The Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation is a private charitable fund established in 2004 by the businessman Mikhail Prokhorov.
The foundation’s work is centered on the support and promotion of cultural awareness in various Russian districts, the integration of Russian culture into the global context, and to increase the level of artistic potential in local societies across Russia.
The Foundation's regional strategy is to produce unique cultural programs for each region, taking into consideration the historical, economical and cultural character of each distinct region.
The Foundation’s activity takes many forms. It is a creative laboratory developing new cultural initiatives, a school nurturing Russia's next generation of artistic and enterprising people, a playground for socio-cultural experimentation and development, all the while combining in its work a few defining characteristics: enlightenment, education and charity.
The Foundation offers open competitions for applicants to win grants, as well as also offering non-competitive financial support for unique cultural initiatives. Additionally, the Foundation plans and implements its own cultural projects.
The Foundation's activity manifests itself in three directions:
· The sciences, education and cultural enlightenment
· Sport and health
· Modern Art
From 2004 to 2006, the Foundation worked exclusively in Norilsk, making it the first charitable organization in Russia to work systematically with one separate designated region.
After 2006 the Foundation's activity spread to the wider Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk Periphery.
Since 2008 some of the Foundation's competitive projects have started to come in the Ural, Siberian and far Eastern federal districts of Russia.
In 2009 the Foundation decided to move its executive management to Krasnoyarsk, due to the geographical expansion of the Foundation's work.
The Foundation's representative body in Moscow was established in 2010, which immediately began implementing the Foundation's cultural initiatives in Russia's central federal districts, that is Voronezh, Lipetsk, Belgorod, Tambov, Ryazan, and Kaluga Regions.
In November 2010, the Foundation organized a large-scale international festival in Lyon on contemporary Russian art called 'Unknown Siberia'. The festival was included into the official cultural program for the Russia- France year.
The Foundation supports unique projects whether on an international or federal scale, directed towards the integration and promotion of Russian culture into the global context.
On the 3rd March 2011, the Foundation celebrated its 7th anniversary. Over its 7 years:
• The charitable budget has increased by a multiple of 12;
• The total amount of charitable funds has exceeded 35 million dollars;
• The Expert Council has considered about 4500 grant applications, of which more than 1500 have been supported;
• More than 30 projects have been implemented, the greater part of which take place on an annual basis;
• The audiences for and participants in the Foundation’s events have now reached about one million.
