Gazprom Neft has announced the winners of the 2026 grant competition, which is held annually under the Hometowns social investment program. The company will support 112 social projects in the fields of culture, sports, education and ecology. They were selected by experts in the field of social design, creative industries, NGOs and representatives of regional authorities.
The main criterion for granting a grant is the benefits of the project for society and a specific territory. In total, more than 700 applications were submitted for the grant competition this year from residents of Omsk, Orenburg, Tomsk, Tyumen regions, Yamal and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug.
Gazprom Neft provides financial and expert support to the winning projects under the Hometowns social investment program. The company also trains the contestants in social design.
"Through a grant competition, we have formed a project support system for active residents, which is one of the elements of improving the quality of life in the region. Together with their authors, we have already implemented hundreds of projects in culture, education, sports, the preservation of historical heritage and the development of the urban environment. At the heart of each initiative is not only an idea, but also a willingness to take a personal part in improving the lives around you. And Gazprom Neft is an interested partner in such changes."
Alexander Dybal, Head of Corporate Communications and Regional Development Department, Gazprom Neft
Traditionally, most grants in 2026 will be allocated to cultural projects. In Yamal, all attention is paid to the preservation of the spiritual and traditional heritage of the indigenous peoples of the North. For example, in the Purovsky district, the Arctic Design workshop will teach girls how to create clothes in an ethnic style. The participants will come up with their own "northern outfit" from the sketch to the completed image. Omsk will bring children's educational and sports initiatives to life, and in a separate competitive area, the Orenburg Region Code, they will continue to reveal the uniqueness of the region. Projects to promote the history and culture of the native land will be implemented in Khanty-Mansiysk and the Tomsk region. A vivid example is the "Tara Tour". The project will help teenagers aged 10-14 to feel like a part of their small homeland.
"For more than 10 years I have been participating in the grant competition of Gazprom Neft's Hometowns program. I have repeatedly won it. As the author and head of local cultural and educational projects, I see this competition as a great opportunity for our team. This gives an impulse to bring local history work with a teenage audience to a new level and to be involved in the formation of a local identity among young people."
Svetlana Remdenok, Head of the Tara Tour Project
Another winner of this year's grant competition is "Young Researchers: First Steps into Science" from the Orenburg region. A modern biological laboratory will be built in the secondary school of the village of Perevolotsky, where high school students will be able to study. The project is aimed at developing the creative abilities of children.
"We want to give our students the opportunity to plunge into the scientific world not theoretically, but practically. Let's show the potential of modern science for everyday life. We will create a permanent laboratory of leaf and soil diagnostics in our school, equipped with modern equipment. High school students will try their hand at agribusiness and will feel the interest of agricultural enterprises in new personnel. This is not the first time we have participated in the Gazprom Neft grant competition. Our successful projects are the "Russian Lapta Center" and "Technological elevator – from a school workshop to a factory workshop." It is this experience of reliable and fruitful cooperation with the company that gives us confidence in successful work in the future."
Vyacheslav Gnezdilov, head of the project "Young Researchers: first steps into science"
