The landscape of philanthropy and charity in Russia has changed significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Nonprofit organizations have suffered setback after setback: the exit of foreign companies that had donated to a wide range of corporate responsibility initiatives, severed cultural and humanitarian ties with the West, repressive legislation and inaccessible payment systems, among other things.

At the same time, public interest in nonprofit activity has grown, in part because these organizations are involved in assisting war veterans and refugees. The state has also begun to play a greater role in the nonprofit space. The report, “The Charity Space in Russia and the Role of Major Philanthropists,” examines how the space and relationships among private donors, business and the state have evolved in the last year.

A nationwide survey of more than 1,200 respondents was conducted across income groups (of the 116 respondents classified as wealthy, 87 were involved in charity activities), along with a series of interviews with representatives of nonprofit organizations and a benchmark study of 12 nonprofits and three banks that shared data on charity spending by their clients.

Among private donors, the heirs of wealthy individuals were the focus of the study, which affected the sample. Organizations interviewed and included in the benchmark study include the charity foundations Lighthouse and Vera, as well the Tooba App platform.

According to the data, the number of private philanthropists in Russia increased in 2024, as did how much they engaged in charity or philanthropy work. Only 19% of respondents said they had not engaged in any and did not plan to do so. The most popular areas among private donors were medicine and health care, support for socially vulnerable groups, environmental issues, animal welfare, and assistance to volunteers and refugees.

The primary form of support among private donors is financial: 45% make direct transfers to those in need. Note that the survey classifies assistance to family, friends and acquaintances as charity. At the same time, 69% of those who made donations said they gave money to foundations and charities.

Motivations differ. Among “mainstream” philanthropists (with less than RUB 6 million in capital), the most common response was the belief that good deeds will be repaid (41%). Wealthy donors (more than RUB 6 million in capital) and mega donors (more than RUB 60 million) most often attributed their giving to a desire to help a specific person or organization, and to the wish to make the world a better place, respectively. Forty-two percent of large philanthropists said they started supporting NGOs more because of shifting social norms (“that’s what people in my social circle do”).
The study argues that business perceptions of charity are also changing. In 2023, donations by corporate foundations in Russia increased 16% in money terms.

Companies and banks are integrating features connecting users with charity organizations into their products, for instance users can transfer cashback or accrued points on various platforms to nonprofits. Transfers from cashback and rounding now account for about 8% of total revenues among the organizations studied, and that figure is expected to rise.

Furthermore, the role of charity platforms is growing. These platforms host fundraising campaigns by both nonprofits and companies that promote social projects. For example, donations on the SberVmeste platform reached almost RUB 450 million in 2024, up 50% versus the previous year.

At the same time, the benchmark study of nonprofits shows that donation size both from individuals and from legal entities shrank in 2024. The report estimates that this cost Russian charities more than RUB 503 million (assuming the donation size had stayed the same).

Among private donors, this is attributable primarily to a smaller average donation from mass philanthropists, while among commercial organizations it reflects cuts in spending on certain areas. One NGO employee who was interviewed said the commercial sector is increasingly cutting support for foundations due to lower budgets for charity giving and marketing. “We heard this throughout almost the entire second half of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, and I believe this trend will continue,” she said.

At the same time, many nonprofits are facing rising costs. According to Rosstat, prices for goods and services for nonprofits increased 16% over the last year, while the nominal payroll at surveyed NGOs rose almost a quarter. One anonymous NGO representative described the situation: “to stay where you are, you have to run, but to move from where you are, you have to run like hell.”

Opportunities to receive support from abroad are shrinking owing to internal and external factors. Above all, this reflects a tightening of the “foreign agent” legislation, along with wider enforcement of it. The report cites sentiment in the nonprofit space: “[the designation of the foundation Help Needed as a ‘foreign agent’ in 2024] has hit everyone... For us, the question is: ‘who’s next?’”

Out of fear of the consequences in the opposite case, many charities are cutting ties with external and domestic partners (the latter when they are added to the Justice Ministry’s “foreign agent” list). Meanwhile, the study does not provide data on the impact of the growing list of “undesirable organizations.” According to OVD-Info, more than 200 organizations have been labeled as such since 2022. “Undesirable” organizations – which are fully banned in Russia – include NGOs and foundations involved in environmental protection and assistance to vulnerable groups.

Sanctions imposed after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine have also dealt a major blow to the nonprofit space. Russia was cut off from global financial systems, while according to the report, 70% of NGO charities in Russia are now in need of imported equipment and medicines – collateral damage from the war. Under parallel import schemes, waiting times can reach six months.

Frank RG and SberPrivate Banking note the Russian government’s active efforts to get around these restrictions, as well as measures “to increase transparency, simplify processes and support the activities of nonprofits.” The report highlights support measures for socially focused organizations, as well as the role of the Circle of Kindness Foundation, established in 2021 by presidential decree to support children with serious illnesses.

In an environment of increasing domestic economic instability and diminishing foreign support, NGOs and charity foundations are becoming more reliant on large donors and the state and are seeking to reduce costs by engaging volunteers and digitalizing. While AI can help cut costs in operations, fundraising and analytics, its use is circumscribed by ethical considerations and Russia’s ban on the transfer of personal data.

Another way nonprofits are stabilizing their financial situation is by establishing endowments. A large majority (71%) of Russian organizations that do that are in the education, science and culture fields. The Potanin Foundation plays a major role in this area. For smaller foundations, however, establishing an endowment is hard, as it requires having large donors or receiving a grant.

Thus, despite expanding public engagement in charity and philanthropy, the space is entering a hard period and finds itself increasingly dependent on wealthy individuals and the state. Large donations (above RUB 300,000) already account for about a third of total receipts by NGOs in the benchmark sample. With the exit of foreign companies and donors and with costs rising due to inflation, sanctions and import restrictions, NGOs are forced constantly to come up with new ways to raise money and keep going.