Mission
The Foundation was created to support gifted children and to preserve the cultural heritage of Russia. Its guiding principle was formulated by its founder:
“Children must know that they are loved.”
Vladimir Spivakov expresses the Foundation's philosophy in simple words: “If each of us does but one good deed, the world will become more perfect, and life brighter and happier.” From this idea grew dozens of programmes: master classes and concerts, named scholarships and material assistance, competitions and festivals, support for music schools, social programmes for orphaned children and children with disabilities, aid to hospitals and the funding of medical treatment.
History since 1994
The Foundation was established on 30 May 1994. The idea was born during Vladimir Spivakov's tours through the remote regions of Russia: he saw how talented children flourished thanks to devoted teachers, yet lacked the means to develop their gift. Thus arose an organisation devoted to nurturing young talents.
Over more than thirty years the Foundation has grown considerably. Its reach expanded from Moscow to Sakhalin and came to span the entire country. Since 2002–2003 the educational programme “Children for Children” (a laureate of the Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation) has run at the Moscow International House of Music. Regional academies have opened — the “Shepsi Academy” in Krasnodar Krai, and academies in Tatarstan, Tver, Bashkortostan and on Sakhalin.
Through the “Miles of Mercy” programme, in partnership with Aeroflot, more than 200 children's lives have been saved. The Foundation supports the SOS Children's Villages in Tomilino and Otradnoye, gives concerts in orphanages and hospitals, and provides young musicians with instruments. Each month around twenty major Foundation projects take place around the world.
The “Moscow Meets Friends” Festival
Since 2004 the Foundation has continuously held the international festival “Moscow Meets Friends”. By 2025 the 23rd festival had taken place. It brings together tens of thousands of talented children from all over the world on the finest concert stages of Russia and has earned recognition for strengthening trust and mutual understanding between peoples.
Recognition and Partnerships
Since 2023 the Foundation has worked with the Presidential Grants Foundation and the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, carrying out the projects “Light of Hope”, “Tuning Fork of the Regions” and “The Present of the Future”. Among its partners are Aeroflot, Sber, concert halls and philharmonic societies, and children's charities. The Foundation has helped hundreds of now-renowned musicians — among them the soprano Anna Aglatova, the cellist Anastasia Kobekina, the pianist Yulianna Avdeeva and the trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov.
