Vladimir Potanin, founder of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, has pledged to give away his entire fortune – estimated to be around 1.5 bn euros – to charity. He aims to give his wealth away in 10 years time. In the meantime he plans to increase annual donations to his charitable fund from 7m to 18m euros over the same period.

Potanin became involved in philanthropy in 1999, when he founded the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, whose aim is to implement socially significant long-term projects in the sphere of domestic education and culture. The foundation annually awards over 400 grants and 2,300 scholarships. It is also a founding member of the Russian Forum of Donors.