Taking Philanthropy To Greater Heights
Tetiana Karapetian is the co-founder and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Blagomay Foundation and a mother of four. Over 14 years, the foundation has delivered approximately USD 8.5M in aid to more than 1.6 million beneficiaries across 24 regions of Ukraine.
Early Journey
Tetiana grew up in Ukraine in a family where independence wasn't a value; it was a condition. Her mother was an entrepreneur, always working, which taught her early not to wait for permission to act.
Her MBA at Wisconsin International University of Ukraine provided her with an American framework within a Ukrainian context. During her university years, she didn’t take vacations; she invested her time in internships, conferences, and building professional relationships that continue to shape her work today.
She recalls, “One of the most formative stages was working in the banking sector on non-performing debt. This may seem far from philanthropy. But it was there that I learned the most important skill, building relationships in complex negotiations and finding solutions where others stop.”
Defining Moments
“I was 24, in the hospital with my second child, when nurses brought in an infant, no documents, no family. I was asked to take care of him. He spent three months in a children’s hospital in Kyiv until his grandmother was found, who had no idea she even had a grandson,” she remarks.
That was the first time she saw not a tragedy, but a systemic failure. And she asked herself the question that gave her no peace: where do thousands of children like him end up?
In 2010, when everyone said "get rich first, then do philanthropy," she reached out to a colleague who would later become her co-founder and partner, Kostiantyn Holubiatnykov, to create a foundation to support children. His response was immediate: “You read my mind. I’ve been thinking the same. Let’s build it together.”
Championing Idea
While every project they build at Blagomay matters deeply, Girl Power Ukraine holds a special place for her personally. It has grown into a flagship ecosystem for girls’ development, with 41,770+ participants, 106+ programs across Ukraine, including frontline regions, and 7,000+ children engaged in STEM. She strongly believes that empowering girls from an early age is one of the most important investments they can make in the future.
Each course runs for 20 girls over 6 modules, two months of intensive work covering leadership, mental health, gender equity, financial independence, and career skills. Inclusion is built in from the start, including participants with visual impairments, because equal opportunity must be real, not declared.
Blagomay HUB in Kyiv (08.2023-06.2026) has become the core of an educational ecosystem that has engaged 15,202 participants through 1581 events, involved 799 experts, and provided 631 individual psychological consultations. Beyond the capital, a network of 7 hubs operates across frontline and high-risk regions of Ukraine, using flexible formats including mobile solutions to serve communities where access to quality education has been severely disrupted.
Trust Above All Else
When international companies and foundations choose Blagomay, they are not simply choosing a charity they are choosing a trusted implementation partner with transparent financial reporting, international verification (CAF America, GlobalGiving), a 15-year track record, and proven credibility in a market with tens of thousands of registered foundations, including recognition in the Forbes Ukraine Top-50 and inclusion among the top 100 charitable foundations by revenue in 2025.
Guiding Principles
Blagomay operates based on three core principles when navigating high-stakes environments:
1. Expertise over comfort. With 15 years on the ground, membership in Ukraine's Health Cluster Strategic Advisory Group, and partnerships with 350+ Ukrainian and international companies, we have both the credibility and the responsibility to advocate for what actually works.
2. Project first, funding second. We never collect money "into a general pool." Each of our 18 active projects has its own budget, team, and measurable outcome. In 2025, we raised $1,918,000 for specific projects.
3. Collective decisions in crisis. In 2022, we evacuated over 1,000 children from active combat zones.
Measuring Impact
Metrics are proof, but they are not the definition of impact. As Tetiana notes, “In 2024, we had 518 media publications, reached 3.7 million unique users, were featured in three Forbes print editions, and built partnerships with global corporations. These matters are not what drives my co-founder or me every day. What drives us is the ability to scale solutions and build systems that continue to serve beneficiaries long after a project ends.
For her, true impact is when a system continues to function after a project ends and funding is no longer there. It is when a Girl Power participant launches her own initiative in her city a year after completing the program. When 10 rehabilitation centers were equipped with 470 units of medical equipment, they began training other institutions using their methodology. When the 6 sensory rooms were implemented in 6 hospitals across 5 regions, serving 37,836 children, it became a standard adopted by other organizations. And even the 66+ neonatal incubators they provided, which are saving lives today.
Proudest Achievements
At a certain point in 2011, she faced a clear choice: a career at an international company or building a foundation no one believed in. Everyone said, “First, make money.” She chose the foundation.
She is proud that models built in conditions of crisis and war are now becoming reference points for partners in other countries. She is proud of every person who has been part of their team, even for a short time, because each contribution has shaped what they have built.
Beyond individual growth, the team’s ambition is to turn Blagomay’s experience of operating in real instability into a reference standard for the global social impact sector. In 2026, the strategic focus is on scaling 40 Girl Power courses across local communities in Ukraine, launching an online format, and strengthening a proven ecosystem that advances leadership, gender equity, and girls' mental health. For corporate partners, this represents a scalable investment in future human capital with measurable outcomes.
Taking Philanthropy To Greater Heights
Tetiana Karapetian is the co-founder and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Blagomay Foundation and a mother of four. Over 14 years, the foundation has delivered approximately USD 8.5M in aid to more than 1.6 million beneficiaries across 24 regions of Ukraine.
Early Journey
Tetiana grew up in Ukraine in a family where independence wasn't a value; it was a condition. Her mother was an entrepreneur, always working, which taught her early not to wait for permission to act.
Her MBA at Wisconsin International University of Ukraine provided her with an American framework within a Ukrainian context. During her university years, she didn’t take vacations; she invested her time in internships, conferences, and building professional relationships that continue to shape her work today.
She recalls, “One of the most formative stages was working in the banking sector on non-performing debt. This may seem far from philanthropy. But it was there that I learned the most important skill, building relationships in complex negotiations and finding solutions where others stop.”
Defining Moments
“I was 24, in the hospital with my second child, when nurses brought in an infant, no documents, no family. I was asked to take care of him. He spent three months in a children’s hospital in Kyiv until his grandmother was found, who had no idea she even had a grandson,” she remarks.
That was the first time she saw not a tragedy, but a systemic failure. And she asked herself the question that gave her no peace: where do thousands of children like him end up?
In 2010, when everyone said "get rich first, then do philanthropy," she reached out to a colleague who would later become her co-founder and partner, Kostiantyn Holubiatnykov, to create a foundation to support children. His response was immediate: “You read my mind. I’ve been thinking the same. Let’s build it together.”
Championing Idea
While every project they build at Blagomay matters deeply, Girl Power Ukraine holds a special place for her personally. It has grown into a flagship ecosystem for girls’ development, with 41,770+ participants, 106+ programs across Ukraine, including frontline regions, and 7,000+ children engaged in STEM. She strongly believes that empowering girls from an early age is one of the most important investments they can make in the future.
Each course runs for 20 girls over 6 modules, two months of intensive work covering leadership, mental health, gender equity, financial independence, and career skills. Inclusion is built in from the start, including participants with visual impairments, because equal opportunity must be real, not declared.
Blagomay HUB in Kyiv (08.2023-06.2026) has become the core of an educational ecosystem that has engaged 15,202 participants through 1581 events, involved 799 experts, and provided 631 individual psychological consultations. Beyond the capital, a network of 7 hubs operates across frontline and high-risk regions of Ukraine, using flexible formats including mobile solutions to serve communities where access to quality education has been severely disrupted.
Trust Above All Else
When international companies and foundations choose Blagomay, they are not simply choosing a charity they are choosing a trusted implementation partner with transparent financial reporting, international verification (CAF America, GlobalGiving), a 15-year track record, and proven credibility in a market with tens of thousands of registered foundations, including recognition in the Forbes Ukraine Top-50 and inclusion among the top 100 charitable foundations by revenue in 2025.
Guiding Principles
Blagomay operates based on three core principles when navigating high-stakes environments:
1. Expertise over comfort. With 15 years on the ground, membership in Ukraine's Health Cluster Strategic Advisory Group, and partnerships with 350+ Ukrainian and international companies, we have both the credibility and the responsibility to advocate for what actually works.
2. Project first, funding second. We never collect money "into a general pool." Each of our 18 active projects has its own budget, team, and measurable outcome. In 2025, we raised $1,918,000 for specific projects.
3. Collective decisions in crisis. In 2022, we evacuated over 1,000 children from active combat zones.
Measuring Impact
Metrics are proof, but they are not the definition of impact. As Tetiana notes, “In 2024, we had 518 media publications, reached 3.7 million unique users, were featured in three Forbes print editions, and built partnerships with global corporations. These matters are not what drives my co-founder or me every day. What drives us is the ability to scale solutions and build systems that continue to serve beneficiaries long after a project ends.
For her, true impact is when a system continues to function after a project ends and funding is no longer there. It is when a Girl Power participant launches her own initiative in her city a year after completing the program. When 10 rehabilitation centers were equipped with 470 units of medical equipment, they began training other institutions using their methodology. When the 6 sensory rooms were implemented in 6 hospitals across 5 regions, serving 37,836 children, it became a standard adopted by other organizations. And even the 66+ neonatal incubators they provided, which are saving lives today.
Proudest Achievements
At a certain point in 2011, she faced a clear choice: a career at an international company or building a foundation no one believed in. Everyone said, “First, make money.” She chose the foundation.
She is proud that models built in conditions of crisis and war are now becoming reference points for partners in other countries. She is proud of every person who has been part of their team, even for a short time, because each contribution has shaped what they have built.
Beyond individual growth, the team’s ambition is to turn Blagomay’s experience of operating in real instability into a reference standard for the global social impact sector. In 2026, the strategic focus is on scaling 40 Girl Power courses across local communities in Ukraine, launching an online format, and strengthening a proven ecosystem that advances leadership, gender equity, and girls' mental health. For corporate partners, this represents a scalable investment in future human capital with measurable outcomes.
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