Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group

What Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group does

Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group (UCAG) is a Vancouver-based, volunteer-run federal not-for-profit founded in 2022 by Olga Prodan and Adrian Petriw. The organization operates Raise.UA, a comprehensive mental recovery ecosystem delivered on the ground in Ukraine that provides trauma recovery and psychosocial support to war-affected children, trains Ukrainian mental health specialists in world-class methodologies, and engages veterans as peer-to-peer mentors. Raise.UA spans four countries — Ukraine, Canada, Denmark, and the Netherlands — and has supported 460+ children and trained 140+ specialists over four years of operation.

UCAG funds itself entirely through donations, a recurring Patron program, and event-driven fundraising including the Invictus Team Ukraine Gala (raising $100,000+ in 2025), the YVR Screen Scene for Ukraine Gala ($40,500 in 2023), and cultural exhibitions such as VARTA and War in Living Colour. Its core technology is not software but a trauma-recovery methodology: somatic psychology exercises, therapy, breathing techniques, and peer mentoring integrated into summer camps and long-term rehabilitation. The organization also runs an international advocacy program focused on the return of approximately 20,000 Ukrainian children forcibly removed by Russia, including sanctions advocacy and reintegration program development.

The customer base is bifurcated: beneficiaries are war-affected Ukrainian children and their families, while paying supporters are individual donors, the Ukrainian-Canadian diaspora, event attendees, and institutional partners such as United Way BC. The team comprises eight named volunteers including the founder, co-founder, communications director, board secretary, graphic designer, two social media coordinators, and a volunteer coordinator. The organization is not backed by venture capital or private equity and operates without paid staff on the leadership team.

Name

Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group

Legal name

Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group

Website

https://ucadvocacygroup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group (UCAG) is a Vancouver-based volunteer-run nonprofit operating the Raise.UA mental recovery ecosystem in Ukraine, providing trauma support, specialist training, and veteran peer mentorship to war-affected Ukrainian children across four countries and funding through donations and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Educational Support Services (611710), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAD

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAJAGAH

Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Special Programs (Gifted, ESL/ELL, Remedial, RTI/MTSS)

Keywords

• Humanitarian advocacy services
• Trauma recovery programs
• War-affected children support
• Cultural event fundraising
• Nonprofit mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization is a volunteer-run federal not-for-profit that relies entirely on donations from individuals, community members, and supporters. Every dollar donated goes to the recovery program and advocacy for stolen Ukrainian children.
2. Fundraising Events: Revenue generated through ticketed events including galas, exhibitions, concerts, and cultural events. Funds raised support children's recovery programs and organizational advocacy efforts.
3. Patron/Monthly Giving Program: Ongoing support program where patrons contribute on a regular basis to sustain operations and recovery programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UCAG operates the Raise.UA mental recovery ecosystem, delivering psychological support, specialist training, and veteran peer-to-peer mentorship to war-affected Ukrainian children on the ground in Ukraine. The organization also runs advocacy campaigns for the return of deported Ukrainian children, alongside cultural events, galas, and exhibitions in Canada that raise funds and awareness for its humanitarian programs.

Product overview

Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group (UCAG) operates as a not-for-profit organization offering humanitarian programs rather than a technology product company. Its primary offering is Raise.UA, Ukraine's comprehensive mental recovery ecosystem that provides trauma recovery and psychosocial support to war-affected children, trains Ukrainian mental health specialists, and engages veterans as peer mentors. The organization also runs cultural events, advocacy campaigns, and fundraising initiatives supporting Ukrainian communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Raise.UA: Ukraine's comprehensive mental recovery ecosystem providing trauma support and rehabilitation for war-affected children, training Ukrainian specialists in world-class methodologies, and engaging veterans as peer-to-peer mentors.

Products and services

• Raise.UA Mental Recovery Ecosystem Comprehensive mental recovery ecosystem operating on the ground in Ukraine that delivers psychological support, trauma processing, specialist training, and veteran peer-to-peer mentorship to war-affected Ukrainian children and families. The program includes summer recovery camps, breathing exercises, therapy sessions, emotional regulation training, and long-term rehabilitation support.
• Recovery Program for Children Traumatized by War A program providing psychological support and recovery services for war-affected Ukrainian children, including trauma processing, emotional regulation training, summer camps, and long-term healing support. Designed for children who have lost parents, been separated from families, or experienced the psychological effects of war and displacement.
• Cultural Events and Advocacy Campaigns Cultural initiatives including galas, exhibitions, concerts, and emergency rallies that raise funds and awareness for Ukraine. Major events include the Invictus Team Ukraine Gala, YVR Screen Scene for Ukraine Gala, VARTA: The Price of Ukrainian Resistance exhibition, New Lives Same People exhibition, War in Living Colour exhibition, Carol of the Bells concert series, Holodomor Memorial, and Independence Day Human Chains.
• Advocacy for Return of Deported Ukrainian Children International advocacy initiative focused on the return of deported Ukrainian children, including sanctions advocacy against Russian individuals and institutions, international cooperation and databases to identify and track children, advocacy to maintain global attention and accountability, and development of reintegration programs after return.

Quantifiable outcome

• 460+ children supported through mental recovery programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Team UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025UCAG partnered with Team Ukraine to host the Invictus Team Ukraine Gala at Vancouver's Seaforth Armoury, raising over $100,000 for adaptive sport and children's recovery programs. Athletes from Team Ukraine continue visiting the Raise.UA program and working directly with children.
• Canadian ForcesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025The Canadian Forces generously provided Seaforth Armoury as the venue for the Invictus Team Ukraine Gala, a historic location in Vancouver.
• Vancouver Public LibraryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Host venue for the VARTA: The Price of Ukrainian Resistance exhibition featuring 65 wartime posters by Ukrainian artists, curated by UCAG's Iryna Kalantai. Drew 300 attendees and raised $3,000.
• YVR Screen ScenecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023UCAG partnered with YVR Screen Scene to host a gala screening of Ukrainian film Viddana, raising $40,500 for the children's recovery program. The collaboration included an auction and talkback with filmmaker Krystyna Syvolap.
• Ukrainian Student Union of the University of British ColumbiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Sasha Pobochii, UCAG Secretary and Board Member, is also on the board of the Ukrainian Student Union of UBC, supporting spreading knowledge about Ukrainian culture and history.
• United Way BC - United for Ukraine Local Love FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Funding partner for the New Lives, Same People exhibition showcasing displacement stories. The exhibition debuted in Germany before appearing at The Beaumont Studios in Vancouver.
• The Beaumont StudiosminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Host venue for the New Lives, Same People exhibition following its debut in Germany, showcasing before and after lives of Ukrainians displaced by Russia's invasion.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Razom for Ukraine: US-based Ukrainian-focused nonprofit delivering humanitarian aid, medical supplies, and reconstruction support; comparable diaspora-to-Ukraine advocacy and fundraising model, though UCAG differentiates with on-the-ground psychosocial delivery.
• Nova Ukraine: US-based 501(c)(3) raising funds from the Ukrainian diaspora for humanitarian relief in Ukraine; analogous community-led, event-driven fundraising model and Ukrainian-Canadian/American diaspora positioning to UCAG.
• War Child: International NGO dedicated to protecting and supporting children affected by war through psychosocial support, education, and advocacy — the closest functional peer to UCAG's Raise.UA ecosystem, though operating across multiple conflicts rather than one.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF: Global UN agency focused on child welfare, protection, and recovery from conflict — directly comparable mission space to UCAG's child-trauma and rights work, but operating at vastly larger scale and across all conflicts worldwide.
• Right To Play: International NGO using sport and play for child development in adversity-affected regions — closely comparable to UCAG's adaptive-sport/Invictus angle and its veteran-mentor-through-sport component for trauma recovery.
• United Way British Columbia: Major Canadian community-funding institution that has been an actual funding partner to UCAG (United for Ukraine Local Love Fund); comparable as a Canadian grantmaking/fund-distribution counterpart in the same Ukraine-response ecosystem.
• Canadian Red Cross: Canada's principal humanitarian aid organization, including Ukraine crisis response and refugee support programs; the closest Canadian institutional peer for international humanitarian fundraising and diaspora-driven support infrastructure.
• Save the Children: Major international NGO delivering child-protection, education, and mental-health programming in conflict zones; UCAG's Raise.UA operates in a directly adjacent niche (war-affected children's psychosocial support) with a much narrower geographic and population focus.
• Canadian Ukrainian Congress: National umbrella representing the Ukrainian-Canadian community with advocacy, cultural preservation, and humanitarian programming; UCAG operates as a more focused, program-delivery counterpart within the same diaspora advocacy space.

Emerging players

• Invictus Games Foundation: Foundation using the Invictus Games platform for wounded veterans' recovery; UCAG's Invictus Team Ukraine Gala partnership makes it directly comparable as a programmatic partner on the same adaptive-sport-and-recovery thematic axis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UCAdvocacyGroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group