Russian Cultural Foundation

The Russian Cultural Foundation (Российский фонд культуры) is an all-Russian public-state non-profit organization that provides financial and organizational support for initiatives by citizens and organizations in the fields of culture, art, science and education, and works to develop a network of non-governmental organizations in those areas. It is the legal successor to the Soviet Cultural Foundation (Советский фонд культуры), which was established on 12 November 1986 on the initiative of Raisa Gorbacheva as a public association. The first founders of the Foundation were more than fifty creative unions, public organizations and cultural institutions from all the union republics of the USSR. Academician Dmitry Likhachev was elected chairman of the board of the Foundation, with Georg Myasnikov, a former second secretary of the Penza regional committee of the CPSU and a local historian, as his first deputy. The first presidium of the board of the Soviet Cultural Foundation included twelve people, among them the writer Yuri Bondarev, Raisa Gorbacheva, art historian Ilya Zilbershtein, People's Artist of the USSR Evgeny Nesterenko, writers Boris Oleinik and Pyotr Proskurin, diplomat Valentin Falin, and restorer Savva Yamshchikov. The Soviet Cultural Foundation quickly became an influential cultural center of the USSR. Between 1986 and 1991, with state support, the Foundation directed funds equivalent to 100 million US dollars toward cultural activities. On the initiative of the Soviet Cultural Foundation, archival, museum and library collections, unique documents and especially valuable items that had been collected and preserved by compatriots forced to emigrate from Russia during the revolution and civil war began to be returned to the USSR. The Foundation's motto was: to preserve and multiply cultural values. During its existence the Foundation created dozens of new regional museums, held hundreds of all-union and foreign exhibitions, festivals, competitions and concerts; published unique book monuments; and established periodicals in many regions of the country. The best-known periodical of the Soviet Cultural Foundation was the journal Nashe Nasledie (Our Heritage), founded on the initiative of Dmitry Likhachev in 1988. In the countries of the CIS, the Foundation had branches. In Turkmenistan a Turkmen branch of the Cultural Foundation existed from 1987 to 2004. In Tajikistan a Tajik branch of the Soviet Cultural Foundation — Bunyodi Farhangi Tojikiston — existed from 28 April 1987, and in 1991 was transformed into the Cultural Foundation of Tajikistan. The Foundation received a commendation from the President of the Russian Federation on 26 December 2001 for its great contribution to the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage. The Foundation's official website is hosted at fond.culture.ru. The site currently displays a default nginx welcome page, indicating that the web presence is not fully configured or is under maintenance.

The Russian Cultural Foundation traces its origins to the Soviet Cultural Foundation (Советский фонд культуры), established on 12 November 1986 on the initiative of Raisa Gorbacheva as a public association. Its first founders were more than fifty creative unions, public organizations and cultural institutions from all the union republics of the USSR. Academician Dmitry Likhachev was elected chairman of the board, with Georg Myasnikov as first deputy chairman. The first presidium of the board included twelve members: Dmitry Likhachev (chairman), Georg Myasnikov (first deputy), and board members Yuri Bondarev (writer), Raisa Gorbacheva (candidate of philosophical sciences, wife of General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev), Ilya Zilbershtein (doctor of art history), Evgeny Nesterenko (People's Artist of the USSR), Boris Oleinik (writer), Vladimir Popov (first deputy chairman of Gosteleradio USSR), Pyotr Proskurin (writer), Boris Ugarov (president of the Academy of Arts of the USSR), Valentin Falin (diplomat, chairman of the Novosti press agency), and Savva Yamshchikov (art historian, restorer). The Soviet Cultural Foundation quickly became an influential cultural center of the USSR. Between 1986 and 1991, with state support, the Foundation directed funds equivalent to 100 million US dollars toward cultural activities. On its initiative, the return to the USSR began of archival, museum and library collections, unique documents and especially valuable items that had been collected and preserved by compatriots forced to emigrate from Russia during the revolution and civil war. The Foundation's motto was: to preserve and multiply cultural values. During its existence the Foundation created dozens of new regional museums, held hundreds of all-union and foreign exhibitions, festivals, competitions and concerts; published unique book monuments; and established periodicals in many regions of the country. The best-known periodical of the Soviet Cultural Foundation was the journal Nashe Nasledie (Our Heritage), founded on the initiative of Dmitry Likhachev in 1988. In the CIS countries, the Foundation had branches. In Turkmenistan a Turkmen branch of the Cultural Foundation existed from 1987 to 2004; its chairman of the board was Shammukhamed Akmuhammedovich (Shadzhan) Akmuhammedov, People's Artist of Turkmenistan, professor, chairman of the Union of Artists of Turkmenistan (1976–1980), deputy minister of culture of Turkmenistan, and participant in the creative association "Semyorka". The first deputy chairman of the board of the Turkmen branch was Kakadzhan Oraznepesovich Oraznepesov, honored art worker of Turkmenistan, artist, designer and jeweler. In Tajikistan a Tajik branch of the Soviet Cultural Foundation — Bunyodi Farhangi Tojikiston — existed from 28 April 1987, and in 1991 was transformed into the Cultural Foundation of Tajikistan — Bunyodi Farhangi Tojikiston. The honorary chairman of the presidium of the Cultural Foundation of Tajikistan in 1987–1991 was the poetess Gulrukhsor Safieva; from 1993, Dzhamoliddin Mansurov, mayor of Dushanbe. The first deputy chairman of the presidium of the Tajik branch of the Soviet Cultural Foundation/Cultural Foundation of Tajikistan from 28 April to 6 August 1993 was Makhmudov Mukhiddin Makhmudovich, an orientalist. From 1993 to the present, the chairman of the Cultural Foundation of Tajikistan — Bunyodi Farhangi Tojikiston — is Doctor of Historical Sciences Khamza Kamol. The Foundation has a printed organ, the journal "Farhang". After the dissolution of the USSR, the organization continued as the Russian Cultural Foundation, an all-Russian public-state non-profit organization. It provides financial and organizational support for initiatives of citizens and organizations in the fields of culture, art, science and education, and develops a network of non-governmental organizations in those areas. On 26 December 2001, the Foundation received a commendation from the President of the Russian Federation for its great contribution to the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage.

• 2001

  Foundation receives commendation from the President of the Russian Federation on 26 December.

• 1991

  Tajik branch transformed into the Cultural Foundation of Tajikistan.

• 1988

  Journal Nashe Nasledie founded on the initiative of Dmitry Likhachev.

• 1987

  Turkmen branch of the Cultural Foundation begins operation (until 2004).

• 1987

  Tajik branch of the Soviet Cultural Foundation (Bunyodi Farhangi Tojikiston) established on 28 April.

• 1986

  Soviet Cultural Foundation established on 12 November on the initiative of Raisa Gorbacheva.

Non-profit cultural foundation providing financial and organizational support for cultural, artistic, scientific and educational initiatives in Russia and historically in the CIS.

• Nashe Nasledie journal

  Periodical founded in 1988 on the initiative of Dmitry Likhachev.

• Farhang journal

  Printed organ of the Cultural Foundation of Tajikistan.

1. 1Official websitefond.culture.ru
2. 2Wikidata entrywikidata.org
3. 3Russian Wikipedia articleru.wikipedia.org