Russia: regional CSO ratings
Regional CSO ratings: An objective overview of the development of the CSO sector in a special report prepared by the Russian Federation’s Civic Chamber
26.11.2025
Article published on the dobro.press.ru website
Since 2020, the RAEX ratings’ agency, in collaboration with Russia’s Civic Chamber, has been compiling an annual regional rating known as Region-CSO. Over the past six years, it has become an important tool for regional transformation as the results of the exercise not only provide an objective picture of the growth of the non-profit sector and identify key challenges faced by CSOs in the regions, but also to initiate the process of change.
Experts say that the Region-CSO rankings really drive systemic change, with many regions actively working on improving their ratings and strengthening engagement between Government and the non-profit sector. The data not only highlight achievements and shortcomings, but also help in setting benchmarks for the further development of CSOs.
The start of the journey
The idea of ranking regions according to the development of non-profit organisations was first proposed at the 2019 Community Forum by Sergey Kirienko, Deputy Head of Russia’s Presidential Administration, said Elena Topoleva-Soldunova, Chair of the Civic Chamber’s Commission on the Development of the Non-Profit Sector. The initiative was implemented jointly with the RAEX ratings agency, with the first Region-CSO rankings presented at the Forum just one year later.
“It was a challenging task because it’s always difficult when you’re starting something from scratch. We were, of course, greatly assisted by the knowledge, developments and tools derived from similar RAEX ratings. Furthermore, we held many discussions with experts from the non-profit sector which continue to this day, as the rating methodology has been continually evolving over the years. There is certainly an enormous difference, comparing what we had at the beginning to what we have now,, although some basic things have remained constant which allows us to accurately assess the dynamics of regional development in terms of growth and improvement in the non-profit sector”, said Topoleva-Soldunova.
Competition as a stimulus for further development
The top rating immediately caught the regions’ attention because it’s a competition, said Topoleva-Soldunova. According to her, many regions worry a lot about their position in the ratings as would be the case in any contest.
“Since the top ranking was introduced a number of regions have asked for our help in assessing and improving their performance. We publish a printed booklet based on their ratings which is sent to the regions so that the Government and civic chambers can review the results. We also produce detailed reports on all assessment indicators for each region which they can receive on request. Regions that want to develop can use the data to determine how best to move forward”, said a member of the Civic Chamber.
To date, around a third of all regions have taken part in meetings with resource centres, regional and municipal authorities, regional CSOs and occasionally the media, businesses and universities.
“These discussions often result in the creation of a roadmap – a planning document for achieving the desired results for regions in terms of non-profit sector development”, said Topoleva-Soldunova.
Ratings – the path to systemic change
Since 2020 when the third sector ratings were first introduced there have been many positive changes in the growth of the non-profit sector in the regions, said Topoleva-Soldunova.
“Many regions have improved their performance but what is perhaps most striking is that disparities between the regions have narrowed. When we first started compiling these ratings, differences in terms of the development and support for the non-profit sector in various regions were, frankly, enormous. They are still there, of course, but are no longer as significant as they were at the very beginning”, said Elena Andreevna.
One of the major changes she’s noticed has been an increase in the number of donations that CSOs raise from individuals and legal entities, as well as a rise in the amount of reimbursement these bodies receive from the State budget for providing social services, indicating that more and more organisations are becoming involved in this area.
Eight indicators for CSO success
According to Dmitry Grishankov, CEO of RAEX-Analytics, when work first began on the Region-CSO ratings’ methodology, there were very few indicators that characterised the non-profit sector, nor was there any clear understanding of what exactly needed to be measured. At first, experts suggested assessing CSOs based on the funds they raise in the form of grants or other revenue, but they soon realised that this was not enough as it was also important to consider, not only the size of CSOs but also the quality of their work, activities etc.
“Gradually over several months we compiled enough indicators that could characterise the non-profit sector in the regions, and then somehow incorporated them into a mathematical model that would be understandable, not only to us, the ratings’ specialists, but also to people on the ground, particularly the CSOs themselves. So we came up with eight indicators, each of which represents a clear and important feature of the region for the non-profit sector”, said Grishankov.
Economic importance
CSOs
According to the expert, this indicator includes the number of CSOs in the region and the state of their finances. “Although the non-profit sector is called non-profit, a lot depends on how much money it has for its work. Not everything, but it is still a very important factor”.
Sustainability of CSOs
The second indicator considers how long CSOs have had a presence in the regions, how often they close and new ones open, together with their sustainability in terms of finances and assets.
CSO activities
This indicator demonstrates how actively CSOs in the regions take part in grant competitions, mainly Government ones, but also those held by non-profit organisations and businesses.
“Every grant competition and the ones organised by the business sector is first and foremost a peer review. The fact that CSOs from a particular region receive funding indicates that they have undergone a very rigorous assessment during which experts look at informal aspects of their activities”, says Dmitry Grishankov.
CSO support from regional authorities
According to the expert, developing the non-profit sector is very difficult without financial and material support.
“Here we can see quite clearly that the non-profit sector develops more dynamically when it’s supported by regional authorities. On the other hand, there is also a reverse correlation: when the non-profit sector develops quickly, the Government takes notice and begins to support it”, he explains.
Comprehensive CSO support measures
The fifth indicator considers all the support received by the sector from the Government, municipalities and businesses. As well as financial support, this may include help for events, consultations and tax measures.
“These are usually targeted support measures and here we look at the level of complexity. For example, some organisations provide healthcare, while others are involved in science and culture. We make sure that the whole spectrum is covered so that no-one is left without help”, notes Grishankov.
Media support
According to the expert, it’s a big mistake to think that the non-profit sector doesn’t need media coverage. “The more important and useful CSOs are to the general public, the more attention they will receive from journalists”.
Social relevance
Grishankov points out that the non-profit sector is there to help people. Here, experts look at the level of CSO participation in social programmes, particularly in healthcare, and the role of volunteers in their activities.
Summary
In addition to the information collected by RAEX specialists from more than twenty sources, the eighth indicator takes the opinion of experts into account. Every year, RAEX specialists interview more than 4,000 experts who evaluate the performance of the non-profit sector in their regions and analyse their feedback across all areas of the non-profit sector’s activity.
“It is very interesting to see that the numbers are positive but the public doesn’t see it that way. This is a wake-up call, which is taken into account in our methodology”, notes Grishankov.
The sky’s the limit
RAEX experts are constantly refining its methodology in order to ensure that the rating is objective and representative. Every year, they have discussions with dozens of regions, consult at regional sessions of the Public Chamber’s “Community Forum” and other events, and analyse how certain indicators are perceived in the regions.
“Our indicators are not a piece of academic work. Most regions use them to prepare roadmaps for regional development. This means that we receive feedback from the regions and look at what the non-profit sector lacks in terms of growth, and see how the regions, supported by our indicators, are developing. The findings are used in our work to continually refine our methodology”.
“I’d also like to stress that these changes are evolving every year. This no longer involves a basic overhaul of the methodology, but more a fine-tuning process. We can now compare the results of previous years and see the sector’s development and successes in different regions. The ranking isn’t about saying who is good or bad, but about highlighting bottlenecks, as well as identifying examples of best practice”, Grishankov concluded.
Regional rankings of the third sector Region-CSO for 2020-2025 can be found on the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation website.
