Rybakov Foundation

The Rybakov Foundation is a private philanthropic organization established in Russia in December 2015 by entrepreneurs Igor Rybakov and Ekaterina Rybakova. Its work centers on education and social development, with particular attention to schools, preschool institutions, educational innovators, non-profit organizations, and the use of entrepreneurial and technology-oriented methods in philanthropy. Rather than operating as a conventional grantmaker alone, the foundation has presented itself as an institution that develops communities, competitions, accelerators, awards, and partnerships intended to improve the broader educational ecosystem. The foundation’s initial activity combined support for education, entrepreneurship, and non-commercial organizations. Its founders applied management practices associated with business development to the governance of philanthropic projects. One early public platform was the annual #EdCrunch conference, which focused on new technologies and innovation in education. The foundation also developed programs for school leaders, teachers, preschool educators, student programmers, and organizations working in educational philanthropy. A substantial part of its activity has been organized through competitive and prize-based initiatives. In 2016 it introduced the #iTeacher competition for educational innovators and later launched TOP School, an all-Russian competition recognizing school projects. These programs were combined in 2019 under the Rybakov School Award. In preschool education, the Rybakov Preschool Award, named in reference to psychologist Lev Vygotsky, was launched in 2016 to support educators and projects in early-childhood development. Award recipients have also been offered professional-development opportunities through the foundation’s Summer School. The foundation has pursued technology and cross-sector collaboration through projects such as Collab Challenge, a Scratch programming competition for Russian secondary-school students launched in 2017 with Moscow City University, Projectoria NGO, and the World Bank. In the same year, it worked with the Higher School of Economics to establish PhilTech, a business accelerator focused on technologies for philanthropy. These initiatives positioned the organization at the intersection of education, digital tools, social entrepreneurship, and non-profit capacity building. In 2019, the founders introduced the concept of “School as the Center of Society,” linking school development with wider community and social outcomes and referencing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education. The same period saw the announcement of the Rybakov Prize, an international award for educational philanthropy supported by the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education and the World Bank. The prize was designed to recognize people and organizations using philanthropic approaches to advance education and carried a reported total fund of US$1.2 million. During the first Rybakov Prize ceremony in February 2020, the founders announced a commitment of US$100 million over ten years for educational-development initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation distributed laptops to 232 multi-child families in different Russian regions, addressing access to remote learning technology. The foundation has also maintained international links through membership in the European Venture Philanthropy Association and the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network. The organization has received recognition in Russian philanthropic and non-profit rankings. It was included among the leading Russian non-profit organizations by Ogoniok in 2016, appeared among Forbes Russia’s leading private non-profit organizations in 2019 and 2020, and was ranked third among private charitable organizations in Russia by RAEX in 2020. Publicly available material describes the foundation’s programs and partnerships, but does not establish a separate comm…

The Rybakov Foundation was founded in December 2015 by Igor Rybakov and Ekaterina Rybakova as a private philanthropic organization devoted primarily to education and social development. The founders structured the organization around the idea that philanthropic work could benefit from disciplined management, entrepreneurial experimentation, measurable programs, and collaboration among private, public, academic, and non-profit institutions. Its first areas of activity included educational development, entrepreneurship, and support for non-commercial organizations. The foundation also sponsored the annual #EdCrunch conference, a platform concerned with educational technology and innovation. In 2016 it expanded into school and preschool initiatives. The #iTeacher competition was created to recognize educational innovators, while the Rybakov Preschool Award supported preschool projects and individual educators. The preschool program was associated with the legacy of Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky and later included a Summer School for professional development. The organization’s school portfolio grew in 2017 with TOP School, an all-Russian competition for school projects. In September 2019, #iTeacher and TOP School were brought together under the Rybakov School Award. The 2019 edition reportedly received 2,846 applications and recognized both individual participants and school teams, demonstrating the foundation’s use of competitions as a way to identify and publicize education-sector initiatives. Technology and partnership development became another important strand. In 2017 the foundation worked with Moscow City University, Projectoria NGO, and the World Bank to launch Collab Challenge, a Scratch programming competition for secondary-school students in Russia. It also partnered with the Higher School of Economics to create PhilTech, an accelerator for technologies applied to philanthropy. These programs broadened the foundation’s remit from direct educational support to the development of tools, skills, and institutional capacity. Between 2015 and 2018, the founders contributed one billion rubles to the foundation, according to the foundation’s cited public history. In March 2019 they announced a further contribution of one billion rubles. The same year, the founders presented “School as the Center of Society,” a concept that treated schools as anchors for community and social development and connected the approach with the United Nations’ fourth Sustainable Development Goal. The foundation also announced the Rybakov Prize, an international prize intended to support and recognize educational philanthropy. The initiative received support from UNESCO’s Institute for Information Technologies in Education and the World Bank. The first Rybakov Prize ceremony took place in February 2020. At that event, the founders announced a planned US$100 million commitment over ten years to educational-development initiatives. The prize itself was described as having a total fund of US$1.2 million, comprising a grand prize and two additional awards. In 2019, its first cycle reportedly attracted 460 applications from more than 40 countries. The listed recipients included Abdul Abdulkerimov of the Luminary Center, Olga Zubkova of the Tetradka Druzhby National Association for the Development of Education, and Boris Bulayev of Educate!. The COVID-19 pandemic added an emergency-access dimension to the foundation’s work. It distributed laptops to 232 multi-child families in several Russian regions, helping families participate in remote learning during school disruption. Alongside its domestic programs, the foundation developed international philanthropic connections and became a member of the European Venture Philanthropy Association and the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network. Recognition followed from Russian media and rating organizations. Ogoniok included the foundation among Russia’s leading non-profit organizations in 2016. Forbes Russia placed it among the leading private non-profit organizations in 2019 and 2020, while RAEX ranked it third among private charitable organizations in Russia in 2020. Available reference material does not document a conversion into a commercial company, public listing, or acquisition by a parent group.

1. 2020First Rybakov Prize ceremony

   The first ceremony was held, and the founders announced a ten-year commitment to educational development.

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2. 2020Pandemic technology assistance

   The foundation distributed laptops to 232 multi-child families during the COVID-19 period.

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3. 2019School as the Center of Society presented

   The foundation presented a model positioning schools as institutions for wider community development.

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4. 2019Rybakov Prize announced

   An international educational-philanthropy prize was announced with support from UNESCO's education-technology institute and the World Bank.

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5. 2019School competitions consolidated

   #iTeacher and TOP School were combined under the Rybakov School Award.

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6. 2017TOP School and Collab Challenge introduced

   The foundation launched a school-project competition and partnered on a Scratch programming competition for Russian secondary students.

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7. 2017PhilTech accelerator established

   The foundation and the Higher School of Economics created an accelerator for philanthropic technologies.

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8. 2016#iTeacher competition launched

   The foundation introduced an all-Russian competition recognizing educational innovators.

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9. 2016Rybakov Preschool Award launched

   A preschool education award was created for projects and educators, later complemented by a professional-development Summer School.

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10. 2015Foundation established

    Igor Rybakov and Ekaterina Rybakova established the Rybakov Foundation in December as a private philanthropic organization.

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A founder-led philanthropic platform that combines education grants and awards with community development, technology, entrepreneurship, and venture-philanthropy methods.

• Rybakov School AwardSchool education competition2019

  An all-Russian recognition program for educational innovators, school projects, and school communities. It brought together the foundation’s earlier #iTeacher and TOP School competitions in 2019. The program uses applications, competition, and public recognition to identify practices that may strengthen school environments and community participation.

• Rybakov Preschool AwardPreschool education award2016

  An annual award supporting preschool education projects and individual educators. It is associated with the name of psychologist Lev Vygotsky and has included a Summer School intended to provide intensive professional development for award participants and winners.

• Rybakov PrizeEducational philanthropy prize2019

  An international prize recognizing educational philanthropy. Announced in 2019, it was described as having a total prize fund of US$1.2 million, with one grand prize and two additional awards. Its launch involved support from UNESCO’s Institute for Information Technologies in Education and the World Bank.

• #iTeacherEducational innovation competition2016

  An annual all-Russian competition created to identify and recognize teachers and other educational innovators. It later became one of the two predecessor programs consolidated into the Rybakov School Award.

• TOP SchoolSchool project competition2017

  An all-Russian competition focused on school projects. It formed part of the foundation’s effort to promote school-level innovation and was later consolidated with #iTeacher under the Rybakov School Award.

• PhilTechPhilanthropy technology accelerator2017

  An accelerator established with the Higher School of Economics for projects applying technology to philanthropy. The initiative reflects the foundation’s emphasis on developing tools and organizational capabilities for the non-profit sector.

• Collab ChallengeStudent programming competition2017

  A Scratch programming competition for secondary-school students in Russia. The foundation launched it with Moscow City University, Projectoria NGO, and the World Bank as a collaborative education and digital-skills initiative.

• 2020COVID-19 remote-learning assistance

  Russia

  The foundation responded to pandemic-related education disruption by providing laptops to multi-child families in several Russian regions.

  Outcome. Laptops were distributed to 232 families, supporting access to remote learning.

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• 2019School as the Center of Society

  Russia · International

  A strategic concept treating schools as anchors for educational, social, and community development and associating the model with Sustainable Development Goal 4.

  Outcome. The concept became a central framing device for the foundation’s school-community work.

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• 2017Collab Challenge

  Russia

  A Scratch programming competition developed with education, non-profit, and international development partners for secondary-school students.

  Outcome. The initiative expanded the foundation’s activity into student programming and digital education.

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• 2016#iTeacher

  Russia

  A national competition designed to highlight innovation among educators and education practitioners.

  Outcome. Later consolidated into the Rybakov School Award.

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• 2020Ten-year education-development commitmentStrategy

  The first Rybakov Prize ceremony provided an occasion to outline a longer-term education strategy.

  What changed. The founders announced a commitment of US$100 million over ten years for educational-development initiatives.

  Aftermath. The commitment established a long-term funding objective, although public reference material does not provide a complete record of subsequent disbursements.

  Announced education-development commitment. US$100 million (Ten-year commitment announced February 2020)

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• 2019Adoption of the School as the Center of Society conceptStrategy

  The foundation was seeking a framework that connected school improvement with wider social and community outcomes.

  What changed. The founders presented a model positioning schools as community institutions and relating it to the UN Sustainable Development Goal on quality education.

  Aftermath. The concept provided a strategic frame for the foundation’s school-community and socio-educational development programs.

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• 2019Announcement of the Rybakov PrizeProduct launch

  The foundation aimed to increase recognition and support for educational philanthropy beyond Russia.

  What changed. It announced an international prize with support from UNESCO’s Institute for Information Technologies in Education and the World Bank.

  Aftermath. The first cycle reportedly received 460 applications from more than 40 countries.

  Total prize fund. US$1.2 million (Prize announced in 2019; amount reported for the Rybakov Prize)

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• 2019Additional founder contribution announcedOther

  The founders continued to fund the foundation’s education and social-development agenda.

  What changed. Igor and Ekaterina Rybakova announced an additional contribution of one billion rubles in March 2019.

  Aftermath. The announcement increased the publicly described financial commitment of the founders to the foundation.

  Additional founder contribution. 1 billion rubles (Announced March 2019)

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• 2017Launch of Collab ChallengeProduct launch

  The foundation sought to connect school education with programming and digital skills.

  What changed. It partnered with Moscow City University, Projectoria NGO, and the World Bank to establish a Scratch competition for secondary-school students.

  Aftermath. The initiative broadened the foundation’s education portfolio into collaborative digital-learning programs.

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• 2017Creation of PhilTech acceleratorProduct launch

  The foundation identified technology as a potential way to improve philanthropy and non-profit operations.

  What changed. It established an accelerator with the Higher School of Economics focused on philanthropic technologies.

  Aftermath. The partnership extended the foundation’s work from grantmaking and awards toward sector-building and innovation support.

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• 2020First Rybakov Prize ceremony includes long-term education commitment

  At the first prize ceremony, the founders announced a ten-year, US$100 million commitment for educational-development initiatives.

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• 2020Foundation distributes laptops during COVID-19 disruption

  The foundation provided laptops to 232 multi-child families across Russian regions during the pandemic, supporting access to remote education.

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• 2019Founders announce additional billion-ruble contribution

  Igor and Ekaterina Rybakova announced an additional contribution of one billion rubles to the foundation.

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• 2019Foundation presents School as the Center of Society concept

  The foundation presented an approach connecting schools with broader community and social development and linked it to Sustainable Development Goal 4.

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• 2019Rybakov Prize announced for educational philanthropy

  The foundation announced an international educational-philanthropy prize with support from UNESCO's Institute for Information Technologies in Education and the World Bank.

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• 2017Rybakov Foundation launches Collab Challenge programming competition

  The foundation partnered with Moscow City University, Projectoria NGO, and the World Bank on a Scratch programming competition for Russian secondary-school students.

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• 2017Rybakov Foundation and Higher School of Economics establish PhilTech accelerator

  The organizations created an accelerator focused on technologies supporting philanthropy and non-profit activity.

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1. Rybakov Foundation
2. Rybakov Foundation official website