May this festive season bring a gentle pause to appreciate the moments, milestones, and people who shaped this year.
Let the new year 2026 inspire you to explore, discover, and create ideas that bring joy and fulfilment in the months ahead.
As one year draws to a close and another begins, we pause to appreciate the journey behind us and look ahead with hope to what lies before us. We reflect with deep gratitude on the people, ideas, and dedication that have brought us this far, as we mark the 15th year of our foundation’s work.
Our greeting this year is designed as a symbolic home — a place where stories meet and shared achievements come together across all of our foundation’s fields: education, arts and culture, animal welfare, community projects, and social support. We invite you to take a look at our shared work and discover a moment captured in time, reminding us of the positive change we create together.
We hope that these works will serve as a reminder of the power of collaboration, offering inspiration and strengthening our shared belief that together we can make the world a better place.
Photo: Lauma Ķeire, Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia
Since 2013, the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation has invested 1.545 million euros in the development of the Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia. Significant work has been carried out to improve the site’s infrastructure so that the garden becomes an attractive place for the general public to relax, satisfy their curiosity, spend leisure time, and engage in research and education, as well as enjoy exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events.
With the foundation’s support, various plantings have been restored, equipment has been purchased, infrastructure improved, and public space enhanced. In 2022, on the 100th anniversary of the Botanical Garden, the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation presented it with a special gift - a plant collection automatic irrigation system, which now ensures efficient maintenance and preservation of the diverse plant resources throughout the garden. For this large-scale irrigation system, installed across 14 hectares, 2.2 kilometers of pipes were used; a capillary irrigation system and sprinkler system were installed, along with the construction of a main water supply network and irrigation connections. The foundation’s support for the Botanical Garden continues.
Latvian Radio 1 continues to broadcast the program “Radio’s Little Reading Room”, introducing listeners to the newest books in Latvian bookstores and stories about writers and their works. The program features readings and commentary on the most current and interesting literary works. Actor Gundars Āboliņš reads aloud for the audience. Before each reading, listeners hear a conversation with journalist Ingvilda Strautmane about the work with its author, translator, or publisher. The program is created with the foundation’s support, and recordings are available both on air and online.
For long-standing and selfless work in strengthening reading traditions and enriching Latvia’s cultural space, the program’s hosts received the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation’s highest award - the Badge of Honour.
One of the foundation’s long-term partners is Ziedot.lv. The foundation has supported Ziedot.lv initiatives since its earliest days, providing regular assistance to Ziedot.lv and the Children’s Rehabilitation Center POGA, as well as donating to specific projects. This work continues and takes shape in new initiatives.
The leader of Ziedot.lv Rūta Dimanta received the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation’s Badge of Honour with the first serial number.
The foundation’s support for the Rehabilitation Center POGA and its special Mollii suit and therapy program allows an increasing number of children to receive Mollii rehabilitation at home. This therapy reduces muscle spasticity, helps restore movement control, and delays muscle atrophy. It is intended for patients with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, post-stroke conditions, spinal or brain injuries, and other neurological movement disorders. The foundation supports the purchase of Mollii therapeutic suits, consultations, and rehabilitation courses.
The Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation supports the creation of significant new productions at the Valmiera Theatre. So far, eleven productions have been staged with the foundation’s assistance, all receiving recognition from audiences and critics.
In the 2023/2024 season, the theatre presented “Joseph and His Brothers” (directed by Inese Mičule), “The Prodigal Son” (directed by Reinis Suhanovs), “The Widow’s Son” (directed by Viesturs Roziņš), and “The Boys of Valmiera” (directed by Jānis Znotiņš).
In the 2024/2025 season, five new productions were created: William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” (director Inese Mičule), Gunārs Priede’s play “Blue” (director Māra Ķimele), Anna Brigadere’s fairy tale “Sprīdītis” (director Reinis Suhanovs), another work by Priede - “The Thirteenth”, staged under the title “Four White Shirts” (director Jānis Znotiņš), and an adaptation of Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain” (director Toms Treinis).
The 2025/2026 repertoire already includes Rūdolfs Blaumanis’s “Evil Spirits” (director Inese Mičule) and Euripides’ “Medea” (director Reinis Suhanovs). Two more productions are underway - Ance Muižniece’s “I Can Only Love…” (based on Inga Pērkone’s book on Latvian cinema, director Jānis Znotiņš) and Rūdolfs Blaumanis’s “Skroderdienas Silmačos” (director Elmārs Seņkovs).
Fragment of the tactile Freedom Monument. Photo: Diana Bogdanova
On 18 November 2021, with philanthropist Ināra Tetereva’s support, the three golden stars of the Freedom Monument were illuminated. Her donation enabled the purchase of special lighting fixtures that lift the golden stars into radiance even during the dark hours of the day. The three stars held aloft by the figure of Liberty - a young woman - symbolize Latvia’s historical regions: Kurzeme, Vidzeme, and Latgale.
A year later, the tactile model of the Freedom Monument, also created with the foundation’s support, was unveiled. Sculptors Kārlis Alainis and Ivars Miķelsons created the model so that blind and visually impaired people could learn about one of Latvia’s key national symbols through touch. This contribution continued the foundation’s support for initiatives connected to Latvia’s symbols of freedom and independence.
For several years, the National Library of Latvia and the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation collaborated to enrich the library’s collection with high-quality books, catalogues, and films about art. The collection emphasizes the role of outstanding personalities in art history and contemporary art - from the Renaissance to the 21st century, including resources on how contemporary artists creatively engage with the old masters. As a result, the collection has been supplemented with 570 high-quality art publications and 235 documentary films about art.
Within this cooperation, seven unique publications have also reached readers in public libraries across Latvia’s regions and towns. Their authors include well-known figures - Ojārs Spārītis, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Imants Freibergs, Aija Odiņa, Ojārs Pētersons, Aivars Vilipsōns, Dita Rietuma, and Normunds Naumanis.
In the Teātris.zip studio. Photo: Ieva Leiniša, LETA
The program and performance series Teātris.zip continues recording and broadcasting Latvian theatre productions. Since 2012, with the foundation’s support, a wide variety of outstanding and significant performances have been preserved. The recordings feature the best and most popular productions from Riga and regional theatres. On television and online, viewers have already had the opportunity to watch 300 productions. More than 8,600,000 viewers have watched them to date.
The foundation’s contribution to preserving and developing Latvia’s theatre culture is also expressed through long-term support for the annual Latvian theatre awards “Spēlmaņu nakts” (“Players’ night”) - the only nationwide event evaluating the theatre season across state, municipal, and independent theatres. The ceremony is organized by the Latvian Theatre Workers’ Union together with the Ministry of Culture and the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation.
Soup kitchens were one of the foundation’s first social assistance projects, introduced at the very beginning of its work. Since 2010, the foundation has supported charitable kitchens through various programs, providing hot meals to thousands of people in need every week. Special additional support is given to children, seniors, and people with special needs, as well as for equipping and furnishing the kitchens.
From 2021 to 2024, the foundation’s program “A Piece of Bread – Support for Charity Kitchens” enabled 15 charity kitchens in 11 cities to purchase new equipment and appliances. These long-term improvements now help them operate more efficiently and economically, ensuring regular hot meals for those in need in Riga, Bauska, Iecava, Vangaži, Varakļāni, Daugavpils, Valmiera, Jelgava, Smiltene, Liepāja, and Saldus. The foundation has supported equipment, inventory, furniture purchases, repairs, and covering energy bills during the cold months.
The foundation continues implementing the program for active and enterprising people “Do It Yourself For Your FAMILY TABLE”. Within this program, non-profit organizations help families in hardship to carry out agricultural work to provide food for their own households. Families receive seeds, seedlings, tools, fertilizers, and gardening advice to grow the best possible harvest.
Since 2017, 171 gardening projects have been supported, involving 5,521 households with a total of 20,840 residents. Total funding allocated so far amounts to 326,415 euros.
Photo: from the foundation’s archive
Over the years, the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation has co-financed community and social projects, for example, in Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, and Peru. In 2014-2015, it supported a two-year collaboration project with the Global Fairness Initiative, implementing a program in the Central American Maya community in the Sololá region of Guatemala.
During the project, more than 200 Guatemalan farmers took part in training on crop cultivation and diversification, fruit and vegetable processing for value-added products, and women’s self-help groups were established. Alongside daily work, several product exhibitions, fairs, and experience-sharing events for small farm development were held. Seminars addressed market access, labor rights, export promotion, women’s rights, leadership, and financial management.
Through long-term cooperation, the foundation supports the animal shelters “Labās mājas” ("The Good Home") and “Dzīvnieku Draugs” ("The Animals' Friend"). Since 2011, thousands of animals have been cared for with the foundation’s co-funding. Preventive and emergency veterinary care, surgeries, and care for animals suffering from human cruelty have been provided, as well as repairs to the facilities. Support has also been given to saving mountain gorillas in Africa and caring for elephants in Thailand.
The foundation’s care for animals also extends to the radio and TV program "Ķepa uz sirds" (“A Paw on the Heart”). It airs on Latvian Radio 2 on Sundays, with recordings available online. The TV version has been beloved by viewers since 15 January 2011, when its first animal welfare program for the whole family was broadcast with the foundation’s support.
In 2025, “A Paw on the Heart” celebrated its fifteenth anniversary since Latvian Television began producing the show with the foundation’s support. Over 15 years, 1,000 episodes have been created: 700 for television and 300 for radio. Viewers and listeners can watch and listen to the programs on the Latvian Television and Latvian Radio 2 websites.
For selfless work in public education and fostering responsible attitudes toward pets, the program’s team and its creator, Inese Kreicberga, received the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation’s Badge of Honour.
Photo: from the foundation’s archive
Over the years, support has also been provided to international animal protection projects - saving mountain gorillas in Africa and caring for elephants in Thailand.
To prevent elephants from being used for begging, the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation takes care of elephants whose owners (mahouts) cannot afford to keep them. The foundation also shelters elephants from illegal operations - logging camps, elephant shows, etc. In the foundation’s camp, elephants are rescued from poverty, life on the streets, and disease; significant support is provided to elephant veterinary care in several camps.
The Art Museum RIGA BOURSE and the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation have successfully carried out numerous exhibition projects, including “Magnetism of Provence” (2015), “PRADO 12 Characters” (2017), the first Latvian collaboration with the Uffizi Gallery - the exhibition “Self-Reflection: Tintoretto, Omar Galliani, Lorenzo Puglisi” (2021), and “Palazzo Madama. Arts and Crafts in Italy, 6th - 19th Century” (2025).
From 6 December 2024 to 2 March 2025, the exhibition “Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany with the PRADO” was also held at the museum with the foundation’s support. It featured a 16th-century masterpiece - a portable triptych “The Holy Family with a Musician Angel, Saints Catherine and Barbara” (shown in the photo) - from the PRADO National Museum in Madrid. The altarpiece is an outstanding example of late Renaissance art; its three parts had dispersed across the world over the centuries and were only recently reunited and restored, regaining their original splendour and iconographic unity.
In 2025 - from 22 May to 24 August - the Art Museum RIGA BOURSE presented the major Latvian-Italian cultural cooperation project: the exhibition “Palazzo Madama. Arts and Crafts in Italy, 6th - 19th Century”, created with the foundation’s support, featuring works from the Palazzo Madama Museum in Turin.
The exhibition included more than one hundred decorative and applied art masterpieces created between the 6th and 19th centuries - exceptional examples from workshops and manufactories across Italy, offering an extensive insight into the craftsmanship and genius of Italian artisans.
Tableware set in the duke’s work cabinet. Photo: Gunārs Janaitis
The completion of the Rundāle Palace restoration was the foundation’s first grant agreement. With restoration finished, numerous rooms renewed and furnished with the foundation’s support: the Billiard Hall, the duke’s library, two of the duke’s work cabinets and the dressing room, the duchess’s boudoir, the duchess’s toilette and bedroom, the Great Gallery, and the west staircase. These are permanently on view at the Rundāle Palace Museum. The interiors have been enriched with items such as a replica of the largest billiard table in Europe and a refined tableware set for the duke’s work cabinet. Rundāle Palace remains among the most visited museums in Latvia.
Continuing to support the museum’s work, the foundation has also contributed to creating a monograph series on Rundāle Palace and its restoration. The author is Imants Lancmanis, the museum’s longtime director (1976-2018).
Photo: Rīga Stradiņš University
Since the foundation’s establishment, support has been provided to Rīga Stradiņš University to assist the most talented future medical professionals and improve study quality. Currently, 20 medical students are receiving scholarships. Altogether, 61 undergraduate medical students have been awarded the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation Scholarship in Medicine. Of them, 41 have already graduated, strengthening Latvia’s community of young physicians.
From 2014 to the end of 2025, RSU teaching staff who received philanthropist Boris Teterev’s targeted scholarships have modernized 200 study courses. These scholarships are awarded competitively for implementing innovative teaching methods in both health care and social sciences.
To honour the philanthropist and longtime RSU supporter, alumnus, and honorary doctor, Boris Teterev, the university’s most modern lecture hall was named after him and opened in October 2021 at the RSU Medical Education Technology Centre (shown in the photo).
Twenty students of the Latvian Academy of Arts have received scholarships in the arts from philanthropist Ināra Tetereva. Already during their studies, these students demonstrated excellence through outstanding grades, creative work, volunteerism, selflessness, diligence, and determination. Today, graduates and former scholarship recipients regularly present their work to art lovers.
Within the cooperation with the Latvian Academy of Arts, support has also been given to the Academy’s Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements in Latvian visual art, design, and art history, fostering artistic development and encouraging new ideas and projects. The first award was presented in 2011 to painter Džemma Skulme, art historian Laima Slava, and painter Jānis Avotiņš.
Photo: from the foundation’s archive
The Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation has helped strengthen community philanthropy in Latvia, supporting the work of existing community foundations and helping establish new ones in the regions. Most often supported are educational projects, cultural events, public-space improvements, health and social welfare initiatives, sports activities, youth projects, and efforts to promote local identity.
Charity ball races - lotteries in which numbered balls roll down a track - have become beloved and fun events. Community foundations supported by the Teterev Foundation use them to raise funds for local charitable projects. Each summer, these events attract several thousand euros in donations and foster community spirit.
For several years and on national holidays, festive packages have reached thousands of seniors across Latvia’s regions. They contained greetings and special food items that seniors often cannot afford. These packages were prepared and delivered by community foundation staff and volunteers. At least once per season, the foundations also organized special events and opportunities for seniors to enjoy cultural programs.
Livonian Festival in Mazirbe. Photo: Aivars Liepiņš
To preserve and continue the unique culture and traditions of the Liiv (Livonian) people, the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation has supported the “Liiv (Livonian) Association LĪVOD ĪT” since 2014. With the foundation’s support, activities have been strengthened in Riga and in regional branches in Kolka, Mazirbe, and Ventspils. The Livonian Yearbook has been prepared; children’s summer school “Mierlinkizt” and Finno-Ugric Days in Cēsis, Riga, and Ventspils have been organized, along with other events. The foundation has also supported the restoration of the Livonian Community House, providing funding for improvements and refurbishment. Support was given for the celebrations of the Liiv (Livonian) Association’s centenary (2023), Midsummer festivities in Mazirbe, traditional Livonian festivals, flag celebrations, and other activities.
For her selfless contribution to Liiv (Livonian) community life and dedicated work preserving cultural heritage for future generations, longtime chairwoman of the “Liiv (Livonian) Association LĪVOD ĪT” Ieva Ernštreite, received the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation’s Badge of Honour.
As part of its support for the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, the foundation helped restore and inaugurate a newly constructed three-manual Romantic-style organ in 2014. This was the first completely new organ built in Latvia in the post-war period, created specifically for Latvia’s needs by the Ugāle Organ Building Workshop. The project is a rare and significant event in Latvian cultural history.
Photo: from the foundation’s archive
Within the program “Come and Do! You Can!”, the foundation provided financial support to active non-profit organizations in towns and rural areas that enrich the lives of local residents and offer help during difficult times. From 2013 to 2016, 160 projects were supported across 79 municipalities, benefiting at least 108,350 residents. The projects ranged widely - from Nordic walking to improving public spaces, from animal-related activities to cultural events, from seniors to new mothers.
At the contemporary art exhibition “Light at the End of the Cable.” Photo: Ieva Makare, LETA
Over the years, numerous cultural events have been implemented within the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation’s art program “Tête-à-Tête”. First held in 2013, it attracted 75,000 visitors. By 2015, the program reached more than 200,000 people in Latvia, and its international broadcasts through the European Broadcasting Union reached several million art lovers.