Who We Are

Institute for Information Freedom Development (St.-Petersburg, Russia)

Status: Non-governmental, non-profit organization

Official Organizational Form: Non-profit partnership

Objective: Study, analysis, and solution search for the problem of access for individuals and organizations to socially significant information. We pay special attention to defending right to access to information on activities of government bodies and bodies of local self-government.

We believe that, in the modern world, government bodies’ official websites are becoming the main source of full, actual, and reliable information on activities of those bodies. Therefore, the “governmental power” sector of the virtual space should be stimulated for further development.

We expect the following results for our work:

• increasing legal and social responsibility of government bodies for socially significant information they provide;
• reduction of corruption and of legal nihilism; and,
• realization by citizens of real effect from implementation of their right to information access, as well as of connection between information accessibility and life quality.

Our Projects:

- Research
Monitoring contents of government bodies’ official websites is one of major directions for the Institute’s activity. Each year, its experts study contents of each official website evaluating presence, fullness, reliability, and actuality of the information placed by it. Also they study what information government bodies refuse to place at their websites due to any reasons.

At the end of each year, informational openness ratings are formed for: federal executive government bodies of the Russian Federation; legislative government bodies of the Russian Federation subjects; executive government bodies of the Russian Federation subjects, and also for official websites plasing information on state procurements. All information on our research is published at the Institute’s website.

The research project includes developing advice for each official website analyzed: a package of the Monitoring materials together with specific proposals how to improve quality of official website is sent to each government body.

- Legal
The Institute is also to litigate and to initiate court cases where our lawyers defend the right to free access to governmental informational resources. Legal procedure implementation helps to reach real positive changes in the field of socially significant information access.

At initial stage of the Institute’s work, our staff, by means of prolonged correspondence and judicial procedures, made government bodies to launch official websites and to update their contents. Today, our lawyers also seek for open access to various governmental databases, lists, and registers.

The results are covered by the Institute’s website as well as by various federal and regional mass media.

- Public Outreach
The Institute experts regularly hold various informational events – press conferences, workshops, projects for students. etc. – aimed to stimulate the general public to act in order to implement and to defend their rights to information access.

This is surely not an exhaustive list of our activities and projects. We achieve real positive changes in Russia and look for the future optimistically.

The Freedom of Information Foundation takes direct part in the activities of the Institute.

Our activities are also supported by:

	National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy is an independent and non-profit organization that was founded in the US in 1983 with the aim of assisting and strengthening democratic institutions around the world by supporting non-governmental organizations and groups. The fund is run by a board of directors that is fully independent, meaning that it is does not share any form of partnership with any association or political party. The Fund operates on the principle that freedom is humanity’s universal goal and it can be achieved through the growth of democratic institutions, systems, and values. It believes democracy cannot be achieved through a single election and need not be based upon the model of the United States or any other particular country.
	Open Society Institute The Open Society Institute (OSI) is a private operating and grant making foundation created in 1993 by investor and philanthropist George Soros. Today, its offices work in 60 countries on all continents. OSI aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to support the rule of law and development of civil society institutions. At the same time OSI works to build alliances across borders and continents on issues such as education, public health, independent media, and combating corruption and rights abuses.
	Oak Foundation Oak Foundation Ltd. is a group of charitable and philanthropic organizations established in various countries. It commits its resources to address issues of global social and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged. Among the Oak’s program priorities and areas of particular emphasis there are: climate change issues; marine conservation; protecting rights of women, children, and homeless people. Oak Foundation’s overall approach includes: target root causes; demonstrate solutions that can be adopted by permanent providers and/or by government; promote collaboration among organizations and funders; involve the target population in the planning and implementation of the projects. The Oak’s activities are primarily aimed to implement long-term projects, especially within overcoming the world economic crisis consequences.
	The Henry M. Jackson Foundation The Henry M. Jackson Foundation was founded in 1983 to continue the unfinished work of the late Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson in the areas in which he played a key leadership role: international affairs education, human rights, environment and natural resources management, and public service. Through its grantmaking and strategic initiatives, the Foundation seeks to make a lasting impact and perpetuate the Jackson legacy for the benefit of future generations. The goal of the strategic initiatives is to leverage additional resources for issues that are central to the Jackson legacy by: partnering with other organizations; convening leaders in the field from nonprofit, foundation and government sectors; providing opportunities for public dialogue, and organizing forums for in-depth analysis on critical and timely issues.

Our activites were also supported by:

	Tides Foundation The Tides Foundation has been working in the US since 1976 with the goal of investing in positive social change. The Tides Foundation believes that through progressive measures, such as the observance and promotion of human rights and justice, as well as the creation of a stable and prosperous environment, it can make positive changes in peoples’ lives. Tides Foundation grants to IIFD come through the generous support of the Gagarin Trust. The Gagarin Trust is the philanthropic legacy fund of Andrew Gagarin, a long-time human rights activist and supporter of development of NGOs in Russia. IIFD is particularly grateful to the Gagarin Trust for providing seed funding to make the work of our organization possible in 2004.
	Evolution & Philanthropy Evolution & Philanthropy non-profit company is founded in the UK in 2007. Its activities in Russia are aimed to develop modern philanthropy mechanisms in the country, to create atmosphere of trust to Russian philanthropic sector, to develop culture of charity and volunteerism as well as to assist people from various social groups seeking for charity, compassion, and help. The activity priorities are the following: institutional support for NGOs professionally working in philanthropy; formation of environment promoting efficient development of non-profit sector in Russia; forming an international site for exchanging positive actual experience in philanthropy; dissemination of best international practices in Russia and involving international resources in the Russian philanthropic sector.
	European Instrument for Democracy & Human Rights (EIDHR) The European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights was created by the European Parliament in 1994 to support both the activities of civil society working for human rights and democracy and the efforts of international organizations. It was renamed the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) in December 2006. The EIDHR works with Russian and European NGOs as well as with international organizations in addition to traditional co-operation between Russian and the EU. The key objectives of the EIDHR are: enhancing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in countries and regions where they are most at risk; strengthening the role of civil society in promoting human rights and democratic reform; supporting and strengthening the international and regional framework for the protection of human rights; building confidence in and enhancing the reliability and transparency of democratic electoral processes.