The Anti-Corruption Research and Education Centre (ACREC) is a Ukraine-based research organization with ties to the United States. One of the founding groups of ACREC is the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America, a U.S.-based foundation aimed at supporting the Ukraine-based National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. ^{1 2}

Background

The Anti-Corruption Research and Education Centre (ACREC) is a project of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. ³ The group claims to research and combat corruption in Ukraine. ACREC aims to develop “agents of change” and provide them with a platform for communication. ACREC states its goal is to develop a new “social contract,” free from corruption, by 2038. ¹

The Anti-Corruption Action Centre, one of the sponsors of ACREC, denies many of the criticisms leveled against the organization including accusations that the group “siphons off grant funding through private entrepreneurs,” and “tax dodging and embezzlement.” ⁴

One of the founding groups of ACREC is the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America, a U.S.-based foundation aimed at supporting the Ukraine-based National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. ^{1 2}

The other founding groups of ACREC are the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, and Transparency International of Ukraine. ¹

ACREC is a partner of the group Blueprint for Free Speech, an Australia-based non-governmental organization focused on promoting free speech and supporting whistleblowers. ^{5 6}

Partners of ACREC include the Open Society Foundations, the United States Embassy in Ukraine, the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), the Eurasian Academic Anti-Corruption Network, Blueprint for Free Speech, Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America, Transparency International of Ukraine, the Anti-Corruption Research Centre, and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. ⁷

Activities

The Anti-Corruption Research and Education Centre (ACREC) sponsors a master’ program in partnership with the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. The program may also have had a connection to United States Agency of International Development (USAID), as the page for the master’s degree has USAID’s logo posted at the top. The master’s program claims to supply students with the skills including “effective anti-corruption tools,” “detection of the conflict of interest,” and “analysis of corruption risks and offences.” ⁸

Funding

In 2017, the Anti-Corruption Research and Education Centre (ACREC) received $25,000 from the Open Society Foundations. ⁹

The Anti-Corruption Action Centre, alongside the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, sponsors the ACREC. The Anti-Corruption Action Centre claims that its main categories of funders are the United States government, the European Union and its member states’ governments, private international funds, and donations from companies and individuals. ¹⁰

People

Oksana Nesterenko is the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Research and Education Centre (ACREC). Nesterenko is an associate professor of law at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. She sits on the Scientific Advisory Board of Ukraine’s Constitutional Court and is a member of Transparency International of Ukraine. ¹¹

Marta Farion sits on the supervisory board of ACREC. Farion is a lawyer in the United States and the president of the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America. ¹²

1. “Mobile Menu.” ACREC. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://acrec.org.ua/en/about-us/.
2. “About 3.” Building Ukraine Through Excellence. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.kmfoundation.org/our-mission-vision.
3. “Mobile Menu.” ACREC. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://acrec.org.ua/en/.
4. Attacks on Antac.” Головна – Центр Протидії Корупції. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://antac.org.ua/en/special-projects/attacks-on-antac/.
5. “Partners.” Blueprint for Free Speech. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.blueprintforfreespeech.net/en/about-us/partners.
6. “What We Do.” Blueprint for Free Speech. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.blueprintforfreespeech.net/en/about-us/what-we-do.
7. “Mobile Menu.” ACREC. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://acrec.org.ua/en/partners/.
8. “Mobile Menu.” ACREC. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://acrec.org.ua/en/courses/anti-corruption-studies-master-s-program/.
9. “Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships.” Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships – Open Society Foundations. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?grant_id=OR2017-35812.
10. “ About Us.” Anticorruption Action Centre, February 3, 2025. https://antac.org.ua/en/about-us/.
11.  Mobile Menu.” ACREC. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://acrec.org.ua/en/experts/oksana-nesterenko/.
12.  “Mobile Menu.” ACREC. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://acrec.org.ua/en/experts/marta-farion/.