Founder of the Foundation A.B. Usmanov

The founder of the Art, Science and Sport Foundation, Alisher Burkhanovich Usmanov, is a successful businessman, founder of the USM holding, which unites successful enterprises in the mining and metallurgical industries, telecommunications, high technologies and Internet business.

However, not only he is known for his success in investment and business, but also for his active work in the field of philanthropy. The founder of the Foundation is one of the world’s most generous philanthropists and trustee of a number of social, educational and cultural organizations. The organizations influence dozens of countries.

Thus, according to The Sunday Times, in 2020 Alisher Usmanov became the most generous philanthropist in quantitative terms over the more than 20-year history of the ranking, donating 3.7% of his fortune to support social, educational, cultural organizations, as well as to fight against COVID-19.

His charity spans over 60 countries. The priority areas are science, sports, culture, medicine and social development. In total, over the past 15 years, Alisher Usmanov’s companies and his charity Foundation have spent more than $ 3 billion on development of sports, as well as to support cultural, scientific, educational and medical initiatives.

As the head of the International Fencing Federation, Mr. Usmanov supported this sport all over the world, including through the international charitable Foundations “For the Future of Fencing” founded by him and supporting fencing veterans. Since 2018, he was а member of the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Channel Commission.

In December 2019, Alisher Usmanov bought the Olympic Manifesto at Sotheby’s for a record $ 8.8 million – the most expensive sporting relic ever sold. In February 2020, the patron donated this historic document, written in 1892 by the founder of the modern Games, Pierre de Coubertin, to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. For many years, Alisher Usmanov has made significant donations for various purposes around the world, including: donation for the instauration of the nave of the Ulpia Basilica and the reconstruction of the Hall of the Horatii and Curiatii, the Palace of the Conservatives and the Fountain of Dioscuri on the Quirinal Square in Rome; purchase of the famous painting by Frans Hals Sr. “Saint Mark” for the Pushkin Museum, which has become the largest gift to a Russian museum over the past 100 years; the acquisition of a collection of works of art by Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya for the Russian state; buying the rights to classic Soviet cartoons for a Russian children’s TV channel; the acquisition at Christie’s of the Nobel medal of the American biologist James Watson and its return to its owner.

Mr. Usmanov invests in charitable and social projects aimed at restoring the cultural wealth of Uzbekistan. At his expense, the International Research Center “Imam Bukhari” was built in the Samarkand region. The main focus of the Center is to study and promote the scientific and spiritual heritage of Muslim peoples.

With the assistance of Alisher Usmanov, the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan is being implemented to accelerate the development of the tourist potential of the city of Bukhara and the Bukhara region, where a number of UNESCO World Heritage sites are located. Mr. Usmanov supports the joint program of the Uzbek government and the World Bank for the development of villages and qishlaqs in various regions of the country, and also finances a number of sports and educational projects.

Founded by Alisher Usmanov, the Art, Science and Sport Foundation is a partner of the State Academic Folk Dance Ensemble Igor Moiseyev, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia and the Moscow Virtuosi Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Spivakov, the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and other key institutions of our country.

Alisher Usmanov was awarded the third and the fourth-class Order of Merit for the Fatherland for active social and charity work, awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky and the Order of Honor for labor achievements and many years of conscientious work, the badge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia “For Contribution to International Cooperation” and the first-class Order of Friendship (“Dostyk”) of the Republic of Kazakhstan for contribution to the development of the country and strengthening of cooperation between peoples. For his great contribution to charity and social activities, Alisher Usmanov was awarded the badge of distinction “For Benevolence”, as well as the highest award of the Russian Council of Muftis – the first-class Order of Al-Fakhr – for strengthening mutual understanding between representatives of different nationalities. Mr. Usmanov is a Commander of the Order of Merit for the Italian Republic, Commander’s degree for his contribution to Russian-Italian relations and as a sign of appreciation for his participation in projects to preserve the architectural heritage of Italy. For fruitful cooperation with the Republic of Tatarstan, active social and charitable activities, Usmanov received the Duslyk Order of Friendship. He was also awarded the order “El-Yurt Qurmati” (translated from Uzbek “To the one respected by people and Motherland”) for his contribution to strengthening ties between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation, as well as the effective realization of large investment, spiritual, educational and sports projects in Uzbekistan.