Funding Overview for Patriot Education Initiatives in Russia
The government plans to dedicate 45.85 billion rubles to the program dedicated to patriotic education of Russian citizens in 2024, with a prior allocation of close to 5 billion rubles for 2022. This allocation profile comes from the draft budget presented to the State Duma and reported by RBC. [Source: Budget documentation 2024]
The bulk of the funds is earmarked for the initiative titled “First Act,” which accounts for 7 billion rubles. An additional 9.58 billion rubles will support activities intended to engage citizens and organizations within a broader framework that centers on the patriotic education system for children and youth. The plan envisions channeling these resources through regional branches of the movement. [Source: Budget documentation 2024]
Other notable line items include 1.32 billion rubles for the “Great Change” competition and 270 million rubles for “Yunarmia.” Subsidies will be provided to enterprises, individual entrepreneurs, and individuals to finance activities that educate, develop, and empower young people, as well as to organize their leisure, with a total of 2 billion rubles. [Source: Budget documentation 2024]
According to the published budget notes, the funds for patriotic education also cover the consulting work required by school principals on educational strategies and interactions with children’s public associations, with almost 20 billion rubles allocated for these tasks. Additionally, schools will receive state symbols of Russia (873.8 million rubles), support for traveling educational exhibitions titled “Russia is My History” (400 million rubles), subsidies to the Foundation for the History of the Fatherland (251.1 million rubles), and related programs. [Source: Budget documentation 2024]
There has been reporting suggesting that patriotic education could extend to early childhood education in Russian kindergartens. This broader discussion is part of ongoing budget considerations. [Source: Budget documentation 2024]
Earlier in the draft budget, social and economic expenditures were scaled back in certain areas. The current plan highlights a sustained emphasis on activities designed to cultivate civic awareness and national memory, with a focus on statewide mechanisms to support students, educators, and youth organizations. [Source: Budget documentation 2024]