home Interpreter Gazprom Charitable Foundation. Charitable foundations of Russian oligarchs

Gazprom Charitable Foundation. Charitable foundations of Russian oligarchs

Charity in Russian society is becoming the norm. At Gazprom Neft, the practice of social investment and charitable programs has existed since the very foundation of the company. This year, the company has taken a step to the next level by organizing grant competitions in the cities where it operates. Why business needs such programs and how society perceives them, Sibirskaya Neft spoke with an authoritative expert in this field, Executive Secretary of the Donor Forum Natalia Kaminarskaya

Interview: Sofia Zorina

Is charity in Russian something different from Western practice?

For Russia, the same situation is typical as for other developing countries such as China, India, Brazil - business plays one of the main roles in charity in our country. While in Europe or America the main donors are private individuals, they account for up to 90% of charitable budgets.

How exactly did business come into play?

This is a given, characteristic of the current stage of the development of charity. In the early 1990s, Western foundations were the main donors. Then the business got on its feet and began to take all possible part in the process. Some companies have had objects on their balance sheets since Soviet times social sphere- orphanages, schools, hospitals, pioneer camps - and they continued to be helped. Someone tried to revive the traditions of Russian industrialists and invested in culture, while someone simply responded to the requests of those in need. But all this was not systemic.

Natalia
Kaminarskaya

Head of Directorate for major projects block of logistics, processing and marketing of Gazprom Neft

Has anything changed in the last ten years?

Undoubtedly. There was a concept social responsibility and with it a more measured, more thoughtful approach to philanthropy. Of course, a lot depends on the size of the company. Three groups can be distinguished here. The first is a large Russian business with Western shareholders and the placement of shares on stock exchanges. Such companies have charity built into the corporate social responsibility (CSR) system, they have strategic goals and priorities, a budget, procedures, and reporting. But there are few such companies, about a hundred. The second group is a large regional business, which may not yet have a strategy, but has already allocated a budget for charity and formed the basic principles in accordance with which it is spent. And there is a small and medium business, whose charity in most cases is not structured in any way.

Another thing that is typical for the BRICS countries is that even in large companies charity is more often about what resonates in the hearts of the first persons. I think that there is nothing wrong with that - this is a property of the transitional period. It is important that companies get involved in this activity in one way or another. But there are already examples when managers share: this is what the company needs, and this is interesting - to me personally. For example, Potanin, Deripaska, Zimin have personal funds. The activities of these funds are fundamentally different from the charitable programs of companies owned by businessmen.

With the advent of the concept of “social responsibility”, businesses have a more balanced approach to charity

Yes, in the West, charity is built into the concept of business, it is pragmatic. For example, if a company sells goods for children, then their charity will concern children. That is, it will aim at target audience. At the same time, in the most profitable years, companies do not spend more than 2% of their net profit on charity. At the same time, if you look at the donations of top managers during such periods, it will be a completely different figure. We have the opposite - the majority of company owners do not make a distinction between their own pocket and the company's pocket. This division will take place in front of our eyes over the next ten years, as businesses get older and prioritize more accurately.

So, in the future, business will reduce investments in charity?

It's already happening. We conduct research on funds every year. There are private foundations, corporate foundations, local community foundations, endowment funds, there are fundraising ones - those that collect money for specific causes. And always in the first place in terms of the amount of funds raised were corporate funds. But last year they were only third, losing to private and fundraising ones. So the trend is obvious: companies themselves are already reducing investments in charity, often shifting this activity to their employees and developing private donations. In general, the growth of private charity is a very bright trend of the last two years.

And, apparently, it speaks of significant changes in society's attitude to this topic?

Certainly. And this is confirmed by statistics. We regularly monitor the media for mention of charity. If in 2006 there were about a thousand such mentions, now there are more than 100 thousand. On average, the number of publications per month on the topic of charity is 11,000. The number of positive publications is also growing - now there are more such publications than neutral and negative ones, almost half of the total number of materials. For me, this is an important indicator - if the media forms or reflects such a position, then the attitude in society has really changed for the better.

Up to 90% of charitable budgets in Europe or America come from private donations

No more than 2% of net profit is spent on charity by Western companies in the most profitable years

Does this positive also apply to business?

Unfortunately, from the point of view of society, it is not always clear and understandable what business is doing. There is a big claim to the media. For example, they brought a large batch of gifts to the hospital, but who brought it is unknown. At the same time, the governor cut the ribbon. And the fact that this respected company paid or its employees collected gifts is not mentioned anywhere. This is a very common story, and as a result, there is virtually no understanding of what is being done with business money.

So you don't have a positive image?

Not really. We need an honest image, and society will judge itself. Extremes do not lead to anything good, a balanced picture is needed. Therefore, I believe that it is necessary to honestly tell if something does not work out and there are some problems, just like you need to talk about the pros. The good thing about charity is that it has the right to make mistakes. Let's take the financing of the AIDS vaccine - for how many years it has been financed, and it all does not work. But if we do not finance, then we will never find a vaccine.

Gazprom Neft's comprehensive social investment program Native Towns brings together all social and charitable projects aimed at improving the quality of life in the regions where the company operates. The program includes five areas:

creation of a comfortable urban environment;
educational projects;
creation and development of infrastructure for children's and mass sports, support sports facilities and holding sports events;
preservation and development of the cultural potential of the territories;
cooperation with indigenous peoples, their inclusion in modernity, in the economy while preserving the culture and customs of their ancestors.

Charity at Gazprom Neft

Charitable activities of Gazprom Neft are carried out in four areas:

grant competitions of social initiatives "Native Towns";
targeted charity program "Native Children" (urgent health care children from the regions where the company operates);
corporate mutual aid fund "Native People";
corporate volunteering program "Personal Contribution".

And who should be involved in the promotion of charity?

Here I am, for example, doing it - our task is to make charity develop and become systemic, civilized, transparent, understandable to society as well. It is necessary that society understands how this system works, so that the recipient not only takes money, but also learns to account for them and say thank you. Today this is very rare. There should be platforms where businesses could tell what they are doing and why, present their position and hear the wishes of citizens in response. By the way, grant competitions are one of the important and correct mechanisms for such an exchange of information. With their help, the company can remove the expectations of the territory, support what is really needed in this particular city, district, village. And the second point - the grant competition allows businesses to bring up for themselves an adequate partner in the person of the beneficiary, who is engaged in planning, makes reports and, as a result, spends the money received as efficiently as possible.

Behind last years we have a fairly large layer of new legislation on this topic, for example, the law on endowment funds is only five years old. For the second year, there are tax incentives for individuals who can receive a tax deduction on the amount spent on charity in the amount of up to 25% of their annual income. And the law on tax incentives for business, which we have been waiting for so long, unfortunately, is still "walking" through the ministries. There are only certain benefits under some regional laws regarding taxes paid to the local budget.

The ideal system of charity - what is it, in your opinion?

First of all, we need a social contract, from which it would be clear who is responsible for what: what the state does for our taxes, what the society together with business is responsible for. Secondly, the society should “give birth” from itself to various kinds of organizations that will solve problems and develop this sphere, accumulate ideas and needs. And the next level is those who will finance these ideas. Everyone can finance: the state, business and, of course, society, which must also invest. This is an idealistic picture, but we are already moving towards it. There is concrete examples, which illustrate what can be done together. My favorite example is the city of Cherepovets, where Severstal has come a long way in solving the problem of orphanhood. In just five years of implementing the program, they closed three orphanages, and the number of abandoned children decreased by 70%. They made 16 thematic programs - from explaining to kids to kindergarten family values to abortion prevention and support for families with foster children. And this is not crazy money - something is invested by the company, something by local authorities, something comes from federal grants and from Western donors. The main thing that Severstal did was to create a concept, organize and launch the entire process, and build financial flows. And now in Cherepovets the situation is very different from what is happening in other regions.

Speaking globally, what does charity give to society and business in general?

There is not a single country, not a single community in the world in which there would be no charity. It differs in form, but is everywhere - both in highly developed countries and in primitive tribes. Each person can find something of his own in charity, something that affects him personally, whether it is helping sick children or supporting talents, financial investments or volunteering. And the company, as a large corporate citizen, can also receive its bonuses. Because in the end, charity is such a terribly important positive that our society lacks.

Dossier

Graduated from Moscow State Pedagogical University, Moscow International University, trained at the Center for the Study of Philanthropy of the City University of New York. Since 2001 - Executive Secretary of the Donor Forum, a coalition of grant-giving organizations that unites leading Russian and Western donor structures operating in Russia. Expert of the Commission for the Development of Charity and Volunteering of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation since 2008.

Author of numerous studies and publications on the topic of charity and social responsibility of business. Cavalier of the golden badge of honor "Public Recognition" for his contribution to the development of charity. In April 2010, she was awarded the President's Commendation Russian Federation for his great contribution to the development of civil society institutions and active participation in the work of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.

In December 2018, children's social institutions in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region hosted a number of New Year's charity events organized by ANO House of the Future with the support of Gazprom Export.

New Year's children's charity ball in the Nicholas Palace

On December 16, 2018, the New Year's Children's Charity Ball was held in the state halls of the Nikolaevsky Palace in St. Petersburg.

IX Charity Christmas ball for children "Energy for life"

On December 12, 2018, a big celebration was held at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna - the Charity Christmas ball for children "Energy for life".

"First New Year Tree 2019!" at the theater "Litsedei"

One of the holidays that opened the season of New Year's events was the "First Christmas tree 2019!”, which took place at the Litsedei Theater in St. Petersburg on December 5, 2018.

The Hermitage is gathering friends!

On December 4, 2018, the Hermitage Theater hosted the traditional New Year’s event “The Hermitage Gathers Friends!” organized by ANO House of the Future with the support of Gazprom Export.

"Golden Mask" in Istanbul

In November 2018, a tour of the Moscow Theater of Nations took place in Istanbul as part of the Golden Mask Festival with the support of Gazprom Export.

Adventures in the screen and the world of animation

In October 2018, children from social institutions in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region visited the "United Russian Film Studios" and became participants in two programs of the educational project "Children's Film Lab". The events are organized by MASK with the support of Gazprom Export.

Imperial capitals: St. Petersburg - Vienna. Masterpieces of museum collections

On October 3, 2018, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria Sebastian Kurz opened the exhibition “Imperial Capitals: St. Petersburg – Vienna. Exhibitions in St. Petersburg and Vienna were organized with the support of PJSC Gazprom and the Austrian company OMF AG.

Excursion to the Academy of Arts

September 30, 2018 wards rehabilitation center for the disabled and disabled children of St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution "Center for Assistance to Family Education No. 9", as well as children from low-income large families visited the Academy of Arts as part of the organization of field events of MASK with the support of Gazprom Export.

St. Petersburg Open 2018

The 23rd International Men's Tennis Tournament “St. Petersburg Open 2018. The title sponsor of the tournament was OOO Gazprom Export.

Journey into the mysterious world of electricity

September 23, 2018 pupils and wards of social institutions in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. visited the Museum of entertaining science "LabyrinthUM" in St. Petersburg and took part in the scientific show "The Mysterious World of Electricity", where they were told in an interactive form many fun facts about electricity and how it appears.

Charity events dedicated to the Day of Knowledge

Charitable events dedicated to the Day of Knowledge were held in the Leningrad and Moscow regions. The organizer was ANO "House of the Future" with the support of Gazprom Export LLC.

Hello school!

On August 29, 2018, on the eve of the start of the new academic year, the Litsedei Theater in St. Petersburg, with the support of Gazprom Export, hosted the Hello School! The event was attended by 320 children from social institutions in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.

Journey to Kronstadt for graduates of the Nikolsky Resource Center

The last bells rang all over the country, schoolchildren passed their exams, and the time has come for the most long-awaited holiday - prom.

Playground for Children's Day

In June 2018, a playground appeared in the courtyard of the Mginsk boarding school for children with visual impairments. The transfer of the necessary components was carried out by ANO "House of the Future" with the financial support of Gazprom Export LLC.

Children's Day in Pavlovsk

On the eve of International Children's Day, May 31, 2018, a charity event was held for the wards of the Orphanage No. 4 in Pavlovsk.

An unforgettable journey through the Magic Mile

On May 29, 2018, a big charity event dedicated to international day child protection, Unforgettable journey along the Magic Mile!

Special holiday for special children

May 25, 2018 in all Russian schools sounded last call. Two special St. Petersburg schools were no exception - GBOU "Center "Dynamics" and GBOU School No. 584 "Ozerki".

The Board of Directors of Gazprom approved the allocation of a record 26.3 billion rubles. for charity. The money will go, among other things, to the development of patriotic parks and sports facilities in Siberia

According to Bloomberg, referring to an internal document of the company, the management of Gazprom decided to increase spending on charity this year by 60% and bring the amount to 26.3 billion rubles. The agency's source in the gas holding confirmed this figure.

According to the agency, the main part of the allocated amount will go to the network of multimedia historical parks "Russia - My History", created in various cities of the country, as well as to support amateur sports in Irkutsk, where the company has already built a water sports complex.

As Bloomberg notes, Gazprom's spending on charity is now comparable to how much ExxonMobil allocates for this. At the same time, the American company bypasses the Russian one in terms of capitalization by seven times.

Deutsche Bank AG analyst Pavel Kushnir said that such a policy of Gazprom calls into question the hopes that gas company thinking about cutting costs. “For those who are counting on better cost control at Gazprom, this news is definitely negative. Well, for those who considered the holding to be an inefficient company - and, unfortunately, the majority of them - this news will not change anything, ”he added.

Chris Weafer, a partner at Macro Advisory, recalled that Gazprom was used by the state to finance the Winter Olympics in Sochi. “And no one expects that the situation will change in the near future,” he said.

Officially, Gazprom did not comment on the data provided in the Bloomberg material. At the same time, RBC's source in the company said that the amount of funds for charity is correct. According to him, in addition to the increase in funding for the Gazprom for Children program, the increase in expenses under the item “charitable activities” in 2017 is mainly due to the company’s participation in the project to create historical parks “Russia – My History” and the transfer of the Irkutsk Region built by Gazprom water sports complex in Irkutsk. “Excluding single, one-time expenses for these two projects, the amount of funding for charitable activities in 2017 is below the level of 2016,” he added.

In accordance with Gazprom's financial report under RAS for the third quarter, the company ended the first nine months of this year with a loss of 9.2 billion rubles, being in the red for the first time in 19 years. At the same time, the earnings of top managers increased by 8 million rubles compared to the previous year, and remuneration for the period from January to September amounted to 2.1 billion rubles.

On the eve of the head of "Gazprom" Alexei Miller was "For Merit to the Fatherland" I degree. The basis was "a great contribution to the implementation of national tasks, the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation and active social and political activity."

Miller became the first holder of this order among business representatives.

The theme of charity in times of crisis is as relevant as ever. More and more people need help. There are many charitable foundations in Russia, non-profit organizations and volunteer movements.

Many are indignant, saying that the oligarchs are "snickering", they are buying up yachts, villas, but nothing to the common people, shish. As it turned out, this is not entirely true. There is such a thing as the social responsibility of business. We decided to consider the ten leading corporations in Russia from the point of view of this very responsibility. Among the charitable activities of companies, four main areas can be distinguished: their own fund, their own program, social activity within the company and personalized funds. See the ranking of companies based on the results of the competition " Corporate Donor of Russia 2008" based on data on the volume of allocated charitable funds

Own fund:

In the Year of Charity in Russia, TransTeleCom launched a comprehensive long-term program of charitable activities for 2006-2010. It is aimed at helping children with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Charity program "Children's Hearts TTK" is implemented in three main areas: organizing medical expeditions to remote regions of Russia for diagnosing and counseling children diagnosed with congenital heart disease; targeted financial assistance children in need of emergency surgical treatment; implementation of the program of private donations among TTK employees.

The Center for Social Programs of RUSAL analyzes the requests and proposals of people who applied to the center, compiles databases of regional public organizations interact with the expert community. CSPs are the company's centers of competence in social investment.

Among RUSAL's programs, it is worth highlighting "100 cool projects", which is aimed at involving schoolchildren and teachers in joint socially useful activities. Every year, more than 100 socially useful ideas of schoolchildren receive financial support from the company.

In addition, it is necessary to note the work on environmental education and education of schoolchildren, work with orphans, the revival of charity traditions in the regions, the transfer of accumulated social experience to the local community, the development of mass children's sports, and the volunteer movement.

Social activity within the company:

Gazprom consistently follows the principles of social responsibility, which are: creating new jobs, implementing social programs for personnel, sponsorship and charity, holding environmental and educational campaigns, paying taxes, etc.

Among long-term partners of Gazprom in the field of strengthening and development of cultural heritage. Gazprom actively supports the development of domestic science and is the founder of many Russian scientific public organizations and foundations. Together with the Olympic Committee of the Russian Federation, the Federal Agency of the Russian Federation for Physical Culture and Sports, federations for various types Sports In 2005, Gazprom supported sports events at all levels, from international competitions to mass competitions.

Traditionally focusing on supporting children and youth, the company launched the Gazprom to Children program aimed at supporting the physical and spiritual potential of the younger generation.

LUKOIL uses, along with traditional forms charitable programs of strategic philanthropy and social investment, which involve the relationship of ways to solve social problems co strategic goals companies.

The company builds its activities in two strategic directions: social investment, sponsorship programs and traditional charity. Among them, support for orphanages and orphanages educational institutions, educational programs, support medical institutions, preservation of cultural and historical heritage, publishing projects and targeted assistance.

Aeroflot focuses on a combination of compensatory cash payments and a component social package. The Company considers improving the quality of life of its employees, as well as their family members, Aeroflot pensioners, WWII veterans, as a fundamental social task.

Aeroflot also provides one-time assistance to citizens who, for one reason or another, do not have sufficient opportunities to fly.

The company also helps sick children. Concerned about the future of its country, Aeroflot pays special attention to programs aimed at helping talented young people. Aeroflot's social policy is focused on propaganda healthy lifestyle life and support for Russian sports.

The company's partnerships with employees, society, and the state formed the basis of the social policy of CherMK OAO Severstal. Being the largest employer and taxpayer in the city of Cherepovets and the Vologda region, the company pays close attention to the entire complex social issues: from the organization of leisure and recreation for the children of employees to pension provision retired veterans, from the Severstal Health program to charity projects and programs for the preservation of historical and cultural heritage.

The V. Potanin Charitable Foundation was established to implement socially significant long-term projects in the field of national education and culture. The budget is formed from personal funds of Vladimir Potanin.

The most important activity of the foundation is the implementation of long-term scholarship and grant programs, which are addressed to talented students and cadets studying in leading state educational institutions Russia, as well as promising teachers. Cultural support projects are aimed at stimulating the professional and creative growth of the Russian museum community. The Foundation aims to support the initiatives of active and creative museum professionals capable of providing a cultural breakthrough. The foundation pays more than 400 grants and 2,300 scholarships annually.

The Fund has chosen an activity strategy based on a narrow stratification - it operates by means of culture in a territory limited by the boundaries of one region, taking into account the totality of its features. Success is largely determined by the reality of the set goals, and the concentration of efforts and investments in a specific area allows you to achieve the most noticeable effect. For the first two years from the date of foundation, the Fund operated only on the territory of the Norilsk industrial region. Since 2006, the activities of the fund have been extended to the largest Siberian region - the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

The fund also aims to support unique projects international and federal scale, aimed at the inclusion of Russian culture in the global context. The charitable program includes three types of charitable activities. This is open competitions, targeted support for out-of-competition initiatives and own project activities. At the time of the foundation's creation, its annual budget was $1 million. Currently - more than 10 million dollars.

The theme of charity in times of crisis is as relevant as ever. More and more people need help. There are many charitable foundations, non-profit organizations and volunteer movements in Russia.

Ranking of companies following the results of the competition "Corporate Donor of Russia 2008" based on data on the amount of allocated charitable funds

Own fund:

Russian Railways

Charitable foundation for social assistance to children "Spread your wings!" was created to provide social assistance to children through the involvement of citizens, businesses and non-profit organizations in charitable activities.

Among the goals of the Foundation's activities: social support for children left without parental care, promoting the protection of childhood, involving various strata Russian society in voluntary charitable activities, raising funds to provide disinterested assistance to children left without parental care and children with disabilities.

Own program:

CJSC "Company TransTeleCom"

In the "Year of Charity in Russia" TransTeleCom launched a comprehensive long-term program of charitable activities for 2006-2010 aimed at helping children with congenital heart disease (CHD).

The charitable program "Children's Hearts of the TTC" is being implemented in three main areas: organization of medical expeditions to remote regions of Russia for diagnosing and counseling children diagnosed with congenital heart disease; providing targeted financial assistance to children in need of emergency surgical treatment; implementation of the program of private donations among TTK employees.

OK RUSAL

The Center for Social Programs of RUSAL analyzes the requests and suggestions of people who have applied to the center, compiles databases of regional public organizations, and interacts with the expert community. CSPs are the company's centers of competence in social investment.

Social activity within the company:

Gazprom

Among long-term partners of Gazprom in the field of strengthening and development of cultural heritage. Gazprom actively supports the development of domestic science and is the founder of many Russian scientific public organizations and foundations. Together with the Russian Olympic Committee, the Russian Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sports, and various sports federations, in 2005 Gazprom supported sports events at all levels, from international competitions to mass starts.

Traditionally paying special attention to supporting children and youth, the company launched the Gazprom to Children program aimed at supporting the physical and spiritual potential of the younger generation.

OAO LUKOIL

Along with traditional forms of charity, LUKOIL uses programs of strategic charity and social investment, which imply the relationship between ways to solve social problems and the company's strategic goals.

The company builds its activities in two strategic directions: social investments, sponsorship programs and traditional charity. Among them are support for orphanages and children's educational institutions, programs in the field of education, support for medical institutions, preservation of cultural and historical heritage, publishing projects and targeted assistance.

OAO Tatneft

Among the main areas of social assistance, the company identifies: treatment and recreation, housing, participation in the socio-economic development of the region, physical education and sports.

OJSC Aeroflot

Aeroflot focuses on a combination of compensatory cash payments and a component of the social package. The Company considers improving the quality of life of its employees, as well as their family members, Aeroflot pensioners, WWII veterans, as a fundamental social task.

Aeroflot also provides one-time assistance to citizens who, for one reason or another, do not have sufficient opportunities to fly.

The company also helps sick children. Concerned about the future of its country, Aeroflot pays special attention to programs aimed at helping talented young people.

Aeroflot's social policy is focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle and supporting Russian sports.

CherMK OAO Severstal

The company's partnerships with employees, society, and the state formed the basis of the social policy of CherMK OAO Severstal. As the largest employer and taxpayer in the city of Cherepovets and the Vologda Oblast, the company pays close attention to the entire range of social issues: from organizing leisure and recreation for employees’ children to providing pensions for retired veterans, from implementing the Severstal Health program to charitable projects and programs for the preservation of historical and cultural heritage.

Nominal funds:

V. Potanin Charitable Foundation

The most important activity of the foundation is the implementation of long-term scholarship and grant programs, which are addressed to talented students and cadets studying in leading state educational institutions of Russia, as well as promising teachers. Cultural support projects are aimed at stimulating the professional and creative growth of the Russian museum community. The Foundation aims to support the initiatives of active and creative museum professionals capable of providing a cultural breakthrough. The foundation pays more than 400 grants and 2,300 scholarships annually.

Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation

The Foundation is also focused on supporting unique projects on an international and federal scale aimed at including Russian culture in the global context. The charitable program includes three types of charitable activities. These are open competitions, targeted support for out-of-competition initiatives and our own project activities. At the time of the foundation's creation, its annual budget was $1 million. Currently - more than 10 million dollars.

Maria Lopukhina