Founder

«I am proud to support causes and programmes that provide real solutions to key social problems and which preserve the unique and vast wealth of Russia’s cultural heritage. Volnoe Delo also provides significant support and funding for the promotion of science and education, two areas to which I am particularly devoted. While the scientific tradition is strong in Russia, there is a real need for increased and improved innovation, which our programmes will support. Our goal is to make a difference that lasts».

Oleg Deripaska,
Founder, Volnoe Delo Foundation

Oleg Deripaska is an industrialist who founded Basic Element, one of Russia’s biggest, most diverse and successful companies. His companies employ over 250,000 people on five continents, working in sectors that include manufacturing, automotive, energy, metals and mining, financial services, construction, aviation and agriculture.

A nuclear physicist by education, Oleg Deripaska is a champion of the use of new technologies and innovation. He is a key figure in modernising Russia’s industry and strives to drive up corporate governance and environmental standards in his businesses. Oleg Deripaska is a strong supporter of education, the arts and children’s charities.

He established the Volnoe Delo Foundation in 1998. The Foundation supports a wide range of initiatives with a particular focus on education and children. The Foundation’s mission is to find effective solutions to key social problems in areas such as education, the development of science, the preservation of spiritual and cultural heritage, the improvement of health care, and increased access to social welfare and assistance. Today the Foundation is one of the biggest private philanthropic organisations in Russia.

Oleg Deripaska initiates key and largest programms of the foundation and actively participates in its day-to-day life.