Building a free and prosperous Ukraine

Learn more about us

Who we are

Bendukidze Free Market Center is a Ukrainian educational and research center founded by Kakhа Bendukidze’s friends and supporters.

Founders

Founding Editor of Forbes Ukraine, leading economic journalist and public figure.

Volodymyr
Fedorin

Executive Director at the Aspen Institute Kyiv, public figure.

Yuliya
Tychkivska

Minister of Finance of Ukraine (2016—2018), politician and statesman.

Oleksandr
Danylyuk

President of Georgia (2004-2007, 2008-2013), politician, reformer and public figure.

Mikheil
Saakashvili

Our Mission

Unleashing Ukraine’s economic potential through policy recommendations, research, public discussions, and educational and grant programs that ensure Ukrainians’ prosperity, government’s accountability, and clear and equal rules for everyone.

Team

Nataliya Melnyk

Director

Nataliia Shostak

Head of Educational Projects and Partnerships

Anna-Mariia Senchyshyn

Project Manager

Iryna Pylypchuk

SMM Manager

Yuliya Hryhoruk

Communications Manager

Mariia Nazarenko

Analyst

Timeline

Our Timeline

Our Timeline. Highlights

2015

Establishment of BFMC

2015-2018

Developing policy recommendations and reform plans (Macroeconomic Stabilization, Plan for Ukraine, the Week of Structural Reforms), assisting with the launch of Reform Support Teams within ministries. Translating and publishing of Economic Freedom in the World annual reports, hosting the Economic Freedom Forum. Publishing the Ukrainian translation of Johan Norberg’s Progress

2016-2018

Launching our first educational initiative (the Tax Calculator)

2019-2020

Publishing the Economics for 8(9) Grade textbook (based on LFMI materials), obtaining approval from the Ministry of Education, and piloting it in 12 schools. Launching the online course Everyday Economics on the Prometheus platform. Conducting a joint study with CASE Ukraine: Audit of Economic Freedom in Ukraine. Launching the “Change Drivers” and “Freedom Library” projects

2021-2023

Promoting economics education at school. Designing and delivering teacher training programs. Launching the first regional Economic Education Accelerator in the Poltava region. Joining the International Economics Olympiad

2024

Expanding regional education accelerators (Poltava, Dnipro, Vinnytsia). Expanding the Economics Olympiad in Ukraine. Piloting the training and mentorship program Economic Pedagogy in Action. Establishing the Economic Education Fund. Implementing the Monitoring Ukraine’s Accession into the EUproject (in collaboration with the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting)

Learn more about our projects

Activities

We invest our efforts and resources into fostering a free and prosperous Ukraine—and help others do the same.

Main Projects

Economic Education Accelerator

A comprehensive educational initiative aimed at increasing access to economic education for Ukrainian 8th–9th graders, transforming the teaching of Economics-related subjects, building a community of educational leaders, and supporting teachers’ initiatives across Ukraine.

Economics Olympiad in Ukraine

A competition in economic thinking for 9–11 graders, designed to spark their interest in Economics, develop their economic mindset, and measure the level of economic literacy of the Ukrainian youth.

Change Drivers

A project aimed at identifying and supporting grassroots initiatives and project ideas that offer effective solutions to community or broader societal challenges.

Monitoring Ukraine’s Accession into the EU

A joint research project with IER to assess Ukraine’s progress or regress on its path to EU membership by analyzing both existing and planned legislation, as well as its implementation in key areas.

Our Impact

10000 +

students participated in the International Economics Olympiad

projects received our funding

10000 +

copies of Economics for 8(9) Grade distributed

teachers completed our training programs

Feedback

Antonina Lavrik

a EO 2023–24 finalist

"Before the Olympiad, I didn’t realize it was more than just a competition. Literally from the first minutes while we were waiting to register, I met a lot of people—people I kept in touch with throughout the event. It’s really great to connect with those who share your interests, to have someone who can celebrate your successes, and to be able to support someone else if things don’t go well."
Oleh Kovalchuk

a EO coordinator

“The Economics Olympiad, as part of the International Economics Olympiad, showcases that there are smart, thoughtful children in Ukraine. Naturally, it motivates students to learn because they understand that if they study well, they can make it to a prestigious Olympiad. Students will remember for their entire lives that they participated in the national final.”
Mykhailo Sedlyar,

a EO coordinator

“I’d like to see more events like this held across Ukraine, in various regions, so that we can all benefit from working together.”
Mariia Brailovska,

EO 2023–24 participant

“Before this, I had only participated in a local school-level Olympiad. So taking part in an Economics Olympiad of this scale is a new and very exciting experience for me. I really like being able to test my knowledge and see how I can apply it in different tasks.”
Artem Bondarenko,

a participant of the regional accelerator in the Dnipropetrovsk region

“We have been implementing these courses for several years and can see how relevant they are. It’s great that some organizations, in particular the Bendukidze Free Market Center, pay attention to this and provide practical support to teachers and students through various methodological activities at the course implementation stage.”
Tetyana Brazhnik,

a participant of the regional accelerator in the Poltava region

“Thank you so much for your work. It’s priceless! What stood out to me most was the meeting with the co-founder of Aurora Multimarket and learning about immersive methods and how to apply them. I plan to use some of these methods not only in my economics classes but also in math!”
A participant of the Accelerator in the Vinnytsia region

“The entire community of Vinnytsia teachers of economics and related subjects attended a wonderful training session on economic education. I’d say it fostered the development of economic thinking not only in students, but also in teachers and lecturers themselves. It was especially interesting for those who have already participated in numerous other training programs. But today’s training was truly unique because it gave teachers the opportunity to access the latest information resources.”
Svitlana Dyachenko,

a participant in the “Economic Pedagogy in Action” program

“I really enjoyed the training—from every angle: the emotional side, the scientific side, and the personal side. This training broadened my horizons and gave me the chance to see new tools I can use with my students to increase their interest in economics.”
Lesia Kukurudziak,

a participant in the “Economic Pedagogy in Action” program

“I gained a lot of new methods that I can use in my future teaching. I mostly work with adult students, but as for how to present such complex information to younger learners—I got a lot of insights. I’m adding them all to my teaching toolkit and will definitely use them going forward.”
Vladyslav Lopuha,

a participant in the “Economic Pedagogy in Action” program

“Right away, you can see the high level of preparation and organization. It’s also great to have the opportunity to gather with like-minded people. This is a wonderful example of building a quality community of economics teachers of all ages from different regions of Ukraine.”
Oksana Shatylo,

a participant in the “Economic Pedagogy in Action” program

“Over these few days, I’ve met many fascinating people and gained a ton of interesting information, positive emotions, and a burst of energy. After such events, you really feel like creating, doing, moving forward, setting new goals, and working toward them.”
Oleksandr Kuklyshyn,

a winner of the “Change Drivers” contest

“It’s a great honor for us to be here among organizations each deserving first place. Our heartfelt thanks to the Bendukidze Free Market Center team and the jury for recognizing our project for our Defenders. We’re super inspired to implement our projects with twice the momentum!”
Maksym Cherkashyn,

a winner of the “Change Drivers” contest

“Today we were jumping for joy because we won first place in the “Change Drivers 2024” contest. Even though there were some fantastic projects from all across Ukraine, the award goes to Ternopil! Thank you to everyone who believes in us, supports us, and inspires us! You are our driving force, our inspiration, and our superpower!”
A “Change Drivers” contest participant

“I’d like to thank you for the chance to make it onto the shortlist, for the incredible support and interest in our project, for the opportunity to interact with colleagues in person, and to be inspired by new possibilities.”