Endowment Funds in Educational Institutions of the Russian Empire in the Second Half of the 19th Century

The article examines practices in the formation of endowment capital for the establishment of charitable scholarships in educational institutions of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19 th -early 20 th century.Named scholarships were understood as charitable funds allocated to pay for tuition and full maintenance of the student during his studies.In 1876 Russian legislation established the rules mandatory for the establishment of charitable scholarships at the expense of interest on endowment capital invested in government securities.Then, along with the collegial body of an educational institution where it was planned to establish a scholarship, a draft regulation on a charitable scholarship was developed, which the Emperor approved.Donations in the form of endowments were aimed at promoting public education and enlightenment, providing the opportunity for as many people as possible to study in educational institutions at charitable expense.Several conventional groups of charitable scholarships were identified: scholarships established in memory of significant events and people were practices of commemoration; scholarships established in honor of the Emperor and members of the Imperial family demonstrated loyalty; personalized scholarships bearing the name of the donor were a continuation of the tradition of "eternal remembrance" in the church; scholarships established with funds gathered collectively by employees of a government department or public organization to provide social assistance to the families of members of this professional social community and the training of qualified personnel for it.