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Click on a topic below to view a question and answer about the Open Society Foundations.
The Open Society Foundations include the Open Society Institute—with offices in New York, Baltimore, Brussels, Budapest, London, Paris, and Washington, D.C.—as well as country and regional foundations active in more than 70 countries around the world. These foundations, programs, and offices work together as the Open Society Foundations to build vibrant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens.
An open society is a society based on the recognition that nobody has a monopoly on the truth, that different people have different views and interests, and that there is a need for institutions to protect the rights of all people to allow them to live together in peace. Broadly speaking, an open society is characterized by a reliance on the rule of law, the existence of a democratically elected government, a diverse and vigorous civil society, and respect for minorities and minority opinions.
The term "open society" was popularized by the philosopher Karl Popper in his 1945 book Open Society and Its Enemies. Popper's work deeply influenced George Soros, the founder of the Open Society Foundations, and it is upon the concept of an open society that Soros bases his philanthropic activity.
The Open Society Foundations fund a range of programs around the world, from public health to education to business development. For more information on the kind of programs we fund, visit the Initiatives section of the website.
The Open Society Foundations are active in more than 70 countries around the world. For more information, select a region from the "Where We Work" navigational bar on the homepage of this website.
The Open Society Foundations are funded by George Soros personally and by philanthropic trusts established by the Soros family.
Yes. Partnerships and joint ventures with the Open Society Foundations are generally formed at the initiative level. For more information, visit the Initiatives section of the website and select an individual initiative.
For information on partnerships with specific country- or region-based foundations, visit the foundations section of the website.
George Soros is the founder and chairman of the Open Society Foundations. For more information, view his biography page.
George Soros is not involved in the day-to-day management of the Open Society Foundations. However, he does play a role in setting broad policy goals in his capacity as chairman of the foundations, and for other related programs and institutions such as Central European University.
The following statement sets out the position of the Open Society Foundations on what is some times referred to as “democracy promotion.” We present both the guidelines which we follow in our own operations and grantmaking and our views as to what governments should do to best promote democracy and respect for human rights abroad.
The Open Society Foundations work to promote open societies around the globe including in Europe and the United States. It does so primarily by supporting over the long term individuals and groups working to establish or improve an open society in their country. In deciding which groups or individuals to support and for what purposes, the Open Society Foundations seek guidance from local advisors. Often this is done by supporting the creation of a local foundation with a local board and staff which work according to their own priorities.
Some of the activities that the Open Society Foundations often support—such as promoting open, inclusive, and accountable governance practices at all levels of government; promoting a vigorous civil society; promoting a free press and freedom of information; creating an accountable police force or supporting an independent judiciary—may be considered “democracy promotion” activities. From the perspective of the Open Society Foundations, these are essential elements of an open society.
More on the Open Society Foundations and "democracy promotion."
Total expenditures by the Open Society Foundations currently average between $400 million and $500 million a year.
The Open Society Foundations accept donations from individuals and organizations in certain circumstances. You may request specific information about donating by contacting us directly. For more information, see the Contact Us section of the website.
Foundations and offices encompassing the Open Society Foundations in the United States are exempt from U.S. income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Outside of the United States, the foundations are registered according to the tax laws of the countries where they are based.
In the United States, George Soros has established, and funds separately from the Open Society Foundations, a nonpartisan public policy organization known as the Open Society Policy Center (“OSPC”). OSPC is organized under Section 501(c)(4) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. For more information, visit the Open Society Policy Center’s website.
Yes. Below is the official description of the ombudsman's scope and responsibilities.
The Open Society Foundations established the post of ombudsman in 1997 to serve as a means for addressing complaints, from within and without the foundations, about acts or practices that appear to constitute abuses of authority by the foundations themselves.
The ombudsman investigates the complaints she receives at her discretion, and reports her findings to the OSI-Budapest board of directors as she considers appropriate. Where necessary, the Open Society Foundations support the work of the ombudsman by providing her with investigative assistance. Matters that can be dealt with by other grievance mechanisms within the Open Society Foundations are referred to those grievance mechanisms for resolution. For example, the ombudsman does not deal with employee grievances or with disagreements about the merits of a grant or programming decision. Rather, the ombudsman’s primary responsibility is to investigate accusations of rudeness, negligence, dishonesty, or other abuses dealing with grant applicants, other parts of the network, partner organizations, or the general public.
The position of ombudsman is held currently by Irena Veisaite; in the past, she has served both as the chair of the Open Society Fund–Lithuania board and as a member of the OSI-Budapest board. Contact information for Veisaite is as follows:
Open Society Fund–Lithuania Didzioji str. 5 2001 Vilnius Lithuania Tel: 37-02-685511 Fax: 37-02-685512 Email: irena@osf.lt
Established by George Soros in Budapest, Hungary in 1991, Central European University (CEU) is an internationally recognized institution of postgraduate education in social sciences and humanities. CEU seeks to contribute to the development of open societies in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union by promoting a system of education in which ideas are creatively, critically, and comparatively examined.
The Open Society Foundations Budapest office is located within the CEU complex. However, the Open Society Foundations and CEU are funded from different sources and are not formally linked with each other.
For more information, visit Central European University's website.
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