Social Projects

Bank ZENIT is actively involved in the social and cultural life in the regions where it maintains a presence. The most important areas of the Bank's activities in this sphere include implementation of arts and sports charity programmes, organisation of cultural events, support for socially vulnerable population groups and consistent youth development projects. Most programmes are implemented on a long-term cooperation basis.

Culture and Arts

The Master Class Creativity School set up by the Bank in 2000 is one of the Group’s most continuous and longest running charity projects in the cultural sphere. The mission of the Master Class Creativity School is to offer additional opportunities for comprehensive creative development and capture the talent of promising young musicians and artists in Russia. The most talented and successful young musicians of the Creativity School have won Russian and international competitions and are fully-fledged concert performers. The biggest projects of the Creativity School consist in the All-Russia creative classes held for young regional talents in Ruza, a town near Moscow, ‘Russian Maestros to Gifted Children’ master classes, the ‘Young Russia’s Talents’ interregional festival, ‘Rendezvous’ classic and modern music festival, ‘My Sunrise’ interregional competition of young artists and other projects and events.

ZENIT Banking Group is a member of the Patronage Committee of the Russian National Orchestra, justifiably considered to be one of the best orchestras in the world, and has been supporting this renowned orchestra’s projects for some years now.

ZENIT is also involved in the noble task of restoring the Dubrovka theatre. The Bank supports the performers playing in the Obyknovennoe Chudo musical: www.chudo-musical.ru, which is unique in that its scenario was written by legendary authors, it is beautifully performed, has wonderful and costly scenery and special effects.

For several years, Bank ZENIT has been involved in a number of long-term projects for preserving and restoring cultural monuments. The Bank has helped financially in the restoration of the Krestovskaya Chapel in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God 'The Sign' in Pereyaslavskaya Sloboda, where it is now planned to make and install an iconostasis. For many years, the Bank has been funding the restoration of the Blagoveschensky Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin, St. Guriy monastic cell and the All Saints Nizhny church. At the Raifa monastery in Tatarstan, the Bank has funded restoration works, construction of a hotel for pilgrims and the Treasury building. In the Korennaya Pustyn monastery (Kursk Region), the Bank helped in the construction of the Hegumen building.

In 2010, a memorandum was signed providing for participation by the ZENIT Banking Group in restoring the historic and cultural monuments of the ancient city of Bulgar and Sviyazhsk island town in Tatarstan. Under this document, ZENIT Banking Group assumed the obligation to fund restoration works and maintain the condition of two historical monuments – the Small Minaret in Bulgar and the Sergius Church of St. John the Forerunner Convent on Sviyazhsk island. The Republican Foundation for Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments of Tatarstan is tasked with conducting the restoration works.

Supporting Sports

The Group has long-standing relations with the Russian Rugby Union. ZENIT Banking Group is an official sponsor of the Russian Rugby Union and a general sponsor of the Russian National Rugby Team which participated in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in September 2011. It was be the first time in Russian rugby history that the Russian team took part in such a high-profile tournament. This milestone event has been arousing fervent anticipation among rugby fans, including Bank ZENIT employees.

Support for sports, especially children's sport, is a priority of the charity programme. Bank ZENIT first provided special-purpose charity funding to support children's junior rugby in 1997. Since then, this has evolved into a large-scale programme under which about 2000 young rugby players in the regions where the Bank maintains a presence play rugby for free. Since 2010, the National Charity Foundation for Children's Rugby Development has become the Bank's main partner in this programme, aimed at popularising this sport, which is not yet widespread in Russia: www.regbist.ru.

For several years, Bank ZENIT has been providing financial assistance to the Altai-Raft Foundation for Development of Whitewater and Rafting, www.altaicanoeteam.ru. In 2010, the Altai-Raft team was among the winners of the European Championship in Italy and the junior team won Russia's rafting contest. The debut of the women's Altai-Raft team at the Russian Championship resulted in a silver medal.  Today, 6 athletes from the Altai Republic are members of various teams in Russia, demonstrating strong performance at both domestic and international events.

In 2010, Bank ZENIT became a general sponsor of Europe's Sporting Championship in St. Petersburg and a general sponsor of the European Trap-Shooting Championship in Kazan, held by the Russian Shooting Union public organisation: www.shooting-russia.ru.

Bank ZENIT is also enthusiastic about basketball, providing support for the Unix basketball club, which has been the undisputed leader of Russian and European basketball for eight years now.

For several years, Bank ZENIT has been sponsoring the Russian Hockey Federation and is now actively engaged in and supporting the Continental Hockey League players’ union.

ZENIT Banking Group focuses particularly on preservation and development of national sports, traditions and cultures. Every year, the Sabantuy national festival is held with support from the Group, which also provides financial support for public sports events aimed at promoting Kuresh national wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling and kettlebell lifting.

Healthcare and Vulnerable Population Groups

Bank ZENIT's long-term programmes also support the most vulnerable population groups – children and the elderly. For several years, the Bank has been providing financial assistance to lecturers at the Moscow Aviation Institute and honorary pensioners of Kazan, paying them additional life-long pensions. This programme embraces over forty senior citizens.

The Bank traditionally takes part in funding events held to mark Victory Day. In 2010, on the 65th anniversary of the Great Victory, over 800 veterans in Moscow and across Russia received gifts of food, prepaid certificates for home appliances and medicines. Celebratory meals were also served.

ZENIT's employees responded to the plea for help from the people affected by the wildfires in Russia in 2010 and organised a collection of money and household necessities. Bank ZENIT provided financial aid to the fire victims of the Nizhny Novgorod region and the Altai Territory; subsidiaries of the ZENIT Banking Group also helped those affected by the fires.

For several years, the Bank has been actively supporting the Operation Smile charity organisation: www.operationsmile.org.ru, arranging sponsored surgery for children with maxillo-facial defects.   

It is becoming a tradition for the Bank to help in organising New Year concerts and shows for orphans and children from low-income families. In 2008, Bank ZENIT organised the New Year event at the Kazan Youth Theatre, where a performance of Treasure Island was presented. In 2010, ZENIT funded the municipal charity New Year event at the Kazan ice palace -- the Beauty and the Beast ice skating show. In 2011, Moscow artists performed at the Tatneft-Arena again, presenting the wonderful ice show 'Santa's Magic Box'.

For many years, ZENIT Banking Group has been providing financial support to the Kazan Zoological and Botanical Garden. The Group presented the botanical garden with a tigress named Romashka, organised an enclosure for her and regularly remits funds for the animal’s care and maintenance. The Bank supported the opening of a pony-club for young visitors.

Judging from the scope of Bank ZENIT’s charity programme funding and the consistency with which they are implemented, it is clearly among the leading sponsors and benefactors in the RF. This confirms the Bank's commitment to the good-hearted traditions of Russian enterprise, patronage and social responsibility.