U.S. Russia Foundation

The U.S. Russia Foundation (USRF) is an American non-profit organization founded in 2008 that aims to strengthen relations between the United States and Russia and to promote the development of the private sector in the Russian Federation. Since its founding, the USRF has supported programs that build Russian innovation, entrepreneurship, education and scientific expertise. The USRF primarily supports and funds projects that strengthen partnerships and build understanding in one or more of these key areas: Rule of Law and Governance, Economic Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Development, Civil Society, and Russian and American Studies[3]. Rule of Law and Governance serves as a way fort the USRF to focus on laws, institutions, and practices that enable good governance at the local, regional, and national levels.[4]. Economic Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Development focuses on practices that build the capacity for private entrepreneurship. [5]. Civil Society seeks to find solutions which improve the well-being of communities and citizens.[6]. The newly added Russian and American Studies pillar seeks to improve Russian-American mutual expertise and understanding [7].

U.S. Russia Foundation
Founded2008 (2008)
PurposeRussia-United States relations
Location
  • Washington, DC, United States
Origins32nd G8 summit
Area served
United States, Russia
Key people
John Beyrle[1]
(Chairman)
Celeste Wallander[2]
(President & CEO)
Websiteusrf.us

Leadership

The President and Chief Executive Officer of USRF is Celeste Wallander, who joined in 2017. Wallander was previously Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and Senior Director for Russia/Eurasia on the National Security Council (2013-2017). Past presidents of USRF include Mark Pomar (2008-2017), former President and CEO of IREX and former Executive Director of the US Board for International Broadcasting. Ambassador John Beyrle serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors (2018–present).[8] Previous chairmen include Ambassador James Collins (2008-2018) and Steve Pease (2008-2018).

History

The U.S. Russia Investment Fund (1995-2008)

USRF is the legacy organization of the U.S. Russia Investment Fund (TUSRIF), which was established by the United States government in 1995 pursuant to the Support for East European Democracy Act (SEED) of 1989. It was the result of the merger of two funds established in 1993-1994: the $340-million Russian American Enterprise Fund (RAEF) and the $100-million Fund for Large Enterprises (FLEER). Most of the money came from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Its main goal was to promote investments in Russia. It specialized in "early venture, mid venture, and growth capital investments in middle market companies", with a focus on the "media, retail, consumer goods, financial services, information technology, and telecommunication sectors". TUSRIF and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company owned 51% of the Imperial Porcelain Factory until 1999, when it was nationalized by the Government of Russia.

In 2000, it established DeltaBank, the first bank to sell Visa credit cards in Russia. In October 2000, it became a majority shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Meanwhile, they acquired JPMorgan Chase's banking license in 2000 and established DeltaCredit, the first bank to sell residential mortgages in Russia, in 2001.

By 2005, TUSRIF had invested $300 million in 44 Russian companies, including the aforementioned DeltaBank and DeltaCredit as well as two television networks. However, DeltaCredit was acquired by the Société Générale for $100 million that year. Meanwhile, TUSRIF also invested in small businesses, for example in Nizhny Novgorod.

TUSRIF was replaced by the U.S. Russia Foundation (USRF) in 2008. Three years later, in 2011, the disposal of $150 million from the fund was tabled by the United States Agency for International Development(USAID) and the United States Congress, on the recommendation from the Obama administration that half should go to the United States Department of the Treasury and half to support American values in Russia. By 2012, the Obama administration asked Congress to allocate only $50 million to support human rights non-profit organizations in Russia.

The U.S. Russia Foundation (2008-Present)

The establishment of the U.S Russia Foundation was announced by presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin at the 32nd G8 summit in 2006. It was an outgrowth of The U.S. Russia Investment Fund. It was registered in the United States in 2008 and in Russia in 2009. From 2009 to 2015, USRF operated a Moscow office and established good working relationships with Russian government institutions, including the Ministry of Education, and partnerships with Russian Universities, foundations, and non-governmental organizations. USRF was a member of the Russian Donors Forum and an active participant in Russian international education programs. USRF supported numerous projects in Russia (including the very successful EURECA program established in 2010) by being a co-funder together with Russian institutions.

Beginning in 2013, USRF along with other Western organizations came under increasing attack by anti-western Russian organizations and media. By 2015, its CEO, Mark Pomar, was denied entry into Russia.[9] Meanwhile, the organization was declared "undesirable" by the 2015 Russian undesirable organizations law.[10][11] Indeed, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Russia, chaired by Yury Chaika, suggested it posed "a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation and the state‘s security."[9] The United States Department of State (USDS) responded by saying, "We reject the contention that the Foundation’s activities constitute a threat to Russia’s security. On the contrary, this designation is another deliberate step to further isolate the Russian people from the rest of the world.".[12] Nevertheless, the USRF continues its mission to strengthen relations between the United States and Russia and to promote the development of the private sector in the Russian Federation. The USRF is supporting various development programs that build Russian innovation, entrepreneurship, education, and scientific expertise.[13] After the closure of USRF headquarters in Moscow, the Foundation relocated to Washington, D.C. in 2015.

Project Initiatives

USRF is credited with creating, funding, and running the EURECA Program, a business-oriented university program for US and Russian students. This initiative, backed by American and Russian support, enhanced business and entrepreneurship curricula in Russian universities with the ultimate goal of promoting bilateral development of new technologies and emerging business endeavors. [14] The pilot program was with students from the University of Maryland, College Park and Lobachevsky State University and eventually developed into an official program initiative between ITMO Research University in St. Petersburg and UCLA, leading to the co-founding of the iDealMachine start-up. [15][16] With the Yegor Gaidar Foundation, it also ran the Gaidar Summer Leadership Program, whereby Russian students spent two weeks at Purdue University to learn about entrepreneurship and start-up companies,[17] and the Improving Economics Instruction, where Russian economists spent two weeks in American universities.[14] It also ran the Economics and Entrepreneurship Experts Forum Program, which encouraged scholarships between American and Russian researchers in economics and entrepreneurship, and the Legal Education Exchange Program, which aimed to share pedagogical methods among American and Russian university instructors.[14]

Grant Programs

USRF outlines four areas of funding priority to establish target request-for-proposals (RFPs), specifically in areas of Russian and American Studies, Civil Society, and Rule of Law and Governance:

  • Rule of Law and Governance[18]
  • Economic Enterprise and Entrepreneurship[19]
  • Civil Society[20]
  • Russian and American Studies[21]

Contact

The U.S. Russia Foundation 1230 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 (202)495-7888 [22].

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References
  1. "John R. Beyrle". USRF.us. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. "Dr. Celeste Wallander". USRF.us. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  3. "About Supporting U.S. and Russia Partnerships". USRF. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  4. "About USRF". USRF. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  5. "About USRF". USRF. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  6. "About USRF". USRF. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  7. "About Supporting U.S. and Russia Partnerships". USRF. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  8. "Board of Directors". Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  9. "Statement by the USRF Board of Directors". The U.S. Russia Foundation. December 4, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2016. Despite the unwarranted action of Russian authorities to deny USRF CEO Mark Pomar entry into Russia earlier this year - for which we have requested but never received any explanation - Russian government officials repeatedly assured USRF that its programs, which have largely promoted the growth of entrepreneurship and partnerships between US and Russian universities, were welcome and enjoyed official support. In its statement today adding USRF to the growing list of "undesirable organizations," the Office of the Prosecutor General stated that the activities of USRF "pose a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation and the states security."
  10. Hartog, Eva (December 29, 2015). "Unwanted and Shunned: Russia Cracks Whip on Foreign NGOs". The Moscow Times. Retrieved October 28, 2016. The law's latest victims: two foundations set up by U.S. billionaire philanthropist George Soros and the U.S.-Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law, or USRF.
  11. Ovsyannikova, Anastasia (August 22, 2016). "Russia Bans More International Organizations". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved October 28, 2016. Previously, five other organizations, either US donors or capacity building groups, had been designated as “undesirable.” These include the National Endowment for Democracy, Open Society Foundation, Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation, US-Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law, and National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.
  12. Toner, Mark C. (December 4, 2015). "Designation Under Russia's "Undesirables" Law of the U.S.-Russia Foundation". United States Department of State. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  13. https://www.usrf.us/about/about-usrf/
  14. "About USRF". The U.S. Russia Foundation. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  15. "Enhancing University Research and Entrepreneurial Capacity ("EURECA")". USRF. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  16. "Enhancing University Research and Entrepreneurial Capacity". American Councils for International Education. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  17. "Leadership program for Russian students comes to Purdue this summer". Purdue University. July 11, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  18. "About Our Grant Programs". USRF. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  19. "About Our Grant Programs". USRF. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  20. "About Our Grant Programs". USRF. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  21. "About Our Grant Programs". USRF. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  22. "Contact". USRF. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
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