The Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation is a private charitable fund established in 2004 by Mikhail Prokhorov. The Foundation’s main objective is to provide systematic support for culture in the Russian regions, their integration into international cultural activity, and to raise the intellectual level and creative potential of local communities.
The Foundation provides systematic support for those initiatives which facilitate the creation of a modern cultural infrastructure and the development of new forms of cultural autonomy in the regions
The Foundation’s regional strategy is expressed in the fact that for each region the Foundation develops a unique programme taking account of its historical, economic and cultural features.
The Foundation’s work is based on a new concept of “cultural capital”. In the current globalised world, the concept of being a capital is a feature of a dynamic region which sets new intellectual trends and lifestyles.
The Foundation sees its objective in creating numerous cultural capitals in Russia. The activity of the Foundation is based upon a new and expanded concept of culture itself, its boundaries and its social functions. Contemporary culture is regarded by the Foundation as a powerful instrument for regional socio‑economic development.
The Foundation also operates as a cultural laboratory to create new cultural techniques, as a school to educate a new generation of creative and innovative people — the Russian creative class, and as a unique arena for socio-cultural experiments, combining in itself several most important functions: outreach, educational and charitable.
Since the Foundation is aimed at restructuring the cultural environment, it sees the main area for its activities as giving support for children’s and young people’s initiatives.
