SPOKO
BRIDGE
a peer exchange for women who lead, women who advise, women who fund in Poland and Kazakhstan
Spoko HUB × NÜKTE · Poland and Kazakhstan · September 2026 to March 2027
Spoko HUB × NÜKTE · Poland and Kazakhstan · September 2026 to March 2027
SPOKO BRIDGE
Are you running a project, or looking to mentor or fund one?
Are you running a project, or looking to mentor or fund one?
About
Spoko Bridge is a seven-month exchange programme for women changemakers.
We are moving practical knowledge about raising money and about keeping a project alive across borders.
We are growing a new community that our region does not have yet: women who fund women's work and know how to do it well.
This is the first cohort, so we are making it with you. There is no ready-made educational programme here, and nobody stands above the group and teaches it. We are building it as we go, with the women who are in it. You teach what you know, a mentor works beside you, and the women who fund are learning too.
Who it is for
Women who lead organisations, women who mentor, women who want to fund
The group
20 organisations, 10 per country
When
September 2026 to March 2027
Format
Online, in English
Why are we doing this
Women-led organisations in Poland and Kazakhstan do work that has to be done, and they do it on very little money. They get a small share of what is available, and they usually get it on somebody else's terms.
The gap sits at both ends, in non-profits and in business alike. Few women get the grants and the investment. Few women decide who gets them. Change one end and the other end stays exactly where it was.
of global aid reaches women's rights and women-led organisations directly
Oxfam, 2025. These are the organisations often working on the frontlines of humanitarian response and peacebuilding.
of venture capital in Europe goes to all-female startups
UN Women and EBAN, October 2023
of angel investors in Europe are women
UN Women and EBAN, October 2023
We want the women who do this work to be the ones deciding where the money goes.
We run projects, in business and in non-profits. We mentor. We teach. Most of us do more than one of these, and we have done them for years.
So we stopped believing that an investor or donor is somebody else.
Spoko Bridge puts three groups in that room at the same time: women who run the work, women who know how funding is won, and women who want to fund them and have never been shown how.
We are starting with twenty women, a small circle of mentors and a small circle of first-time funders. Small on purpose.
We are not certain yet that this will work, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise. We would like you to test it with us.
Three tracks, built around what you already do
Track A · Women who lead or run projects in Poland or Kazakhstan · The Cohort
You run the work
You know your work, you know it works, and you already know how to raise money for it. It just never adds up to enough.
APPLY AND MEET US
September to November
Applications are open from September to November 2026. Over the autumn, we meet you online and go through the plan together.
MEET THE GROUP AND TEACH ONE THING
January to February
We start in January. Across four or five meetings, the group shares what it knows. You join a small group of four or five women from both countries and build one workshop together with a mentor.
BUILD THE PITCH, THEN PITCH IT
February to March
A mentor supports you in building a pitch for your project. On 17 March, you pitch live, online, to the funder circle. The strongest pitches get an unrestricted grant of 500 to 2,000 euros, to spend on what the project needs.
What we ask
About 20 hours in total, roughly two to three hours a week when the programme is active. The work starts in January. Everything is online and in English. Taking part is free.
Who can apply
You lead or founded the project. It works mainly for women, or most of the people leading it are women. It is based in Poland or Kazakhstan. You do not need a registered organisation. Charities, NGOs, cultural and media projects, human rights and humanitarian work, and social businesses all count. You can work in English. It does not have to be perfect. Age is not a factor.
Track B · Mentors, from anywhere in the world
You mentor the work
You know how to get a pitch ready, or you already fund this kind of work, and you have a few hours.
SIGN UP AND MEET OTHERS
September to November
Sign-up is open through the autumn. Short onboarding: how the programme works, what these women do, where your experience fits. You meet the other mentors, most of whom have not met each other either.
TAKE ON A GROUP AND HELP THEM BUILD
January to February
We suggest a group whose work fits what you know, and you say yes or no. The four or five of them prepare one workshop for the group, and you help them build it. If they ask, you also give a few hours on what you actually know: fundraising, governance, communications, strategy.
WORK ON THEIR PITCHES, THEN WATCH THEM LAND
February to March
You help your group get their pitches ready for the room. On 17 March you see the pitches you worked on. You do not run workshops and you do not judge anything.
WHAT WE ASK
A few hours of pro bono work in January and February 2027, and the pitch day on 17 March.
WHAT YOU GET
The other mentors. The ones confirmed so far are based in Kazakhstan, Poland and the Netherlands, and we are in conversation with more across Europe and Central Asia. That group is part of the offer, not a side effect. You also get a direct line to the work, which is hard to get from the outside.
DEADLINE
No deadline. Leave your details, and we write back personally.
Track C · Funder Circle · Philantropists
You want to fund the work
You want to fund this kind of work, and you assume it is not for you. You do not need investment experience, and you do not need to have given before.
LEAVE YOUR DETAILS
Now
We write back personally and talk through the contribution. There is a minimum and it is low. We would rather say the number to a person than to a page.
WORK OUT WHAT YOU BACK, AND LEARN TO READ THE WORK
October to November
We are bringing in an expert who assesses projects for a living. You work out what you want to fund, how much you can give, how much time you have, and what you bring besides money. You leave with your own giving profile, written down.
PRACTISE, THEN DECIDE
December to January
You assess real projects from the cohort, with the group, before anything is at stake. In March you hear the pitches, and together with other Funders you decide who gets funded.
WHAT WE ASK
A few hours between now and March, and a contribution of a minimum of 100 EUR to the grant pool.
WHAT YOU GET
A way of giving that is yours, a group to decide it with, and a real decision to make.
DEADLINE
No deadline. Leave your details, and we write back personally.
FAQ
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Nothing for the cohort and nothing for mentors. Track C involves a contribution to the grant pool.
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Women who lead or founded a project based in Poland or Kazakhstan, where the project works mainly for women or most of the people leading it are women. Charities, NGOs, cultural and media projects, human rights and humanitarian work and social businesses all count. There is no age limit.
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Yes. You do not need an NGO, a company or any legal entity to take part. If your pitch wins a grant, we agree the payment route with you.
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Yes. Everything runs online in English. It does not have to be perfect, but you have to be able to work in it, because the whole point is that Polish and Kazakhstani participants talk directly to each other.
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We build the groups. Each group is four or five women from Poland and Kazakhstan, matched on what you each know and what you each need. Together you build one workshop for everyone. Tell us in the application what you want to learn, and we use it.
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Track A is about 20 hours in total, roughly two to three hours a week when the programme is active. The work starts in January. Track B is a few hours in January and February 2027, plus the pitch day on 17 March. Track C is a few hours between now and March.
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No. Grants are unrestricted. We aim to raise between 500 and 2,000 euro, and you spend them on what your project actually needs.
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The funder circle decides together, and the number depends on how big the pool is by March. We will say the number as soon as we know it.
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There is a minimum of 100 EUR, but we could talk about the amount with you personally. Leave your details and we write back personally.
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No. Track C is built for women who have never given before. You build your own giving profile, you learn to read a project's work, and you fund real projects.
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Not the cohort, this round. You can mentor from anywhere, and you can join the funder circle from anywhere.
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The cohort is for women-led projects. Mentors and funders are welcome regardless, as long as they are here to back women who lead.
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We do not know yet. This is the first cohort, and what comes next depends on what works. The map of initiatives stays online. If you want to hear about the next round, leave us your email.
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Yes, and some people will do both. They are separate sign-ups, so tell us about both and we set them up. One rule: if you mentored a pair, you do not vote on their pitch. Everything else stays open to you.
Who is doing this
People Behind it
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![A woman with short dark hair, wearing a white shirt, leaning against a brick wall on an outdoor path in black and white.]()
Galiya Idoyatova
Founder, NÜKTE. Based in Astana.
15 years in media and video production, including as general producer of Kazakhstan's first business TV channel. Also runs creative agency "Tochka".
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![Black-and-white photo of a woman with dark hair, smiling, wearing a collared shirt, standing against a textured wall.]()
Olesya Radilova
Founder, Spoko HUB. Based in Poznań.
Fundraising consultant with 10+ years' experience. Helps NGOs across Europe and Central Asia build sustainable revenue strategies and navigate EU, UK, and Nordic funding.
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![A black and white portrait of a smiling woman with short, styled hair, wearing earrings, a pearl necklace, and a dark top.]()
Helena Gubina
Program coordinator. Based in Poland.
3+ years' experience in fundraising and development strategy for cultural and social NGOs. Works across Eastern Europe's independent art and civil society scenes.
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![Black and white photograph of a smiling woman with glasses, wearing a necklace and a short-sleeved blouse, standing outdoors with mountains in the background.]()
Bětka Wójcik
Educator. Based in Spain.
Trainer and facilitator, certified in Nonviolent Communication. Since 2015, has supported individuals, teams, and organisations through facilitation, training, and conflict transformation work.
The mentors
Here we name mentors after they have told us they want to be named.
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![A black and white portrait of a woman with straight hair wearing earrings and a black blazer, standing against a plain background.]()
Aliya Sandybay
Mentor. Based in Kazakhstan.
TEDxAstana curator and licensee, and an expert in PR, GR, and strategic communications. Co-founded Art and Creative Solutions, supporting Kazakhstani creative professionals.
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![A woman with glasses smiling sitting at a table during a social or professional event, with people and tables in the background.]()
Zhanar Zhaxylykova
Mentor. Based in Kazakhstan.
Expert in social investment, ESG, and CSR with 10+ years across Kazakhstan's civil and business sectors. Has led 15+ social impact projects for young people and environmental causes.
The organisations behind
Spoko Bridge is co-financed by the Polish-American Freedom Foundation under the RITA, Transformations in the Region programme, implemented by the Education for Democracy Foundation.
