The priority of the Foundation of the Ukrainian Free University based in the USA was and is to support Ukrainian independent science and education.
"The activities of the UVU Foundation include: preservation of Ukrainian consciousness and identity, cultural heritage and tradition among Ukrainian youth, especially among students of higher educational institutions in the USA and abroad, providing financial and moral assistance to students of the Ukrainian language, history, culture and geography and other subjects about Ukraine, and institutions that provide such education; to establish, direct and support educational, charitable and cultural institutions for the promotion of higher goals".
(From the statute of the UVU Foundation in 2005. Unofficial translation).
For almost 100 years, the Ukrainian Free University (Vienna-Prague-Munich, 1921-2022) has been one of the independent centers of Ukrainian science and higher education in the Western world. An important place in financing his activities is occupied by the UVU Foundation in the USA.
During its existence, the UVU Foundation allocated more than four million dollars for scholarships, primarily for students from Ukraine, but also from other European and American countries. At the same time, the Foundation initiated or supported various projects, including the publication of important scientific works, the creation of the Library and Archive of the Ukrainian Diaspora at the Lviv University named after Ivan Franko, for 11 years organized youth excursions "Parents' Paths across Europe" - with the corresponding program, and conducts a competition in Ukrainian studies under the auspices of the Volyanik-Shwabinsky Foundation. All this is possible thanks to our numerous and extremely generous donors, benefactors, patrons and funders.
The basis for the creation of the UVU Foundation in America was the Society of Friends of UVU, which was active in the state of New Jersey, and which later ceased to be active. In 1975, the founding meeting of the UVU Foundation was held in Passaic, New Jersey.
The noble goal of the founders of the Foundation found a positive response in the Ukrainian community of the post-war years - in the same community, a large part of which was not so long ago in post-war camps for refugees, homeless, stateless persons. From their hard-earned and small earnings and savings, they created an unparalleled spiritual and cultural value for the Ukrainian people.
Every year, the Foundation helped UVU more and more, new and new permanent scholarship funds were created, older Ukrainians wrote their inheritances to the Foundation, interest from real estate capital grew, and with them - the number of students whose education was paid by the UVU Foundation in New York. The honest and selfless work of the Foundation and its management over the past four decades has won the full trust of the Ukrainian community in the United States, which with its generosity has brought the Foundation's assets to more than a million dollars.
The work of the Foundation is carried out by organizational and financial, informational and press, publishing and public means, which complement each other and strengthen our charitable public institution.
The task of the information section of the Foundation is to prepare annual press reports on financial receipts to the Foundation; sending - twice a year - holiday cards, speeches in the Ukrainian-language press, articles about the activities of the Foundation, about the successes and needs of the Ukrainian Free University, expressing gratitude to worthy donors.
On the public side, the UVU Foundation is an active member of the Ukrainian community in New York, and its members actively participate in the life of local Ukrainian organizations.
In the 1980s and 1990s of the last century, a number of student committees operated under the UVU Foundation in New York, in particular, "Parents' Trails across Europe", "Monte Cassino", "Dahav", whose efforts achieved positive results in disseminating the good name of the Ukrainian people. Thanks to their successful actions, various cultural actions were implemented that left a loud echo in the community, in particular, Ukrainian soldiers who died in the battle of Monte Cassino (Italy) and in Feldbach (Austria) were immortalized, a commemorative plaque was installed in the former German concentration camp Dahav, and in this way many thousands of Ukrainians who died in that mill of death are honored.
In addition to its main task, the UVU Foundation managed to raise funds for the implementation of projects important to the Ukrainian people. The long-time head of the Foundation of St. Mr. Prof. Peter Goy. Here it is worth mentioning at least the Brazilian project: for the princely gift of the Boychuk couple - 220,000 U.S. dollars. dollars - houses for orphans and boarding schools for school youth were built in the city of Prudentopolis (Brazil), which became cultural centers for Ukrainians there. The collection (96 thousand dollars) for the construction of a church in Zarvanytsia, at the Lyceum of St. Josaphat in Buchach ($10,000), for the creation of the Museum of Embroidered Icons of Fr. Blazheyovsky (USD 3,000), for computer support of the Lviv National University named after Ivan Franko (60 thousand dollars).
The publishing activity of the Foundation has also achieved considerable success. With the help of donations from the Ukrainian public for publishing purposes, many historical, scientific and documentary editions were published, in particular, "Competition for the Ukrainian University" by Vasyl Mudry, "Pedagogical Heritage" by Hryhoriy Vashchenko, "Works" by Augustyn Voloshyn, "Essays on the History of Magdeburg Law" by Tatyana Goshko, a book of documents "Visula Action" by Yevhen Mysil, "Genocide of Moscow in Vinnytsia" by Oleg Romanov, "Galician-Volyn State" by O. Kupchynskyi, "Innocently Killed" by Oleg Romanov, "Faith, Hope, Love". Women in the ranks of the UPA" by M. Pankova, "For you, holy Ukraine" by Nestor Myzak and many others.
The creation of the "Archive and Library of the Ukrainian Diaspora" in Lviv belongs to a number of useful and successfully implemented projects that were born within the walls of the New York Foundation of UVU. Thanks to the efforts of the head of the Foundation and extensive information in the press, the premises of the Foundation in New York were filled with mountains of books, magazines, documents, publications of the Ukrainian overseas press, which were donated by Ukrainian settlers in the USA, organizations, societies, and families. Members of the Foundation and volunteers worked hard, compiling these publications, sorting, packing and shipping them to the sea port, on the ship. The professionally formed, cataloged Archive and Library named after Peter Goya are currently operating at the State University named after Ivan Franko in Lviv, providing invaluable services to Ukrainian studying youth, teachers and scientists.
With the will of worthy donors, the families of Dr. Stepan and Emilia Volyanik and Teodor and Sofia Shvabinsky, the founders of the Literary Fund at the Foundation (the amount of the Fund is $100,000), the UVU Foundation organizes a competition for the best literary work every year. Over the course of 22 years (1998-2020), the jury reviewed several hundred Ukrainian-language works from the fields of Ukrainian studies — fiction, history, and philosophy. The first four awards are given, and the winners of the competition receive cash prizes. To date, more than 150 laureates have become winners of the competition.
The Board of the Foundation closely cooperates with the leadership of the Ukrainian Free University in Munich, and every governing rector has visited the Foundation in America: Dr. Volodymyr Yaniv, Dr. Teodor Tsiucsyura, Dr. Roman Drazhniovskyi, Dr. Myroslav Labunka, academician prof. Leonid Rudnytskyi, Dr. Petro Goy, Dr. Albert Kipa, Dr. Ivan Mygul, Dr. Yaroslava Melnyk. And the current rector of UVU, Maria Pryshlyak, is herself a member of the UVU Foundation Board.
It is safe to say that as a result of the admirable sacrifice of the Ukrainian-American diaspora and the painstaking work of a group of patriotic volunteers, members of the UVU Foundation, a "financial miracle" was created by joint efforts, which enables the Ukrainian Free University to conduct scientific, educational, and publishing activities outside of Ukraine for the good of the Ukrainian people.
Idealism and self-sacrifice continue to be on the agenda of the Foundation Board. Back in 2002, in the discussion of the retrospective of the work, at the meetings of the Board of the Foundation, the question of the expediency of the existence of the UVU Foundation and the fate of the Ukrainian Free University was raised. It is asserted that it is a regrettable fact that, despite the fact that UVU for many years during the time of colonial stagnation in Ukraine played the role of a spokesperson for Ukrainian science in the free world, the new independent Ukraine, which has already existed for more than two decades, did not manage even the smallest gesture of support for the Ukrainian Free University . However, the Foundation Board was convinced that the time would come when Ukraine would become truly Ukrainian. And then there will be new idealists who will be ready for consecration and will keep the burning torch of free Ukrainian science for future generations.
45 years of activity of the UVU Foundation is a respectable path, which was possible only thanks to the selfless work of its Board. During this time, the heads of the Foundation were Dr. Ivan Burtyk (1975-1977), St. Dr. Petro Goy (1977-2001), St. Prof. Dr. Volodymyr Stoyko (2002-2006), St. Mr. Teodor Volyanyk, MSc (2001-2002, 2006-2013) and Dr. Askold Lozynskyi (2013- ). The office of the UVU Foundation, which was managed for a long time by St. Mr. Lesya Goy, and for the last 15 years it has been headed by Olga Kuzyshyn-Volyanyk with full dedication. There were always people devoted to the Foundation's affairs who considered it their duty to help it gratuitously - either with technical assistance, or by writing materials of various directions, or with valuable advice. However, the donors who, with their hard-earned money, considered it necessary to respond to the appeals of the Foundation, deserve the greatest recognition, because they loved the cause of Ukrainian science and the education of new generations of Ukrainian specialists and scientists. This noble self-sacrifice, which, although it has decreased somewhat in recent years, but does not fade to this day, is the guarantee of the activities of the UVU Foundation, its service to Ukrainian science through the support of the Ukrainian Free University and numerous publishing and scientific projects, which fully justify the existence of the UVU Foundation and serve as a guarantee for the further effectiveness of her work. As long as donors generously respond to the Foundation's appeals, the Foundation will be able to fulfill its tasks with dignity.
You can find the CURRENT Statute of the UVU Foundation (2019-2022, English) HERE
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You can find the CURRENT Statute of the UVU Foundation (2019-2022, in Ukrainian) HERE.
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You can find the PREVIOUS Charter of the Foundation (2011). HERE.
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You can find the Certificate of Incorporation (New Jersey Government Permit to Create a Foundation). HERE.
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You can find the Investment Policy document of the UVU Foundation HERE.