14484678_10153992649111172_1768885661333

Pleased To Meet You

Roma, Europe, and the Mission of Open Society

For more than 30 years, the Open Society Foundations and their partners have focused on improving Roma’s access to education and promoting a positive vision of Roma identity.

There is still, of course, much left to be done. But the progress made so far—from the emergence of a new generation of Roma university graduates to the growing recognition of the unique contribution of Roma artists and thinkers to mainstream culture—has had a transformative effect on countless people’s lives and sense of self-worth.

Today, through Open Society’s Roma Initiatives Office, that work continues. In addition to building upon the decades of hard work done already, Open Society’s Roma efforts will focus on supporting the nascent and pan-European movement to increase Roma participation in European civic life and electoral politics.

As Open Society President Patrick Gaspard says in this video, our work on Roma “is central to our mission of trying to promote just societies that have meaningful representation.” No society can truly be open so long as its Roma members are pushed into the shadows.

Every day, however, more European Roma are bringing themselves—and their communities—into the light.

Education & Youth

The Open Society Foundations are committed to empowering young people by supporting efforts to increase access to quality education. From early childhood to higher education, we work to ensure young people from different backgrounds have equal access to education and to promote critical thinking, respect for diverse opinions, and free and open intellectual inquiry.

Our Mission

The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and tolerant societies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people.

We seek to strengthen the rule of law; respect for human rights, minorities, and a diversity of opinions; democratically elected governments; and a civil society that helps keep government power in check.

We help to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights.

We implement initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and independent media.

We build alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information.

Working in every part of the world, the Open Society Foundations place a high priority on protecting and improving the lives of people in marginalized communities.

Our Values

We believe in fundamental human rights, dignity, and the rule of law.

We believe in a society where all people are free to participate fully in civic, economic, and cultural life.

We believe in addressing inequalities that cut across multiple lines, including race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and citizenship.

We believe in holding those in power accountable for their actions and in increasing the power of historically excluded groups.

We believe in helping people and communities press for change on their own behalf.

We believe in responding quickly and flexibly to the most critical threats to open society.

We believe in taking on controversial issues and supporting bold, innovative solutions that address root causes and advance systemic change.

We believe in encouraging critical debate and respecting diverse opinions.

History

George Soros began his philanthropic career in 1979, when he started by supporting scholarships for black students at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and for Eastern European dissidents to study abroad.

Soros set up his first non-U.S. foundation in Hungary in 1984. His signature move was to distribute photocopiers to universities, libraries, and civil society groups, breaking the communist party’s grip on information. By the fall of the Berlin Wall, Soros had established three more foundations, in Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. As communism collapsed, Soros moved quickly to seize the revolutionary moment and create foundations in countries throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia. His work contributed to the emergence of democratic governments and substantially more open societies in most countries of the former Soviet empire.

To help train a new generation of political and economic leaders, Soros founded the Central European University in 1991 as a center of research and policy analysis that promotes the principles of open, democratic societies. Support for education programs, from early childhood to university, accounted for as much as half of the Open Society Foundations’ annual program expenditures.

Beginning in 1993, the Foundations provided tens of millions of dollars for humanitarian aid and relief efforts during the wars in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, especially in besieged Sarajevo where construction crews braved sniper fire and artillery shells to connect residents to gas lines, electricity, and drinking water.

Aryeh Neier joined the Open Society Foundations in 1993 as president after leading Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union. By the following year annual expenditures had reached $300 million, compared to less than $3 million in 1985, and the Foundations became known for the ability to respond rapidly with innovative programs to changing conditions.

Neier began to make the Open Society Foundations into a truly international organization. We provided support for Burmese refugees and dissidents suffering under the repressive military regime in that country; for the construction of low-cost housing and legal, economic, and political reforms in South Africa to help the fledgling majority-black government; and for regional initiatives in Africa and Central Asia.

In 1996, with the launch of our programs in the United States, we made an effort to address some of the flaws of an open society. Early programs focused on improving end-of-life care, reforming drug policies, changing the punitive criminal justice system, and challenging harsh immigration laws and practices. Baltimore was selected for a comprehensive approach to the root causes of poverty and injustice. The Foundations supported projects in Baltimore that helped boost reading and math test scores for public school students, expand after-school programs, double the number of people receiving drug treatment, and increase the state’s parole grant rate.

Our geographical reach continued to expand in the first decade of the new millennium. By 2010 we played a role in every region of the world. In a substantial number of countries where we are active, the Foundations are a leading supporter—and sometimes the lone supporter—of efforts to promote democratic governance, respect for the rule of law, protection of the rights of minorities, and civil and political liberties.

In the worldwide struggle for open society, we are in the forefront of many significant global campaigns, including the following:

Development of international tribunals holding accountable government officials and leaders of antigovernment forces responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. In 2002, the establishment of the International Criminal Court, long supported by the Open Society Foundations, became a reality. The Foundations assisted and promoted efforts to try leaders for war crimes in tribunals for the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia as well as at the ICC.
Transparency and accountability for the revenues that governments derive from the exploitation of natural resources. In 2001, to curb corruption and ensure that citizens benefit from their nation’s natural wealth, we began promoting a campaign for revenue and budget transparency in resource-rich countries. We funded pioneering organizations in this field and established the Revenue Watch Institute in 2006.
Implementation of national freedom of information laws. At the end of the 1980s, only some 13 countries worldwide had freedom of information laws. By 2010, there were more than 80 countries with such laws and regulations. The Open Society Foundations has been instrumental in the passage and implementation of freedom of information laws.

In 2004, eight Eastern European countries that we helped transform into democracies were accepted into the European Union, with two more joining three years later. With our support, other countries are seeking to become EU candidates.

We have recorded successes on issues such as minority rights, access to health care, and women’s rights. From the start, the Open Society Foundations emphasized protecting the rights of minorities and promoting opportunities for them to participate fully in society. We have addressed the problems faced by, among others, drug users, sexual minorities, people living with HIV, people with mental disabilities, Muslims in the United States and Europe, and Roma in Europe.

In 2005, together with the World Bank, we launched the Decade of Roma Inclusion, 2005–2015. Since the early 1990s, we have provided support for an unprecedented effort to improve the lives and advance the human rights of the Roma, Europe’s largest and most marginalized ethnic minority.

To curb the spread of HIV and other infections among injecting drug users, the Foundations have worked to switch the focus from criminal penalties to human rights and health services, leading a global movement in support of needle exchange, substation therapy, and demand reduction. Another public health problem that we tackled is the exclusion of people with mental disabilities from education and employment opportunities.

In 2009, in response to the rape of thousands of women by soldiers during the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Open Society Foundations established a mobile court for gender crimes that traveled to remote, war-torn regions bringing justice to women. In a major victory in early 2011, a mobile court sentenced a colonel, three junior officers, and five soldiers to sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years for carrying out the rapes of dozens of women, men, and children.

Even as we continued to work on all these issues, we increased our expenditures to provide humanitarian aid in response to the global economic crisis and recent natural disasters. In 2009 we committed hundreds of millions of dollars to help the people hardest hit by the economic downturn in Europe and the United States. In 2010 we committed millions to help alleviate the human suffering caused by flooding in Pakistan and an earthquake in Haiti. The Foundations’ expenditures in 2010 amounted to $820 million.

In 2011, among other efforts to strengthen justice and public health, the Open Society Foundations worked to eliminate discrimination and prejudice against Europe’s Muslims, many of whom have lived in countries such as France and the United Kingdom for generations; to stop torture in health care, including forced sterilization, denial of pain relief, and detention as treatment; and to improve the situation of young black males in the United States with, among other support, a $30 million grant for educational, employment, and mentoring programs for black and Latino young men in New York City.

The post-Cold War expansion of the Open Society Foundations has also faced new challenges. Increasingly nationalistic and sometimes authoritarian governments have sought to suppress free media and independent civil society groups who challenge their grip on power. In Russia, growing restrictions led to the closure of our foundation in Moscow, and then in 2015 the Russian government declared the Open Society Foundations, along with other U.S. institutions, to be an “undesirable” organization. In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has orchestrated a series of attacks on our grantees and in 2017 launched a national political campaign accusing our founder of deliberately fueling Europe’s migration crisis.

Today, the Open Society Foundations remain committed to George Soros’s vision. We are the second largest private philanthropy in the United States (backed by an $18 billion endowment from Soros announced in October 2017). We have annual expenditures of over $940 million, and we work in over 100 countries around the world, with 26 national and regional foundations and offices. We provide funding for hundreds of groups working on a vast range of issues.

Programs

The Open Society Foundations conduct in-depth research into the thematic and geographic areas of our work to better inform the change we seek. As part of this analysis, we identify the individuals and partner organizations best situated to help bring about this change, as well as the tools we believe would be most effective. Those tools include grant making, advocacy, litigation, educational initiatives, publications, and conferences, among others. Learn more about the work of our programs below.

Africa Regional Office

The Africa Regional Office supports efforts to build vibrant and tolerant societies on the African continent through grant making, advocacy, research, and close collaboration with local foundations.

Asia Pacific Regional Office

The Asia Pacific Regional Office works on issues of democracy, access to justice, community rights, and inclusive development.

Documentary Photography Project

Through grants and exhibitions, the Documentary Photography Project supports photography to engage and mobilize people around issues of justice and human rights.

Early Childhood Program

The Early Childhood Program promotes the healthy development of young children through parent and community engagement, professional development, and government accountability.

Economic Advancement Program

The Economic Advancement Program promotes economic opportunities for the marginalized in ways that uphold inclusive, open, and prosperous societies.

Education Support Program

The Education Support Program works to make the right to education meaningful by combating inequality and discrimination in education and exposing structural inequalities that reproduce education disadvantage and exclusion.

Eurasia Program

The Eurasia Program advance democratic governance and accountability through grantmaking, advocacy and research, regional initiatives, and close engagement with local foundations.

Fiscal Governance Program

The Fiscal Governance Program works to promote openness, accountability, and equity in fiscal and economic systems around the world.

Global Drug Policy Program

Prohibition-based policies have led to a rise in drug-related violence, prison overcrowding, and an increase in HIV epidemics. The Global Drug Policy Program supports organizations that put forward alternatives.

Higher Education Support Program

The Higher Education Support Program encourages innovation in teaching and research, greater access to higher education for marginalized populations, and ensuring accountability and integrity in university governance.

Human Rights Initiative

The Human Rights Initiative helps ensure that people can exercise their rights and seek redress for violations by supporting the strength and vitality of the global human rights movement.

Independent Journalism

The Program on Independent Journalism supports a free and safe environment for journalism to flourish, while seeking to strengthen investigative reporting and knowledge sharing in the field.

Information Program

The Information Program works to increase access to knowledge, empower civil society groups, and protect civil liberties in the digital environment.

International Migration Initiative

The International Migration Initiative seeks to address systemic exploitation, discrimination, and violence against migrants at every stage of their journey.

Latin America Program

Through grantmaking and advocacy efforts, the Latin America Program supports the work of civil society organizations and their constructive engagement in the development, implementation, and oversight of public policies.

Middle East and North Africa Program

The Middle East and North Africa Program supports a diverse group of civil society organizations, research centers, universities, and media organizations across the Arab world.

Open Society Community Youth Fellowship

The Open Society Community Youth Fellowship supports young activists and organizers as thought-leaders and allies in crafting solutions and new youth-focused approaches to open society challenges.

Open Society Fellowship

The Open Society Fellowship selects leading practitioners in journalism, advocacy, public policy, academia, and the arts who are able to engage productively with the Foundations.

Open Society Initiative for Europe

The Open Society Initiative for Europe aims to contribute to more vibrant democracies in the European Union by supporting the activists and civil society organizations confronting Europe’s many challenges.

Open Society Justice Initiative

Through litigation, advocacy, research, and technical assistance, the Open Society Justice Initiative promotes human rights and builds legal capacity for open societies.

Open Society Presidential Fellowship

The Open Society Presidential Fellowship is awarded to recent graduates from law, public policy, and business schools.

Public Health Program

The Public Health Program works to build open societies where all people enjoy health and human rights.

Roma Initiatives Office

The Roma Initiatives Office provides grants, fellowships, and training to stimulate Roma community participation and active citizenship, empower Roma women and youth, and combat anti-Roma discrimination.

Scholarship Programs

The Scholarship Programs aim to promote critical thinking, free and open intellectual inquiry, and cross-cultural tolerance and respect.

U.S. Programs

U.S. Programs supports efforts to advance equality, fairness, and justice with a focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized communities and the most significant threats to open society in the United States today.

Women’s Rights Program

Through grant making and advocacy, the Women’s Rights Program supports efforts to strengthen women’s rights organizations and movements, advance sexual and reproductive rights and justice, and promote economic rights.

OFFICES & FOUNDATIONS

The Open Society Foundations are a family of offices and foundations created by philanthropist George Soros. This directory includes our offices and country and regional foundations located throughout the world.