In January 1999 the Foundation launched its first project for the very best students, graduates of schools in Norilsk, who studied at state higher educational institutions away from their native town. Besides the state - providing one, they began to receive an additional scholarship. 160 of the best students became recipients of the scholarships. Then the “Northern” scholarship program was expanded to include secondary school graduates of the Kola Peninsula and Taymyr Autonomous District.
In 2000 the gifted and active students of the major higher educational institutions from all over the country got an opportunity to participate in the biggest project of the Foundation: The Federal Scholarship Program. The same year the Norilsk Industrial Institute foreign traineeship program was launched and the first contest for socio-cultural project was held for the students of the “Management in the sphere of culture” faculty of the Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences. This contest was a success and 4 years later developed into a large-scale contest “A Changing Museum in a Changing World”.
The year 2001 saw the launch of the three new long-term projects of the Foundation: Practice Program for the Students of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) at the Diplomatic Missions of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Scholarship Program for the International Secondary School Olympiads’ winners, and a Grant Contest for Young Teachers of the Leading Russian State Universities. The Foundation initiated cooperation with the Centre for Development of the Russian Language.
In 2002 the Foundation began implementation of a new grant program aimed at support of cultural and educational programs of Russian television. Since that year the Foundation awards grants to the winners of the “TEFI” contest in cultural-educational, publicist and informational nominations. The grant allows the winners to spend a one-month training course at the BBC Company (Great Britain). The expansion of the project in 2003 allowed the winners of the regional contest “TEFI-Region” to participate in the traineeship at the Vladimir Pozner School of TV Mastership.
Since 2002 the students of the Russian Orthodox University of St. John the Theologian, supported by the Foundation for a number of years, have been receiving the Foundation scholarships.
In September 2003 the Foundation jointly with the Russian Ministry of Defense launched a scholarship program for the military universities cadets. It was then that the Foundation commenced its support for the St. Petersburg University’s project “Russian Language and Contemporary Russia”.
The Vladimir Potanin Foundation and the Russian State Library completed the joint publishing project “Cultural Heritage of Russia: from collections of the Russian State Library”. The monograph “Count N.P. Rumiantsev and His Time” by Liudmila Saraskina was dedicated to the anniversary of the Russian State Library. This was the fifth and the last volume of the series.
Since 2004 the Foundation has been implementing the all-Russia grant contest “A Changing Museum in a Changing World”. It is aimed at support and promotion of the best projects and management decisions in the museum business, which promote the active development of socio-cultural spheres and the economies of the regions. The same year the Foundation allocated a grant to “Kultura” TV Channel for new creative projects.
To honor 60th anniversary of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) the Foundation in cooperation with the MGIMO Alumni Association conducted a program “Gratitude to the Teachers”. 22 teachers who currently work at the university and those on retirement received the Foundation’s grants.
Jointly with the United States Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) the Vladimir Potanin Foundation conducted a pilot program for training research managers in the Russian universities.
The new scholarship program for cadets of the Ministry of Interior higher educational institutions was launched in 2005. The cadets of the Moscow university of the Ministry of Interior became the first scholarship recipients. Then the program has been expanded to include other institutions of the Ministry.
On September 16, 2005 in conjunction with the start of the 60th session of the United Nations’ General Assembly, a large-scale art exhibition RUSSIA! was opened in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York, USA). The exhibition was realized under the patronage of Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. RUSSIA! presented the most comprehensive retrospective of Russian art ever sent abroad. Over 250 works of XII-XXI cc. were selected for the exhibition. One of its main goals was to demonstrate Russia’s contribution to global art culture and to point out the distinctiveness of the spiritual and aesthetical quest in the course of the development of Russian art. The exhibition was made possible by the Vladimir Potanin Foundation. By the time it closed on January 11, RUSSIA! had become one of the most successful exhibitions in the history of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Since 2005 the Foundation has been supporting the activities of the Commission on the organization of managers’ training for the Russian economy. The same year “Expert” analytic center received the Foundation’s grant to conduct a research “A Graduate for an Employer”.
The new program of support for the State Hermitage Museum employees was launched. The grants for the contribution to the development of the museum are awarded in accordance with a contest results.
In March, 2006 the Vladimir Potanin Foundation and the Russian Ministry of Defense started the implementation of a new long-term program of support for the teachers of the military universities. In the framework of the program the best teachers receive grants for their achievements in teaching and scientific activities.
The winners of “A Changing Museum in a Changing World” grant contest were awarded a study tour to the UK museums thanks to a new joint project between the Vladimir Potanin Foundation and the British Council Russia.
July saw a launch of a joint program of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation and Norilsk Nickel called Future of the North. It aims to support the most active and promising students undergoing practice at the company’s enterprises. The Norilsk Industrial Institute students are now also eligible to receive the Foundation’s scholarships.
The opening of www.rusolymp.ru, the website of All-Russian and international secondary school Olympiads, was also made possible thanks to the Foundation’s support. The website provides opportunity for the most talented schoolboys and schoolgirls from remote Russian settlements to communicate and share information. It also assists them in getting better prepared for the Olympiads.
In February 2007 the Foundation expanded its grant program for the students of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) to practice at the diplomatic missions of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The total number of MGIMO students participating in the program nearly tripled, while the list of host countries for practical training of future Russian diplomats became longer.
In July the Foundation supported the 39th International Olympiad of Chemistry hosted in Moscow by Chemical Faculty of Moscow State University named after M.V.Lomonosov.
In 2007/2008 the Foundation offered a new format for the final business game of the Federal Scholarship Program to name the winner among selected candidates. For the first time ever the game is focused on devising social projects and volunteer work. The idea is to draw attention of the promising students to “the life in their surroundings”, and to include socially significant activity into their everyday life and into the sphere of their interests. In course of such projects’ development and implementation the Foundation assists the students in gaining knowledge and skills necessary for a successful professional. It is the students, who devise initial ideas with their teams, but after master classes and trainings organized by the Foundation those concepts improve significantly and turn into real business plans. The business game is concluded by the presentation of the students’ projects to the local experts’ community represented by business leaders, local authorities, media and NGO. The best project with the highest marks from the experts’ community is awarded the Foundation’s grant for its implementation.
The 2008/2009 academic year saw developments in timetable and format of the Federal Scholarship Program’s final events. The scholarship recipients will attend so called Winter and Summer Schools, where they will devise volunteer work projects of social importance, including the ones of students’ self-governance and students’ scientific circles. The best projects will be awarded the Foundation’s grants for their implementation. Young tutors, who are the Foundation’s grant holders themselves, will present popular science lectures to the Winter and Summer Schools’ attendees.
