For more than half a century, the Tolstoy Foundation has been committed to the vision of its principal founder Alexandra Tolstoy, whose empathy for the plight of the peoples of her homeland and her abhorrence of all forms of oppression and human suffering remains at the heart of the Foundation's charitable activities today.

Committed to the respect of human dignity, freedom of choice and building self-reliance through education and practical training, the Tolstoy Foundation continues to give assistance and relief to the distressed, to the children, to the aged, to the sick and to the forgotten at home and abroad. The Tolstoy Foundation Center in Valley Cottage, New York, is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of its elderly population, providing a home and congenial surroundings to its residents and caring for their physical, spiritual and intellectual needs. Unique in its programs of combined humanitarian and cultural concerns, the Foundation also preserves the cultural traditions, the heritage and the resources of the Russian diaspora.

The foundation has come full circle from its history of assisting new immigrants in their assimilation process, to helping the peoples of Russia and the former Soviet Union acquire the knowledge and the skills necessary to achieve self reliance in their own homeland.