In 9 years, the Presidential Grants Fund has supported 519 projects from Kazan.

      Attachments amounted to 1.2 billion rubles

      Today, the V anniversary international forum "Good Kazan. Inclusion as a new social norm" opened at the cultural center "Moscow." As part of the event, a meeting took place between representatives of NGOs and the director of the Presidential Grants Fund, Ilya Chukalin, and the head of the ANO "Good Kazan," Tatyana Merzlyakova. In an informal setting, participants discussed key issues in the sector: how non-profit organizations can continue to develop, whether there are plans to expand support tools for NGOs that have proven their long-term effectiveness, and more.

      Photo: Denis Gordiyko

      "Today, we are having an informal meeting with the director of the Presidential Grants Fund. We talked a lot today when visiting the spaces of 'Good Kazan' about how the non-profit sector reacts a bit faster to various changes. We all understand that all our ideas start with startups that need support so that we understand in which direction we are moving. Today, NGOs and funds gathered here have built a system of assistance from their idea, from some problem, pain – for people with disabilities, those who find themselves in a difficult life situation," addressed the attendees Tatyana Merzlyakova, head of "Good Kazan." Over ten years, ANO "Good Kazan" has managed to attract over 230 million rubles into the economy of urban social initiatives through grant support and charitable donations. A significant role in this was played by cooperation with the Presidential Grants Fund, which began in 2019. From 2019 to 2026, the volume of federal grant support for projects of ANO "Good Kazan" amounted to 30.9 million rubles. In total, over nine years of the Presidential Grants Fund's operation in the capital of Tatarstan, 519 projects were supported for a total amount of 1.2 billion rubles. Across the entire republic, this figure amounts to 854 projects with a total funding volume of 1.5 billion rubles. The first victory of ANO "Good Kazan" in the competition of the Presidential Grants Fund was achieved in 2019 – the project "Resource Center for the Development of Charity 'Good Kazan'" received funding of 2.9 million rubles. Subsequently, the organization repeatedly confirmed the effectiveness of its initiatives: the "Good Food Truck" project won grants twice (491 thousand rubles in 2019 and 855 thousand rubles in 2022). Also, in 2022, the project "Good Sport" received support of 1.3 million rubles. In 2025, a grant of 4.9 million rubles was allocated for the creation of an inclusive additional education space "Together."

      A key event for the organization and the entire non-profit sector of the region was the summation of the grant competition in 2026. The project of ANO "Good Kazan" to create a rehabilitation and inclusive center for children with disabilities in the residential complex "Salavat Kupere" received funding of 20.4 million rubles. This amount became the most significant indicator in the entire history of the participation of projects from the Republic of Tatarstan in the fund's grant competitions. The Presidential Grants Fund has been performing the functions of a single operator of state support for non-profit non-governmental organizations in the Russian Federation since April 3, 2017. During this period, with the direct participation of the Fund – both within the framework of its own grant competitions and through the mechanism of co-financing regional competitions launched in 2021 – resource support was provided for 63 thousand socially significant initiatives. A total of 92 billion rubles was allocated for the implementation of these projects. Notably, the volume of additional resources attracted by the non-profit sector reached almost 103 billion rubles.

      Direct financial support was received by over 35 thousand projects as a result of 23 of the Fund's own competitions. The total amount allocated for these purposes exceeded 81 billion rubles. At the same time, within the framework of co-financing competitions held in 2021-2026, the Fund provided more than 11 billion rubles – this allowed for the launch of another 28 thousand projects. The scale of sector involvement is confirmed by statistics: 78% of the total number of socially oriented non-profit organizations operating in the country participated in the Fund's competitions.

      The strategic development of support infrastructure deserves special attention. In 2025, by the decision of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the Fund established a new development institution – the Presidential Nature Fund. The new organization, with the assistance of the founder, has already held two competitions and supported 321 environmental projects for a total of 2 billion rubles. Furthermore, in order to systematically strengthen the non-profit sector, the Fund has allocated separate subsidiary structures for the management school for NGOs and the center for the development of digital services.

      The most important principle of the Fund's work remains transparency and assessment of social impact. An extensive public evaluation of the results of supported initiatives is conducted annually with the participation of beneficiaries, representatives of public and government structures, independent experts, and active citizens. Over the years of operation, nearly 29 thousand projects have undergone the analysis procedure. The evaluation results demonstrate the high effectiveness of the sector: 83% of initiatives are recognized as successfully implemented, 14% – satisfactorily, and only 3% received an unsatisfactory rating. Behind these figures lies real assistance and positive changes in the lives of 19 million people.

      At the meeting dedicated to the activities of non-profit organizations, various relevant questions were raised. The Executive Director of ANO "Republican Resource Center for Supporting Socially Oriented NGOs," Svetlana Salmina, addressed Ilya Chukalin with a request for advice: how can NGOs continue sustainable development and effectively solve tasks, including relying on the support of the Presidential Grants Fund.

      "I hardly think I will say anything unique; you probably already know all this. Simple, even banal things come to mind," the speaker began. "The main problem, it seems to me, is that we are constantly in the flow, absorbed in the routine. Because of this, building plans for the future is particularly difficult for us. Nevertheless, it is important to understand the vision of your organization over a horizon of three, five, or even ten years. Any planning, which sometimes seems trivial to us, is actually useful: it helps to understand true needs and allocate resources wisely."

      Ilya Chukalin emphasized that planning for the short term is often even more challenging than for the long term, as immediate factors constantly make adjustments to life. However, it is precisely plans that allow for the establishment of certain "flags" and provide confidence that the organization is moving in the right direction.

      Ilya Chukalin separately addressed the topic of growth. He noted that NGOs are constantly urged to scale up, but such a necessity is far from always present. "If your mission is to cover a specific area, and you have built effective work there, it is not necessary to expand to the city level. We are constantly pushed towards scaling, but it is not an end in itself. You can remain in your territory while transferring your technologies to other areas," he summarized.

      Elvira Gallyamova, director of the "Trampoline" Foundation, inquired whether there are plans to expand support tools for NGOs whose sustainability and long-term effectiveness have already been confirmed, especially considering that the Fund places great importance on the innovativeness of projects.

      Ilya Chukalin noted that this question touches on a complex internal conflict, as each institution within the structure of the Presidential Grants Fund has its own tasks. He explained that the Fund is embedded in the contour of internal policy, and its mission is to stimulate civic activity and support people, while constantly having to find the boundary line separating the Fund's area of responsibility from that of the government.

      According to him, there exists some ideal picture: the Presidential Grants Fund should serve as a support for enthusiastic movers – either those who are just starting their journey or those preparing for a serious leap and transition to a qualitatively different level. This also includes piloting technological solutions, whose success is not guaranteed, where tools may either take root or not work. However, the central question is who exactly should create the necessary tools. If development is carried out within the internal policy block, comments come from the government. A wide flow of grants puts the Fund in a position where it remains unintegrated into government KPIs (key performance indicators).

      "And this is a long-term story in which we need to find balance. Because on the one hand, we cannot provide a mechanism that will cover large organizations, and on the other hand, we want this mechanism to exist," emphasized Ilya Chukalin. He pointed out that each competition consists of about a third of new organizations and projects, but at the same time, the Fund continues to support strong, experienced NGOs. The reason lies in the desire to ensure the long-term conditions. That is why the criterion of innovativeness in evaluation currently occupies only five percent of the weight: sustainable organizations often win based on other indicators – established social networks, websites, transparent annual reports that testify to a reliable team.

      Nevertheless, as Ilya Chukalin assured, the Presidential Grants Fund does not abandon the idea of introducing new tools. "I am not saying that this will not happen. We are at a crossroads. Next year, the Fund will be 10 years old, so reflection is inevitable; we think a lot about this," he concluded.