Being a representative of the state, the Foundation provides targeted diversified support to leading groups of scientists regardless of the organisation they represent. Support of initiative scientific research in all the principal directions of fundamental science is carried out strictly on a competition basis after a comprehensive evaluation.
Decisions on whether to support or to decline projects by RFBR are taken by the scientific community itself  represented by the most authoritative and actively working scientists – members of the Foundation expert panels. This is a completely new organisational form for Russian science, which has opened to scientists broader possibilities for creative self-expression and allowed them to choose the subjects of research on their own, create research groups and concentrate funds in the most promising research directions.
The Foundation carries out its activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal laws, decrees and directives of the President of the Russian Federation, decrees and directives of the Government of the Russian Federation, and its charter.
In its chartered activities RFBR relies on the following principles:
- openness — announcements of competitions and their results, the Foundation's decisions on financing projects and events, and also other materials are published in paper editions and online;
- targeted financing of groups of scientists (and not organisations as a whole), which perform projects approved by the Foundation experts;
- giving the scientists freedom of choice of subjects in all fields of natural sciences and humanities, of methods of conducting fundamental research, and of creating research groups.
From 1992 to 2009 RFBR has conducted eighteen cycles of the main competition for initiative projects in all fields of natural sciences and humanities. Scientists from more than 4000 Russian organisations cooperated with RFBR during this period.
Currently RFBR holds 17 kinds of competitions and competition programs for supporting scientists, including international ones (with 26 countries in 2009) and regional ones – with 46 subjects of all federal districts.
By 2009 about 205 thou. applications have been considered for all kinds of competitions, including more than 104 thou. initiative ones; about 79 thou. projects have been supported, including over 38 thou. Initiative ones.
Over 260 thou. people have participated in application submitted to the Foundation, and about 200 thou. performers participated in projects approved by RFBR in all competitions.
RFBR provides equal opportunities to every researcher, regardless of his or her title, organisation, age, and region, to participate in the Foundation competition and in case of success to receive financial support for his or her projects.
The Foundation sees its mission in developing the powerful intellectual potential of our country, which is becoming a key element in the development of Russia.