II. PROJECT BACKGROUND

    The concept of establishing a humanitarian, non-profit organization to support Russian culture and enhance cultural relationships between Russia and the U.S. was developed by the President of Tchertkoff Memorial and Cultural Foundation, Nicolai S. Tchertkoff.
    It began with a single task: rescue the historically significant Saltykov-Tchertkoff mansion, located in the heart of Moscow, from an attempt by its then leaser-holder, LogoVAZ Corporation, to convert this architectural masterpiece into a commercial office building.
    The Tchertkoff Memorial and Cultural Foundation, founded in 1993, concentrates its efforts on restoration of the mansion as well as the preservation of Russian culture in general.
    Both the Foundation and its founder soon gained recognition and support at all levels of Russian society - from representatives of the Russian scientific and cultural communities to government officials and business leaders.
    The Foundation strove to persuade LogoVAZ to renovate the mansion in order to fulfill its obligation under Russian law, which requires occupants of architectural monuments to renovate such structures within a two-year period. Efforts of the Foundation were widely publicized in newspapers, magazines, radio and television programs.
    As a result of the publicity created by Tchertkoff Memorial and Cultural Foundation, the future of the Tchertkoff Mansion and Library has become a public issue. The power of public opinion had once again proved to be strong. The President of LogoVAZ, Boris Berezovsky, was forced to reconsider his plans for building additional stories for rental office space, which included flattening the roof and changing the entire look of the the entire structure.
    In recognition of the Foundation's activities, Mr. Tchertkoff was made an Honorary Academician of the Academy of the Russian Encyclopedia of the Russian Academy of Science.
    On December 20, 1996, Tchertkoff was invited to address the Committee on Culture of the State Duma (Russian Parliament), on behalf of the Foundation, thus becoming the first private foreign citizen to do so. As a result of his speech, the Foundation gained the necessary support from the Duma and the Minister of Culture, who pledged his assistance in resolving the situation with the Moscow City Government. This event was covered by CNN, with follow-up articles in the London Times and New York Times, as well as other newspapers.

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