On October 21, 2009, the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU), an independent non-profit organization of secondary professional education was established. The university was founded by the Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation, the Russian Olympic Committee and the Interros Group.

Interros invested $500 million in the construction of the RIOU.

The core of RIOU’s curriculum and activities are aimed at training qualified personnel in the field of sports management for the Russian and the world’s sports industry, the Olympic and Paralympic movement.

The RIOU is the main custodian of the 2014 Games Archive and ensures the preservation of the archives and heritage of the Sochi Olympics by creating the necessary framework for conducting research in the field of the Olympic movement and sports.

The Russian International Olympic University is a landmark project – a symbol of the Olympic heritage. Its graduates are in demand in the Russian and world’s Olympic and Paralympic movements, state and municipal governments, sports federations and clubs, sports media, companies in production of sports goods, and in sports marketing.

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In February 2013, Vladimir Potanin became the first Russian entrepreneur to join Bill Gates and Warren Buffett's Giving Pledge, an international philanthropic initiative.

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The Potanin Foundation is one of the first charitable foundations in Russia. Created in 1999 by entrepreneur Vladimir Potanin to implement large-scale humanitarian programs, it grew to have seven of them. In 2022, the Fund's endowment was formed, the income from which is used to develop and support grant programs in culture, higher education, social sports and charity throughout Russia.

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In 2011, Vladimir Potanin made a donation to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (USA) to honor its 40th birthday. These funds were used to expand the Russian presence in the Center's programs, as well as to create the Russian Lounge. The aim of the project was to present the image of modern Russia, devoid of traditional historical and cultural stereotypes. As a result of the joint activities of the Potanin Charitable Foundation and the Kennedy Center, with the support of the Russian Embassy in the United States, the largest living room at the Kennedy Center was reconstructed, and opened its doors in May 2014.