New Patrons: How Bloggers and Media personalities are changing the landscape of charity

In the digital media age, not only the nature of fame has changed, but also the mechanisms of philanthropy. Public figures — bloggers, artists, athletes with an audience of millions — have become a powerful catalyst for charitable initiatives. The information about which of the Russian stars supports charitable foundations and what new projects have appeared in this field can be found in the Izvestia publication.

The desire to help

According to a new study by the Association of Bloggers and Agencies (ABA), more than 70% of major Russian-speaking bloggers with an audience of over 1 million people are ready to support socially significant projects. A total of 1,500 influencers of this level have been studied, and 1,100 of them already have experience supporting charitable initiatives. But today, these statistics go beyond the traditional understanding of blogging — they describe a new reality in which almost all modern celebrities live.

The line between a star and a blogger is no longer obvious. Actors, musicians, and athletes have been running social networks for a long time, and their public activities are increasingly subject to the laws of the modern media environment. Charity has seamlessly integrated into this ecosystem, becoming not just an addition to its core business, but a full-fledged part of the media image. The involvement of media personalities in charity gives a powerful impetus: from targeted fees for treatment to systemic changes in attitudes towards social problems.

The Power of a personal brand

The culture of charity in Russia is increasingly being embodied in the systematic work of public figures. Many Russian celebrities do not limit themselves to one-time promotions, but choose long-term participation, becoming founders of foundations or their ambassadors.

Among those who founded their own charitable organizations is Julia Peresild, who became the founder of the Galchonok Foundation, which supports children and youth with organic lesions of the central nervous system. Ksenia Alferova and Egor Beroev founded the I Am! Foundation, which aims to help children with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. In 2013, Sergey Bezrukov created the Foundation for the Support and Development of Socio-cultural Projects to help talented people and introduce them to the arts.

Other celebrities actively support existing NGOs by joining their boards of trustees or acting as ambassadors. Alexander Petrov supports the hospice "House with a Lighthouse" and is a member of its board of trustees. Elizaveta Arzamasova became the ambassador of the Old Age in Joy Foundation, which oversees more than 150 nursing homes. Alexander Mostovoy, a Soviet and Russian football player, is the ambassador of the Wind of Good Change Charitable Foundation.

The magic of collaboration

Cooperation between business and public figures plays a special role in the process of attracting attention to issues of charity and funds to charitable foundations. This is exactly what T-Bank's "Course of Kindness" social initiative is built on, which involves long-term support for systemic and infrastructure projects of Russia's leading charitable foundations. Every two months, a new fund becomes a participant in the project — participants change on a rotating basis.

So, from October 1 to November 30, 2025, it will be the Vera Hospice Charity Foundation. For two months, the bank will double customer donations to him, regardless of the amount. The foundation plans to use the funds raised to develop palliative care at home in the regions of Russia so that terminally ill children and adults can live at home with dignity and without pain.

— The Course of Kindness is a unique project in terms of the synergy of business, media personalities and charitable foundations. For many years, we and other NGOs have been saying on all channels and on all platforms that real changes in the social sphere are possible only through close collaboration — and now we are seeing the results of these conversations. As part of the project, we, for our part, attract our ambassadors — always on a non-commercial basis, we never pay for cooperation; and business attracts ambassadors from its side. This allows us to strengthen each other in order to help more people in the end," says Anastasia Marentsova, Director of Fundraising and Communications at the Vera Hospice Foundation.

The Vera Foundation replaced the previous partner fund in the project, Anton is right next to it. More than 40 million rubles were raised for Russia's largest organization of systemic support for people with autism, which T-Bank doubled. Thus, the fund will receive 81 million rubles, almost half of its annual budget. The foundation will use the money to open the first Anton resource center in St. Petersburg.

Role Transformation

The Anton Foundation was supported by theater and film actress, popular blogger Irina Gorbacheva as part of the "Course of Kindness". When a media personality participates in charity concerts and auctions, and his authority and recognition help to attract the attention of the general public to the foundation's problems, this directly affects the amount of funds raised.

— I met with the Anton foundation a few years ago: I heard the stories of the wards, the warm feedback from friends about how they help children and adults with autism and their families, — says the actress. — We cannot cure autism, but we can support the foundation's team in creating a resource center. They do important and valuable things every day: they provide support to children, adults and their families, promote the development of skills and self-expression, and create a space where everyone feels heard and supported. This is a place where people have confidence that they are not alone.

According to Irina Gorbacheva, it is especially valuable that the Course of Kindness project enhances this work, because this is not a one-time transfer of money, but a long story.

— For me, this is a story about the power of joint efforts, where everyone's small steps add up to a big deal. And I think it's important for foundations to know that they have a partner who won't disappear in a month. Thanks to this, Anton is here nearby and other participants can receive not only money, but also the opportunity to plan, develop, and not be afraid of tomorrow. This means that their wards — those who really need support — will receive it not on a one-time basis, but constantly.

According to the same principle, the Vera Foundation will be supported by Russian theater and film actor Anton Lapenko, whose blog is subscribed to by about three and a half million people. His participation as a public figure will draw additional attention to the systemic problem of palliative care development in the regions.

— Together with our foundation, Anton Lapenko will talk about helping terminally ill children and adults within the framework of the Course of Kindness project, which we are very happy about. It's not easy for us to find ambassadors, because not everyone agrees to talk about end-of-life care, it's a difficult topic. It is important for us that the ambassadors really share our values and are in tune with us," Anastasia Marentsova testifies.

Trust and responsibility

Charitable initiatives where a financial institution acts as a guarantor of a safe environment for donors are proving to be quite effective. More than 13,000 T-Bank clients supported the charitable foundations of the Course of Kindness project last year.

— Thanks to the project, in 2025 the number of donors increased 9 times and reached 114 thousand people. It is important that a significant number of donors continue to help the funds even after the campaigns are completed, which is confirmed by the stable dynamics of regular payments and an increase in total fees for Life as a Miracle," says Tatiana Polyakova, head of the Strategic Social Projects Department at T—Bank.

The charity foundation "Life as a Miracle", which helps children with severe liver diseases, was the first to participate in the project and raised almost half of its annual budget, and the number of regular donors increased almost fivefold.

Kirill Didenok, a digital producer and founder of the DIDENOK TEAM communication agency (30 residents of which have already supported the Course of Kindness project), notes that in such a collaboration of foundations, business and influencers lies the ideal formula for multiplied goodness - foundations fill projects with meaning and trust, business provides resources, and bloggers provide scale and emotional connection. which turns an abstract charity into a personal story for millions.

— Using the examples of our work with the foundations "Change one Life", "Life as a Miracle" and "House with a Lighthouse", we observe how the sincere story of a media personality about the project motivates the audience to do good deeds and become part of a great good story. At the same time, for influencers, supporting charity projects is an opportunity to be a conduit for good and change people's lives for the better using their status," Didenok emphasizes. — This is the power of collaboration — when each participant makes a unique contribution to the common cause.

The new reality

Attracting public figures to charity is no longer a marketing ploy, but a new reality. They act as mediators, translating complex social issues into a language that millions can understand. Their involvement increases awareness and accelerates fundraising.

The collaboration of stars, bloggers, trusted foundations and businesses creates a sustainable ecosystem of assistance, the main goal of which is to create a culture of belonging, when charity is perceived not as the lot of a select few, but becomes the norm for a wide audience.