Ukranian Catholic Education Foundation

What Ukranian Catholic Education Foundation does

The Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation (dba Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1997 and headquartered at 2247 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Its sole operational purpose is to raise funds in the United States to support the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv, Ukraine — the first Catholic university established in the former Soviet Union, founded in 2002 after being blessed by Pope John Paul II in 2001. The foundation employs 1-10 staff and operates through a management team led by Chairman and President Taras Szmagala, Jr. and CEO Annetta Hewko.

The foundation's revenue model is exclusively donation- and philanthropy-based. It accepts individual donations, scholarship sponsorships ($2,100 semester to $7,000 doctoral), endowed funds ($50,000 semester scholarship to $1,000,000 university chair), corporate matching gifts through 16,000+ US companies, planned/legacy gifts qualifying donors for the Josyf Slipyj Legacy Society, and Donor Advised Funds. It manages a $22.4 million endowment across 80+ individual endowed funds and has directed more than $15.7 million to UCU operations, institutes, and strategic programs over the past three years, including $850,000 across 217 named scholarships in 2024-2025.

Distribution is event-driven and diaspora-led, leveraging Chicago and New York annual banquets, the Lviv-based Perelaz Charitable Folk-Ball, and Friends of UCU committees across 10+ US cities. Strategic partnerships with University of Notre Dame, Stanford Ignite Ukraine, KreativEU, and the Nadija Research Foundation extend institutional reach. The foundation holds a Charity Navigator 4-star rating and is led by a board with backgrounds in US diplomacy, public health, finance (EY), and technology entrepreneurship.

Name

Ukranian Catholic Education Foundation

Legal name

Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation dba Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation

Website

https://ucufoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 that raises funds in the United States to support the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine through scholarships, endowments, and legacy gifts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Advancement Services & Donor Operations (CRM, Gift Processing, Stewardship) (EDALAOAD), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Charitable fundraising services
• Educational endowment management
• Student scholarship programs
• Planned legacy giving
• Higher education philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting UCU's educational mission, including one-time gifts, monthly recurring gifts, and major donor contributions.
2. Scholarship Sponsorships: Direct funding of student scholarships at various levels (semester, yearly, doctoral), with donors receiving recognition and communication with recipients.
3. Endowment Management: Manages a $22.4 million endowment comprised of over 80 individual endowed funds supporting scholarships, professorships, research, and academic programs. Endowments provide permanent funding sources.
4. Legacy/Planned Gifts: Bequests through wills/trusts, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and charitable remainder trusts. Qualifies members for Josyf Slipyj Legacy Society.
5. Corporate Matching Gifts: Over 16,000 US companies match employee donations, amplifying individual contributions to UCU.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that conducts fundraising in the United States to support Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv, Ukraine. Its offerings include named scholarship sponsorships, the creation and management of endowed funds (scholarships, professorships, lectureships, chairs, library and research funds), legacy/planned gift programs, corporate matching gift administration, and annual signature fundraising events. All gifts are tax-deductible and are routed through multiple channels (online, wire, check, DAF, IRA QCD, securities, bequests).

Product overview

Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation (dba Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1997 that supports Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv, Ukraine. The foundation's services are charitable and educational in nature, including fundraising activities in the United States, student scholarship programs, endowed faculty positions, legacy gift planning, and general operational support for the university. The foundation does not offer technology products or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarship Sponsorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 52% of students received financial assistance in 2024-2025 academic year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Nadija Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 August 2026UCU has become a partner of The Nadija Research Foundation, supporting research initiatives at the university.
• MriyDiy Educational FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 August 2026Executive Director Artur Proidakov spoke at Perelaz 2026. Foundation supports educational initiatives in Ukraine and collaborates on events.
• BRIDGE Project (Ukraine-Latin America)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026First-year anniversary online forum uniting Ukraine and Latin America. UCU participates in this international academic exchange initiative.
• Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 July 2026UCU presented the National Unity Center Project at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026, positioning the university in post-war reconstruction planning.
• University of Notre DamemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2025Faculty grants program encouraging joint research between Notre Dame and UCU. Part of Notre Dame Global's international engagement initiatives supporting Ukrainian academic institutions during wartime.
• KreativEUcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2025UCU became an associate partner of KreativEU, a European cultural and creative industries initiative.
• Stanford Ignite UkrainemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2024Entrepreneurship education program partnering with Stanford Graduate School of Business. 42 Ukrainian entrepreneurs received scholarships for the second cohort in 2024. UCU Foundation facilitates Ukrainian participation and networking receptions.
• Selfreliance Federal Credit UnioncoreOthersOfficial Banking Partner of UCU Foundation. Provides wire transfer instructions and banking services for donors making contributions via bank transfer. Partnership supports the foundation's donation processing infrastructure.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Friends of Tel Aviv University: US-based nonprofit raising scholarship, research, and programmatic funds for Tel Aviv University. Operates the same diaspora-targeted, single-beneficiary-university model with comparable giving tiers, legacy programs, and corporate matching infrastructure.
• Kosciuszko Foundation: US-based nonprofit supporting Polish-heritage education and cultural exchange. Closely comparable model of an ethnic-diaspora-targeted foundation funding scholarships, endowed chairs, and exchange programs — analogous to UCEF's Ukrainian-diaspora positioning.
• Selfreliance Foundation: Ukrainian-American community foundation supporting Ukrainian heritage, education, and civil society. Overlaps UCEF's diaspora donor base and also partners with Selfreliance Federal Credit Union (U CE F's banking partner) — making it the closest geographically and culturally comparable peer.
• American Technion Society: North American fundraising arm for the Technion in Israel. Runs scholarship sponsorships, named professorships/chairs, and a multi-tier endowment program structurally identical to UCEF's offerings (semester scholarships up to endowed chairs).
• American Friends of the Hebrew University: US-based 501(c)(3) that raises funds from American donors to support a single foreign university (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). Closely comparable mission model: diaspora-targeted fundraising, scholarship/professorship naming opportunities, and endowment programs for an overseas institution.
• American Friends of the University of Oxford: US fundraising arm for a non-US university, operating scholarship/professorship endowment tiers and legacy giving. Structurally analogous to UCEF even though the beneficiary is a more established institution.
• American Friends of the University of Haifa: US501(c)(3) raising scholarship, research, and program funds for an Israeli university from American supporters. Operates named endowments and academic position sponsorships at tiers comparable to UCEF's $50K–$1M offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Relief Services: Large US Catholic-affiliated humanitarian and development organization. Overlaps UCEF's Catholic donor identity and Ukraine-related activities but operates as a multi-program global agency rather than a single-university fundraising foundation.

Emerging players

• Razom for Ukraine: US-based 501(c)(3) supporting Ukrainian civil society, including education-focused programs. Competes for the same Ukrainian-American donor pool but with a broader humanitarian mandate beyond a single university.
• MriyDiy Educational Foundation: Ukrainian-American foundation supporting Ukrainian education initiatives; partnered with UCEF at Perelaz 2026. Competes for the same diaspora donor pool on overlapping educational causes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtlA4CoiCUYd4cdD1681IWw
• Facebookfacebook.com/UCUFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucu_foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Ukranian Catholic Education Foundation