U.S.-Russia Foundation

What U.S.-Russia Foundation does

The U.S. Russia Foundation (USRF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008 and headquartered at 500 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC. Its mission is to support a better future for relations between the United States and Russia through a free and independent private sector. The foundation funds and operates three grant program areas: Rule of Law (ROL), Media & Free Enterprise (MFE), and Civil Society & Expertise (CSE). It serves four primary constituencies: Russian rule-of-law organizations defending freedoms of expression, information, and property rights; independent Russian media including journalists, bloggers, and film producers; Russian civil society organizations both inside Russia and in diaspora communities; and young U.S. professionals seeking to develop expertise on Russia through university programs, internships, and travel grants.

USRF does not develop or sell technology products. Its core operational infrastructure consists of a Squarespace-hosted website (usrf.us), the [email protected] email channel, and the Temelio third-party grants management portal that processes all competitive grant applications. The foundation runs an annual grant cycle with board-level final approval and a separate paid internship program offered in Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters in its Washington DC office, with hybrid and in-person options.

The foundation is governed by a Board of Directors whose Co-Chairmen are Stephen Biegun and Charles E. Ryan (appointed October 2025). Executive leadership comprises President and CEO Matthew Rojansky, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Alan Griffin, and Director of Operations Jemile Kelderman. Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropic contributions and grant funding, with no commercial products, pricing, or service fees. The foundation reports no subsidiaries, no public-market listing, and no parent organization, and it does not publicly disclose revenue figures.

Name

U.S.-Russia Foundation

Legal name

The U.S. Russia Foundation

Website

https://usrf.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The U.S.-Russia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 that funds and operates competitive grant programs supporting independent Russian media, rule of law, civil society, and U.S. expertise on Russia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Grant-making foundation
• Philanthropic funding programs
• Civil society support
• Rule of law programs
• Nonprofit grant administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic/Grant Funding: As a foundation, USRF generates revenue through philanthropic contributions and grant funding from donors to support its mission of advancing U.S.-Russia relations through programs in rule of law, independent media, civil society, and expertise development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The U.S.-Russia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and runs programs strengthening U.S.-Russia relations through three competitive grant areas: Rule of Law, Media & Free Enterprise, and Civil Society & Expertise. It also administers an Internship Program that places American students with Russia-based organizations.

Product overview

The U.S. Russia Foundation offers a grant-making platform with three primary grant program areas: Rule of Law (ROL), Media & Free Enterprise (MFE), and Civil Society & Expertise (CSE). The foundation also operates an Internship Program. All programs are administered through a third-party grants management portal (Temelio). The foundation does not offer technology products or SaaS offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TemeliooperationalTechnology or IntegrationTemelio provides the grants management applicant portal used by USRF for collecting and processing grant applications. Organizations must use this portal to submit applications for funding consideration. Support for technical difficulties is provided by Temelio.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eurasia Foundation: U.S.-based nonprofit grantmaker focused on the countries of the former Soviet Union, including Russia. Closely comparable mission, structure, and grantmaking model to USRF, with overlapping grantee pools in civil society, rule of law, and economic development.
• Freedom House: U.S.-based nonprofit that tracks democratic governance and supports civil-society actors in restrictive environments, including Russia. Directly comparable in advocacy and grantmaking toward independent media and rule of law in Russia.
• Woodrow Wilson Center's Kennan Institute: Washington-based program dedicated to scholarship and public engagement on Russia and the post-Soviet space. Comparable to USRF's Expertise-on-Russia focus area; USRF's own Director of Operations previously served there, evidencing overlap in networks and talent.

Regional players

• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Major international affairs think tank with longstanding Russia and Eurasia programs producing research and convening experts. Comparable in U.S.-Russia expertise development and convening function, though grantmaking is not its primary model.
• Atlantic Council: Washington think tank with an active Eurasia Center producing analysis on Russia and supporting related programming. Comparable in mission and in overlapping personnel networks (USRF's Director of Operations previously worked there), though primarily a think tank rather than a grantmaker.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Major private foundation historically funding independent media, rule of law, and civic activism across the post-Soviet space. Comparable mission footprint but at much greater scale and global breadth than USRF's Russia-specific focus.
• International Republican Institute (IRI): Core institute funded through the U.S. government that supports democratic political and civic actors worldwide, with active Russia programming. Overlaps with USRF on rule-of-law and civil-society grantmaking, but operates globally and with substantially larger budgets.
• USAID (Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance programs): U.S. government agency that funds civil society, independent media, and rule-of-law programs globally, including in Russia prior to operational restrictions. Comparable as the dominant funder in the same program areas USRF targets, though as a federal agency rather than an independent foundation.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI): Sister core institute to IRI supporting democratic governance worldwide. Comparable in funding model (U.S. government grants plus private donors) and in cross-border civil-society support, including programs reaching Russia and the diaspora.
• National Endowment for Democracy (NED): Largest U.S. private foundation supporting democratic civil society globally, including significant Russia-related programming. Directly comparable as a grantmaking institution funding rule-of-law, independent media, and civic activism, but at a vastly larger scale and with a global (rather than Russia-specific) mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/USRUSSIAFOUND
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-us-russia-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about U.S.-Russia Foundation