CAF Russia

CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) – is a non-profit organisation committed to motivating society to give ever more effectively, helping to transform lives and communities around the world. Our history in the UK dates back to 1924 when we took part in the work of the National Council of Social Service (now the National Council for Voluntary Organisations or NCVO) as its Charities Department; we were established as an independent charity in 1974. CAF's first office abroad opened its doors in 1992 in the USA. Today, CAF has a network of representative offices and sister organisations covering five continents.

• Facilitate the most effective support to charities from individual donors, whether through regular donations or a more strategic giving plan.
• Support companies’ work with charities and communities, and help them engage their employees in charitable activity to achieve greater impact.
• Provide tailored solutions for charities’ funding and finance needs, across banking, investments, fundraising and social investment.
• Help individual and company donors to maximise their support to charities across borders worldwide.
• Work to secure supportive legal, fiscal and regulatory conditions for donors, charities and social enterprises.

Overseas offices that form CAF international network include CAF Russia, CAF America, CAF Australia, CAF Bulgaria, IDIS Brazil, CAF India, CAF Centre for Asian Philanthropy, Singapore, CAF Southern Africa.

The Russian office of the Foundation – CAF Russia – was opened in 1993. In close cooperation with leading Russian and international companies and foundations, we implement more than 20 programmes every year and constantly grow our grant fund reached $7,7 million in the 2010/11 financial year. Since the beginning of its work, CAF Russia gave life to over 300 initiatives aimed at solving a wide range of social problems and improving life across the country. Some of them such as development of community foundations or Charity Instead of Gifts, have become part of the Russian philanthropic culture.

CAF play a key role in representing the needs of donors and the charitable sector. We work with government and others to shape policy and legislation, in order to improve the environment for giving and to secure supportive legal, fiscal and regulatory conditions for donors, charities and social enterprises. CAF is active in a broad spectrum of activities including research and consultation projects, implementation of charitable programmes and organisation of grant competitions. We are managing programmes for companies like Polus Gold, Kraft Foods, Severstal and Avon, and work in partnership with private and public foundations like LifeLine, Ladoga and Ostorova, to improve lives of elderly people, children with illnesses and disabilities, and create opportunities for development of non-profits in the area of education, culture or social welfare.

CAF Russia is active in creating opportunities for donor education (such as Foundation School), mechanisms for engaging people in charitable giving (www.blago.ru and payroll giving programme) and building awareness of the society about philanthropy and NGOs (www.philanthropy.ru, Money and Charity magazine, Socially Active Media programme).