Financing of Activities of the Imperial Women’s Patriotic Society (To the Background of the Issue)

The article presents examples of charitable activities in the field of education and upbringing based on the records of the Imperial Women's Patriotic Society.For the first time, an attempt is made to analyze the development of the Society's financing system in the 19th century.In particular, the schemes for the formation of certain schools' capital and the general capital of the Society are studied.The reasons for the changes in approaching the system of financing (rising prices, the expanding scale of activities, insufficient private donations) are identified.The plan of capitals' centralization is studied as well as mechanisms of transferring parts of school capitals to the Board of the Society and creating inviolable deposits in order to create a stable long-term financial basis for activities.The article analyzes the capabilities of the Society within the framework of the Russian Empire's legislation on charity.These facts show the dynamism and effectiveness of charitable institutions in pre-revolutionary Russia, their willingness to respond promptly to changing socio-economic conditions, their ability to mitigate the negative effects of social inequality and meet the growing needs of population.The results obtained in the course of this research can be used in comprehensive studies of charity in Russia and practices of forming inviolable capital (deposits), as well as to develop and implement modern charity projects and elaborate a rational strategy for interaction between the state and society in the implementation of social policy.