The Vladimir Potanin Foundation announces the results of the "Endowments: Growth Strategy" competition under its Effective Philanthropy program. Twenty nonprofits from 12 regions of Russia will receive support.
The competition aims to develop the endowment model and strengthen the organizational, programmatic, and financial sustainability of nonprofit organizations that incorporate it into their work.
Oksana Oracheva, General Director of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation:
Traditionally, endowments have been closely associated with higher education and research. Today, however, interest in this instrument is growing across a wide range of fields, from culture to social support. Its importance is also being recognized at the public policy level. In February 2026, the Concept for Promoting the Development of Charitable Activities in the Russian Federation through 2030 was approved, providing for further improvements to the mechanisms for establishing and using endowments.
However, we understand that working with an endowment requires an organization to have strategic planning, a strong governance system, transparency, and well-established relationships with donors. These tasks can often prove even more challenging than fundraising itself.
That is why our role here goes somewhat beyond simply providing funding. For 20 years, the Foundation has been contributing to the development of endowment infrastructure: helping to develop the professional community, create and disseminate knowledge about working with endowments, and support organizations at different stages of adopting this instrument. The winners of the 'Endowments: Growth Strategy' competition will also gain access to educational resources and expert support that will help them make more confident use of the opportunities offered by endowments in achieving their long-term goals.
The competition was held in two stages. At the first stage, 172 applications were submitted. Following an assessment against the formal criteria, 154 were admitted for expert review. Eighty-eight organizations from 34 regions of Russia reached the final. At the second stage, the Expert Council evaluated the finalists' applications.
Among the winners, 11 organizations are planning to establish an endowment, eight are specialized endowment management organizations with endowments already established, and one owns an endowment. The competition thus brought together organizations with different levels of experience — from those preparing to establish their first endowment to others already managing an established endowment and interested in further developing this instrument.
Seven of the organizations receiving support work in higher education. This is particularly important given growing government attention to developing endowments at educational and research organizations: the Government of the Russian Federation recently instructed that additional measures be developed to support university endowments as one mechanism for their long-term sustainability.
Support was also awarded to seven organizations working with vulnerable groups, four in culture and the arts, and one that helps homeless animals.
The winners will receive funding of up to RUB 25 million for a period of up to three years. The funds are intended to implement organizational development projects, update medium-term strategies, and enable more effective use of the endowment model. Specifically, this may include improving governance processes, developing fundraising, strengthening financial planning, introducing digital tools, and improving engagement with donors and other stakeholders. A model developed by the Foundation and AO Business Solutions and Technologies will be used to assess organizational maturity.
If a project is successfully implemented and its results are approved, a portion of the funding received may be contributed to the organization's endowment. The competition's total funding pool is RUB 500 million.
A dedicated educational track has also been developed for the competition winners. Participants will be able to develop their management competencies, deepen their knowledge of strategic planning and day-to-day management, and master modern approaches to stakeholder engagement, digital technologies and artificial intelligence, financial modeling, and risk management.
Interest in developing endowments has grown significantly in recent years. According to the National Endowment Association, as of the end of 2025, 327 nonprofit organizations in Russia had 454 endowments with combined assets of approximately RUB 205 billion. By comparison, a year earlier there were 407 endowments in the country with combined assets of RUB 155.6 billion.
Over the 20 years since the law on endowments was adopted, the Vladimir Potanin Foundation has helped establish and grow the endowments of 59 organizations by a total of approximately RUB 1 billion. With the Foundation's support, five endowment knowledge centers have been established, methodological and research materials are published, and the "Endowments" Forum is held annually. All of this helps raise the profile of endowments in the public sphere and helps build expert infrastructure and a professional community. Today, many practices and approaches in the endowment field are being developed by the professional community itself, which has emerged with the Foundation's involvement.
In the "Endowments: Growth Strategy" competition, the key priority is preparing organizations to work effectively with endowments. A contribution to the endowment becomes the culmination of a three-year transformation of the winners' internal processes — governance, fundraising, and financial management.
List of Winners (in Russian) (updated July 30, 2026)
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