educational and cultural sectors. We asked Ukrainian businesses what motivates them to launch non-profit impact projects. In this piece, Tetyana Fishchuk, Projector Foundation CEO, shares her ideas on the issue.

Helping is always a good idea. During times of war, focusing on not only profit but also impact becomes the minimum environmental responsibility of any company. Let’s look at the Projector Foundation, which was founded before the full-scale invasion but whose mission gained renewed relevance during the crisis.

Third Wave Foundation

Projector Foundation serves as a tool for implementing systemic change-making projects. To make this happen, it requires the will and dedication of the team, understanding of the context and challenges, a product, well-established management and operations, and financial backing. Change does not happen by itself — it takes effort and investment.

“I call us a third-wave foundation, similarly to coffee shops. Projector Foundation operates like a startup: We develop and launch an MVP, analyze the results, learn from mistakes, improve, and scale up — or not. With our business experience, we can effectively communicate our position to companies like Google, Meta, Visa, and Microsoft. I’m not interested in asking for financial help; I prefer to create value-oriented projects and invite partners to co-create,” comments Tetyana Fishchuk.

Business Responsibility as an Extension of Values

Based on their own experience, the Projector team believes the best area to begin exploring corporate social responsibility is with the product itself. If a company, for example, produces lingerie like Brabrabra, it is reasonable to support women’s rights and development. Another approach is to think about what your company does best, where your strengths lie, and what can resonate with your audience. For instance, if you are a development company, it makes sense to apply your expertise to help rebuild the country. Finally, there is a third option — to follow your passion, even if it is not directly related to your business activities. If you are an IT professional but love dogs, why not get involved in pet adoption or volunteering? The most important factor in choosing your direction is shared values and a sense of connection.

The Projector Foundation team chose the first path, focusing on the intersection of education and the creative industries. To this end, they launched their first initiative — education for Ukrainian women who lost their jobs due to the war and were forced to leave their homes. The Foundation identified the challenge, offered its own product, and began seeking financial support from partners and donors who were also keen to support Ukraine through soft power — education, culture, and creative innovation. As a result, over the course of two years, the Projector Foundation managed to train 2,500 Ukrainian women.

“While for commercial courses we could use metrics like the number of people employed, this doesn’t apply to our Foundation’s programs. We work with a different target audience, with different motivations, and thus different results. For example, many women whose husbands have been mobilized see education as an opportunity to maintain their mental health. For others, it is a way to switch careers and find employment in another industry or abroad. Some are simply seeking personal growth and a new perspective,” says Tetyana Fishchuk. “We saw the demand when we received 40,000 registrations for the scholarship program in just 3 days — this is far beyond what we would expect for commercial courses in peacetime.”

What Does the Foundation Offer to the Business?

An unexpected bonus from the outdoor advertising of the training program was the increased recognition of the Projector brand, although that was not the goal.

“We’ve noticed that for the generation of professionals aged 20–25, charitable component is an important factor. That’s why they come to us — to both work and study. We’ve also seen a shift in the requests from students who want to work on a specific client in their graduation project. More and more, they choose a charitable foundation to be the client,” Tetyana notes.

Other areas of influence where the Foundation plays a role include mentoring programs. For years, Projector has been building a community of alumni and professionals, including a mentoring platform created after the full-scale invasion. Professionals from various creative industries can donate their consulting fees to support Projector’s military and educational programs. To date, they’ve raised over UAH 4,000,000.

Ukraine: The Center of the Creative Economy

Projector believes that Ukraine can overcome its inferiority complex in the creative industry and develop this part of the economy. This, in turn, will contribute to the country’s post-war recovery. They are gradually becoming an influential institution that elevates education and makes it a reason to return to Ukraine. The first steps have already been taken. Among Projector’s partners are the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Economy, and such international tech giants as Google, Meta, and Microsoft.

Looking ahead, the Projector Foundation plans to expand education for veterans, helping them transition comfortably to civilian life. They are also working with the Ministry of Education to rethink vocational education.

“We want to create a creative hub in Ukraine — for education, work, research, and innovation. We aim to develop this part of the economy because Ukrainian creative products are no worse than those from Germany, the UK, or the US. We need to establish ourselves as equals in this regard and stop underestimating our quality and commercial potential. So, Projector’s big goal for the next five years is to make Ukraine the center of the creative economy.”