While initially established with its headquarters in Moscow, the organization attracted negative attention from the Russian government and relocated to Washington, D.C. in 2015.

USRF is the legacy organization of the U.S. Russia Investment Fund (TUSRIF), which was established by the United States government in 1995 pursuant to the Support for East European Democracy Act (SEED) of 1989.

TUSRIF and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company owned 51% of the Imperial Porcelain Factory until 1999 when it was nationalized by the Government of Russia.

By 2005, TUSRIF had invested $300 million in 44 Russian companies, including the aforementioned DeltaBank and DeltaCredit as well as two television networks.

By 2012, the Obama administration asked Congress to allocate only $50 million to support human rights non-profit organizations in Russia.

[6][7] Indeed, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Russia, chaired by Yury Chaika, suggested it posed "a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation and the state's security.