The winner of the fifth Mecenat Prize received lifetime payments from Freedom Holding

The company supported writer Yesbolat Aidabosyn with monthly payments of $500. Freedom Holding Corp. systematically contributes to the development of culture, education, and sports in Kazakhstan, while also investing billions into projects aimed at strengthening the country’s human capital.

On May 12, the winner of the fifth season of the annual Mecenat.kz literary prize was announced at the National Academic Library. The award went to journalist Yesbolat Aidabosyn from Taldykorgan for his novel “Bukir.” The author explores themes of human dignity, social inequality, honor, and spiritual rebirth.

Mecenat.kz is an independent annual literary award created to support contemporary Kazakh prose. The project promotes fiction literature and helps bring Kazakh authors to the international book market.

“Freedom has supported the Mecenat.kz prize for five seasons already. We see that interest in Kazakh classical literature and contemporary authors remains strong, especially among young people, and we believe our contribution will help develop modern Kazakh literature and preserve this heritage for future generations,” said Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding and patron of the award.

Freedom Holding Corp. and Literature

Timur Turlov has financed the Mecenat.kz prize since 2022. According to the entrepreneur, this support is part of the holding’s long-term strategy for developing human capital.

“Investing in creativity means investing in the future. A strong society begins with strong ideas, and literature remains a space where meanings and values are formed,” Turlov stated.

Freedom introduced a unique award model: instead of a one-time payment, the winner receives a lifelong monthly annuity of $500 through an annuity insurance product. In addition, according to the organizers, all winning works are translated, published, and promoted abroad. Some books have already been published, while several projects are currently in talks for screen adaptations.

Support for Kazakh Sports

Support for literature is only one of the charitable направленияs developed by Freedom Holding. By the end of 2024, the company had allocated more than 41 billion tenge to charitable and social initiatives. In the second half of 2025 alone, over 18 billion tenge was directed toward these purposes.

Significant attention is also paid to sports development. Since 2023, Timur Turlov has headed the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. Over the past several years, he has invested billions of tenge into grants for champions, support programs for young talents, and prize funds. For example, the prize fund of the 2025 Kazakhstan Cup final amounted to 49.5 million tenge.

Another major initiative is the youth football league Freedom QJ League. It unites more than 50 teams from all regions of the country and creates a development system for young players and coaches. The league’s three-year budget amounted to approximately 8 billion tenge. In 2025, the holding acquired the FC Shakhter Karagandy football club. The company announced plans to build a football academy and develop grassroots football in the region, allocating an additional 18.5 billion tenge for these goals.

Environmental and Social Projects

Among Freedom Holding’s other major initiatives is the restoration of the Aral Sea ecosystem, for which the company allocated more than $2 million. Freedom financed the planting of black saxaul trees on the dried seabed in the Kyzylorda region.

In 2023, Turlov invested 2.1 billion tenge into the construction of water infrastructure in Aktau, providing drinking water to more than 200,000 residents. In doing so, he supported the national project “Strong Regions – Driver of the Country’s Development,” aimed at ensuring equal access to basic services and improving living standards across Kazakhstan.

Development of Education

In spring 2025, with Freedom’s support, an artificial intelligence center for young specialists opened at SDU University. The project is expected to attract future leaders in AI, fintech, and digital technologies. The holding allocated approximately 1.8 billion tenge for the construction and equipment of the center.

That same year, Freedom Holding signed an agreement with OpenAI to provide 165,000 Kazakh teachers with access to ChatGPT Edu – an advanced educational version of the service supporting both Kazakh and Russian languages. The holding fully financed the initiative, making Kazakhstan one of the first countries in the world to introduce AI into the national education system at the state level.

Freedom Shapagat Foundation

To coordinate such a large number of social projects, the holding established the Freedom Shapagat Foundation corporate foundation. It currently oversees more than 60 social and environmental initiatives.

The foundation’s main mission is to support and scale ESG projects. In February 2023, Freedom Holding Corp. joined the United Nations Global Compact, and in November 2024, the Freedom Shapagat Foundation also became a participant. The foundation committed to aligning its strategy with the UN’s 10 key principles in the areas of human rights, labor relations, environmental protection, and anti-corruption.