Russian businessman to donate entire wealth to charity
Howard Lake | 2 February 2010 | News
Russian businessman Vladimir Potanin has announced that he will donate all his wealth to philanthropic purposes over the next ten years.
According to Potanin plans charitable legacy in the Financial Times, this is “the first such move to be publicly announced by a Russian oligarch.”
He is already known for having given annual $1 million donations to the Guggenheim Foundation.
Charities Aid Foundation, which has been working in Russia since 1993, welcomed the announcement. It has been assisting Vladimir Potanin in his philanthropic activities since 1999.
Olga Alexeeva, Head of Global Trustees at the Charities Aid Foundation, said: “Vladimir Potanin was the first Russian entrepreneur to create a private foundation in Russian history. Now he becomes one of the first to donate his entire wealth to charity, following in the footsteps not only of Bill Gates but also Andrew Carnegie, Gerald Ford and other great entrepreneurs and philanthropists.
“I have seen the impact his giving has already had in Russia. He set up the first major scholarship programme for Russian universities which has enabled thousands of students to continue their studies and his foundation runs a fantastic programme that saves Russian museums. I hope other Russian entrepreneurs will follow.”
www2.cafonline.org/cafrussia/
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.