At a small ceremony today, Moscow staff and management officially opened the doors of the New Eurasia Foundation (FNE), a unique Russian-European-American initiative to support the development of civil society in Russia. Founded by Dmitri Zimin of Russia's Dynasty Foundation, Javier Solana of the Madariaga European Foundation and Eurasia Foundation President, Charles Maynes, the New Eurasia Foundation is a trilateral effort to fund innovative projects and programs aimed at promoting civil society in Russia. Uniting the efforts of donors from all three regions, the New Eurasia Foundation (FNE) expands upon Eurasia's ability to fund programs that build democratic and free market institutions, by acting as both a grant-making and an operating foundation.

The New Eurasia Foundation operates within the Moscow Office of the Eurasia Foundation, which has garnered a reputation for excellence in grant making and support of civil society over the last decade. As part of the transition process, the Moscow office of the Eurasia Foundation has ceased its grant giving activities in order to make a larger financial contribution to the New Eurasia Foundation, which will carry out grant-making and program activities in Russia on FNE's behalf.

According to New Eurasia Foundation President Andrei Kortunov, "Today marks the beginning of a partnership among American, Russian and European institutions to strengthen civil society in Russia. The New Eurasia Foundation will be a unique institution that not only will carry on Eurasia Foundation's legacy in Russia but also will serve as a conduit for bringing together civil society from across Russia, Europe and the United States. While the new foundation will inherit the best of the Eurasia Foundation's heritage, it will be a truly new institution that reflects the values and vision of its three co-founders. I look forward to working with our Board of Directors and our new staff in turning FNE founders' ambitious plans into reality."

Staff and management of the New Eurasia Foundation are now preparing the first meeting of its Board of Directors, scheduled for the end of November. At that meeting, the Board of Directors will decide the New Eurasia Foundation's strategy for the next three years and review the first grants to be made by the new organization. On December 1st, Javier Solana and other leading figures will gather in Moscow for the official launch of the New Eurasia Foundation.

About the Founding Members

The Dynasty Foundation is a Russia-registered nonprofit organization focused on supporting Russian fundamental research in exact and natural sciences. In terms of this strategy, Dynasty is currently developing a number of programs targeted at supporting students specializing in the area and assisting in funding postdoctoral positions for young candidates of sciences and organizing specific events, such as conferences and seminars, for the scientific community. In order to achieve its goals the Dynasty Foundation collaborates with the sector's leadershigh schools (MEPhI, MIPT, MSU, etc.) and research centers (Lebedev Institute, ITEP). Additional information is available on the foundations Web site at www.dynastyfdn.com.

The Madariaga European Foundation was created in 1998, in memory of College of Europe founder, Spanish writer, historian, philosopher and politician, Salvador de Madariaga (1886-1978). The Madariaga European Foundation develops a variety of projects on European issues such as European citizenship, education and good governance, all in partnership with other foundations, governments and academia, as well as with EU Institutions. It also provides a platform for dialogue and reflection, bringing together civil society with public and private decision makers. Embedded as it is in the realities of a changing world, the Madariaga European Foundation is currently broadening its focus towards the role of Europe in the world. In fact, Europe's global presence is an issue of crucial importance now that the EU has taken a new shape with its enlargement and the forthcoming votes on the European Constitution. Additional information is available on the Foundation's Web site: www.madariaga.coleurop.be

The Eurasia Foundation was launched in 1992 with a major grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). With continuing support from USAID and a growing number of other donors in Europe and Russia, the Eurasia Foundation, which is privately managed, has made more than 7,100 grants totaling $143 million in the twelve countries of the former Soviet Union. Since 1993 the Eurasia Foundation has awarded more than $70 million to support local initiatives in Russian civil society, small and medium enterprise development, education, and public administration and policy. For more information, please visit our Web sites: www.eurasia.org, www.eurasia-rfe.org and www.eurasia.msk.ru.