Artem Zdunov: “With the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives (PFCI), we are creating a completely different — modern, fascinating — Mordovia!”
Five years ago, on the initiative of the President of Russia, the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives was established in the country — a channel for grant support of creative teams. Over these years, the PFCI has become a functioning mechanism that connects authors, businesses, regions, and, most importantly, millions of people who become participants and spectators of the supported projects.
On June 5, at the St. Petersburg International Forum, one of the sessions was dedicated to the activities of the PFCI — from grant support to systemic changes in the creative industries. Artem Zdunov, Head of Mordovia, took part in this session.
Roman Karmanov, General Director of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, noted that 16 application campaigns have already been held since the Fund’s establishment, during which about 130 thousand applications were submitted. Support was provided to 12 thousand projects — almost 50 billion rubles. It is important that an equal amount was invested by the regions and grant recipients under co‑financing arrangements. At the same time, most of the grants went directly to the regions.
It was noted that during this period, targeted support for ideas has grown into systematic work, and a creative community has emerged and is developing in the country.
Mordovia is an active participant in the PFCI application campaigns and is among the leaders in attracting federal support in the fields of culture, art, and creative industries. Over five years, the republic has submitted nearly 1 200 applications, with 150 of them receiving support for a total of almost 466 million rubles.
The Head of Mordovia noted that there are two stages in the attitude of people in the republic towards culture: before working with the Fund and after. A new image of Mordovia — while preserving the national cultural traditions — is being created with the support of the PFCI. The digitalisation of the national heritage of the Mordovian peoples is underway. This has led to the emergence of a major cultural project in fashion — the ethno‑art theatre “Varma”.
In 2025, Mordovia became one of the regions where a regional project office of the PFCI was launched. There are now 37 such offices across the country. The opening of the project office has significantly increased the region’s performance.
“I believe that quantity always turns into quality,” said Artem Zdunov. “As soon as the Fund was established, we started submitting our applications and received a good professional lesson. Now we have a centre that helps prepare applications, and I thank the Fund for helping us acquire the skill of writing grant applications.”
Among the most significant projects supported by the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives and which have become landmark for Mordovia are: the “Voice of Heroes” public award; the multimedia project “Erzya: A New Dimension”; the family film project “The Baba Yaga School”; the All‑Russian youth festival of national cultures “We Are Together!”; the creation of the “Sursky Rubezh” memorial; and many others.
Standing out among these is the production of the feature film “The Secret of Admiral Ushakov” — the first full‑length film about the undefeated naval commander since 1953. This year, Mordovia and the entire country are marking the 25th anniversary of the canonisation of Saint Righteous Warrior Theodore Ushakov.
“This definitely would not have happened without the Cultural Initiatives Fund,” emphasised Artem Zdunov. “Thank you for the active development of creative industries in Mordovia, thank you for the Artists’ Houses, music classrooms, and the Youth Theatre. With such institutions in place, we are creating a completely different — modern, fascinating — Mordovia!”
One of the most important projects that the republic’s team is currently implementing jointly with the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives is the All‑Russian competition “Family Capital of Russia”. The project was initiated by the State Council Commission of the Russian Federation on the “Family” area, headed by Artem Zdunov. It aims to support large families and promote the best regional practices of family‑centred policies.
Source: Press Service of the Head of the Republic of Mordovia