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Open Society Foundations

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Open Society Foundations
AbbreviationOSF
FoundedApril 1993;31 years ago(1993-04)
FounderGeorge Soros
Location
Chair
Alexander Soros
President
Binaifer Nowrojee
Revenue(2021)
$988 million[1]
Endowment(2021)$5.89 billion[1]
Websiteopensocietyfoundations.orgEdit this at Wikidata
Formerly called
Open Society Institute

Open Society Foundations(OSF), formerly theOpen Society Institute,is a US-basedgrantmakingnetwork founded by business magnateGeorge Soros.[2]Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the stated aim of advancing justice, education, public health and independent media.[3][4]The group's name was inspired byKarl Popper's 1945 bookThe Open Society and Its Enemies.[5]

As of 2015, the OSF had branches in 37 countries,[6]encompassing a group of country and regional foundations, such as theOpen Society Initiative for West Africa,and theOpen Society Initiative for Southern Africa.The organization’sheadquartersis located at224West 57th StreetinMidtownManhattan,New York City.In 2018, OSF announced it was closing its European office inBudapestand moving toBerlin,in response to legislation passed by the Hungarian government targeting the foundation's activities.[7]As of 2021, OSF has reported expenditures in excess of US$16 billion since its establishment in 1993, mostly in grants towardsNGOs,aligned with the organization's mission.[8]

History

On May 28, 1984,business magnateGeorge Sorossigned a contract between the Soros Foundation/New York City and theHungarian Academy of Sciences,the founding document of the Soros Foundation/Budapest.[9]This was followed by several foundations in the region to help countries move away fromReal socialismin theEastern Bloc.[10]

In 1991, the foundation merged with theFondation pour une Entraide Intellectuelle Européenne( "Foundation for European Intellectual Mutual Aid" ), an affiliate of theCongress for Cultural Freedom,created in 1966 to imbue 'non-conformist' Eastern European scientists with anti-totalitarian and capitalist ideas.[11]

In 1993, the Open Society Institute was created in theUnited Statesto support the Soros foundations inCentralandEastern EuropeandRussia.[6]

In August 2010, it started using the name Open Society Foundations (OSF) to better reflect its role as a benefactor for civil society groups in countries around the world.[12]

In 1995, Soros stated that he believed there can be no absolute answers to political questions because the same principle ofreflexivityapplies as in financial markets.[13]

In 2012,Christopher Stonejoined the OSF as the second president. He replacedAryeh Neier,who served as president from 1993 to 2012.[14]Stone announced in September 2017 that he was stepping down as president.[15]In January 2018,Patrick Gaspardwas appointed president of the Open Society Foundations.[16]He announced in December 2020 that he was stepping down as president. In January 2021,Mark Malloch-Brownwas appointed president of the Open Society Foundations.[17]On March 11, 2024, OSF announced that Binaifer Nowrojee would start as the group's new president on June 1, 2024.[18]

In 2016, the OSF was reportedly the target of acyber security breach.Documents and information reportedly belonging to the OSF were published by a website. The cyber security breach has been described as sharing similarities with Russian-linkedcyberattacksthat targeted other institutions, such as theDemocratic National Committee.[19]

In 2017, Soros transferred $18 billion to the foundation.[20]

In 2020, Soros announced that he was creating the Open Society University Network (OSUN), endowing the network with $1 billion.[21]

In 2023, George Soros handed over the leadership of the foundation to his sonAlexander Soros,who soon announced layoffs of 40 percent of staff and "significant changes" to the operating model.[22]

Activities

George Sorosat a talk in Malaysia

TheLibrary of CongressSoros Foundation Visiting Fellows Program was initiated in 1990.[23][24]

Its $873 million budget in 2013 ranked as the second-largest private philanthropy budget in the United States, after theBill and Melinda Gates Foundationbudget of $3.9 billion.[25]As of 2020, its budget increased to $1.2 billion.[26]

In August 2013, the foundation partly sponsored anAromaniancultural event inMalovište(Aromanian:Mulovishti),North Macedonia.[27]

The foundation reported granting at least $33 million to civil rights and social justice organizations in the United States.[28]This funding included groups such as theOrganization for Black StruggleandMissourians Organizing for Reform and Empowermentthat supported protests in the wake of thekilling of Trayvon Martin,thedeath of Eric Garner,theshooting of Tamir Riceand theshooting of Michael Brown.[29][30][31]According toOpenSecrets,the OSF spends much of its resources on democratic causes around the world, and has also contributed to groups such as theTides Foundation.[32]

The OSF has been a major financial supporter of USimmigration reform,including establishing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.[33]

OSF projects have included the National Security and Human Rights Campaign and theLindesmith Center,which conducted research on drug reform.[3]

The OSF became a partner of theNational Democratic Institute,[34]a charitable organization which partnered with pro-democracy groups like the Gov2U project[35]run byScytl.[36]

On January 23, 2020, the OSF announced a contribution of $1 billion from George Soros for the new Open Society University Network (OSUN), which provides university courses, programs, and research through shared faculty, and for institutions needing international partners, to serve neglected student populations worldwide. The founding institutions wereBard CollegeandCentral European University.[21][37]

In April 2022, OSF announced a grant of $20 million to theInternational Crisis Groupin support of efforts to analyzeglobal issuesfuelling violence, climate injustice andeconomic inequalityand providing recommendations to address them.[38]

OSF has given grants toJewish Voice for Peace.[39]

Reception

In 2007, Nicolas Guilhot (a senior research associate at theFrench National Centre for Scientific Research) wrote inCritical Sociologythat the Open Society Foundations serve to perpetuate institutions that reinforce the existing social order, as theFord FoundationandRockefeller Foundationhave done before them. Guilhot argues that control over thesocial sciencesby moneyed interests, taken it out of the hands of politicians and reinforced aneoliberalview ofmodernization.[40]

An OSF effort in 2008 in theAfrican Great Lakesregion aimed at spreading human rights awareness amongprostitutes in Ugandaand other nations in the area was not received well by theUgandanauthorities, who considered it an effort to legalize and legitimize prostitution.[41]

Open Society Foundations has been criticized in pro-Israel editorials,Tabletmagazine,Arutz ShevaandJewish Press,for including funding for the activist groupsAdalahandI'lam,which they say areanti-Israeland support theBoycott, Divestment and Sanctionsmovement. Among the documents released in 2016 byDCleaks,an OSF report reads "For a variety of reasons, we wanted to construct a diversified portfolio of grants dealing withIsraelandPalestine,funding both Israeli Jewish and PCI (Palestinian Citizens of Israel) groups as well as building a portfolio of Palestinian grants and in all cases to maintain a low profile and relative distance—particularly on the advocacy front. "[42][43][44]

In 2013,NGO Monitor,an Israeli NGO, produced a report which says, "Soros has been a frequent critic ofIsraeli governmentpolicy, and does not consider himself a Zionist, but there is no evidence that he or his family holds any special hostility or opposition to the existence of the state of Israel. This report will show that their support, and that of the Open Society Foundations, has nevertheless gone to organizations with such agendas. "The report says its objective is to inform the OSF, claiming:" The evidence demonstrates that Open Society funding contributes significantly to anti-Israel campaigns in three important respects:

  1. Active in theDurban strategy;
  2. Funding aimed at weakening United States support for Israel by shifting public opinion regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iran;
  3. Funding for Israeli political opposition groups on the fringes of Israeli society, which use the rhetoric of human rights to advocate for marginal political goals. "

The report concludes, "Yet, to what degree Soros, his family, and the Open Society Foundations are aware of the cumulative impact on Israel and of the political warfare conducted by many of their beneficiaries is an open question."[45]

In November 2015,Russiabanned the activities of the Open Society Foundations on its territory, declaring "It was found that the activity of the Open Society Foundations and the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation represents a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of theRussian Federationand the security of the state ".[46]

In 2017, Open Society Foundations and other NGOs which promote open government and help refugees were targeted for crackdowns by authoritarian and populist governments who have been emboldened by encouraging signals from theTrump Administration.Several politicians in eastern Europe, includingLiviu DragneainRomaniaand right-wing figuresSzilard NemethinHungary,North Macedonia'sNikola Gruevski,who called for a "de-Sorosization" of society, andPoland'sJarosław Kaczyński,who has said that Soros-funded groups want "societies without identity", regard many of the NGO groups to be irritants at best, and threats at worst.[47]Some of those Soros-funded advocacy groups in the region said the renewed attacks were harassment and intimidation, which became more open after the 2016 election ofDonald Trumpin the United States. Stefania Kapronczay of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, which receives half of its funding from Soros-backed foundations, claimed that Hungarian officials are "testing the waters" in an effort to see "what they can get away with."[47]

In 2017, the government of Pakistan ordered the Open Society Foundations to cease operations within the country.[48]

In May 2018, Open Society Foundations announced they will move its office from Budapest toBerlin,amid Hungarian government interference.[49][50][51]

In November 2018, Open Society Foundations announced they are ceasing operations inTurkeyand closing theirIstanbulandAnkaraoffices due to "false accusations and speculations beyond measure", amid pressure from Turkish government and governmental interference through detainment of Turkish intellectuals and liberal academics claimed to be associated with the foundation and related NGOs, associations and programmes.[52][53][54]

See also

References

  1. ^ab"Open Society Institute - Nonprofit Explorer".ProPublica.May 9, 2013.RetrievedDecember 13,2023.
  2. ^Duszak, Alexandra (December 21, 2012)."Donor profile: George Soros".Center for Public Integrity.RetrievedMay 18,2015.
  3. ^abHarvey, Kerric (2013).Encyclopedia of Social Media and Politics.SAGE Publications. p. 919.ISBN9781483389004.
  4. ^"Open Society Foundations mission and values",OSI,Soros, September 6, 2012.
  5. ^de Cock, Christian; Böhm, Steffen (2007), "Liberalist Fantasies: Žižek and the Impossibility of the Open Society",Organization,14(6): 815–836,doi:10.1177/1350508407082264,S2CID15695686.
  6. ^abCallahan, David (September 14, 2015)."Philanthropy vs. Tyranny: Inside the Open Society Foundations' Biggest Battle Yet".Inside Philanthropy.RetrievedSeptember 17,2015.
  7. ^"The Open Society Foundations to Close International Operations in Budapest".Open Society Foundations.May 15, 2018.RetrievedMay 15,2018.
  8. ^"Financials".Open Society Foundations.RetrievedJanuary 20,2021.
  9. ^Tény, Nóvé Béla,Soros(PDF),HU:KKA.
  10. ^Hoduski-Abbott, Bernadine E. (2003).Lobbying for Libraries and the Public's Access to Government Information.Lanham: Scarecrow. p. 75.ISBN978-0810845855.
  11. ^Guilhot, Nicolas (January 1, 2006). "A Network of Influential Friendships: The Fondation Pour Une Entraide Intellectuelle Européenne and East-West Cultural Dialogue, 1957–1991".Minerva.44(4): 379–409.doi:10.1007/s11024-006-9014-y.JSTOR41821373.S2CID144219865.
  12. ^Schrier, H. Edward (2013).The Battle of the Three Wills: As It Relates to Good & Evil.Author House.p.338.ISBN978-1481758765.
  13. ^Soros, George; Wien, Byron; Koenen, Krisztina (1995).Soros on Soros: Staying Ahead of the Curve.New York: John Wiley.ISBN978-0-471-11977-7.RetrievedFebruary 15,2019.
  14. ^"Criminal Justice Expert Named to Lead Soros Foundations".The New York Times.December 11, 2011.RetrievedJuly 18,2012.
  15. ^"What Just Happened at the Open Society Foundations? And What Comes Next?".Inside Philanthropy.September 14, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 14,2017.
  16. ^"Patrick Gaspard Named President of the Open Society Foundations".RetrievedAugust 7,2018.
  17. ^"Patrick Gaspard to Step Down as Head of Open Society Foundations".Open Society Foundations.December 4, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 21,2021.
  18. ^"Binaifer Nowrojee Appointed New President of Open Society Foundations; Mark Malloch-Brown to Step Down".Open Society Foundations.March 11, 2024.RetrievedJune 15,2024.
  19. ^Riley, Michael (August 11, 2016)."Russian Hackers of DNC Said to Nab Secrets From NATO, Soros".Bloomberg.RetrievedAugust 13,2016.
  20. ^Chung, Juliet; Das, Anupreeta (October 17, 2017)."George Soros Transfers $18 Billion to His Foundation, Creating an Instant Giant".The Wall Street Journal.ISSN0099-9660.RetrievedOctober 17,2017.
  21. ^abCommunications (January 23, 2020)."George Soros Launches Global Network to Transform Higher Education".Open Society Foundations.RetrievedJanuary 5,2023.
  22. ^Delouya, Samantha (June 30, 2023)."George Soros' foundation lays off 40% of workforce after passing control over to his son".CNN Business.RetrievedJuly 2,2023.
  23. ^Hoduski-Abbott, Bernadine E. (2003).Lobbying for Libraries and the Public's Access to Government Information.Lanham: Scarecrow. p. 76.ISBN9780810845855.
  24. ^Kranich, Nancy (2001).Libraries & Democracy: The Cornerstones of Liberty.American Library Association. p. 186.ISBN9780838908082.
  25. ^Orlina, Ezekiel Carlo; Ramos-Caraig, Dorcas Juliette (March 6, 2015)."Top philanthropic foundations: A primer".Devex.RetrievedNovember 20,2015.
  26. ^"Open Society Foundations - Who We Are".www.opensocietyfoundations.org.RetrievedFebruary 25,2020.
  27. ^"Community News".The Newsletter of the Society Farsharotu.17(1–2). April 25, 2004.
  28. ^Collins, Ben (August 19, 2015)."No, George Soros Didn't Give $33 Million to #BlackLivesMatter".The Daily Beast.RetrievedNovember 20,2015.
  29. ^Ferguson Inc. — The city's protest movement tries to find a path forward;Politico;March 4, 2015
  30. ^Riot Act;Snopes;January 17, 2015
  31. ^Riddell, Kelley (January 4, 2015)."George Soros funds Ferguson protests, hopes to spur civil action".Washington Times.RetrievedMay 18,2015.
  32. ^MacColl, Spencer (September 21, 2010)."Capital Rivals: Koch Brothers vs. George Soros".OpenSecrets.RetrievedMay 18,2015.
  33. ^Preston, Julia (November 14, 2014)."The Big Money Behind the Push for an Immigration Overhaul".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 18,2015.
  34. ^"Partners".www.ndi.org.RetrievedAugust 15,2021.
  35. ^"Our Partners - Government to You | Gov2U |".
  36. ^"Scytl acquires Gov2U's software division expanding its eDemocracy solutions portfolio - MarketWatch".www.marketwatch.com.Archived fromthe originalon June 9, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 11,2022.
  37. ^"Open Society University Network".osun.bard.edu.opensocietyuniversitynetwork.org.RetrievedJanuary 9,2023.
  38. ^"International Crisis Group receives $20 million from OSF".Philanthropy News Digest.May 3, 2022.RetrievedMay 3,2022.
  39. ^"Who's behind the pro-Palestinian protests that are disrupting Biden's campaign events and blocking city streets?".NBC News.March 20, 2024.RetrievedJune 23,2024.
  40. ^Guilhot, Nicolas (May 2007). "Reforming the World: George Soros, Global Capitalism and the Philanthropic Management of the Social Sciences".Critical Sociology.33(3): 447–477.doi:10.1163/156916307X188988.S2CID146274470.
  41. ^"Uganda prostitute workshop banned".BBC. March 25, 2008.RetrievedNovember 20,2015.
  42. ^"Soros Hack Reveals Evidence of Systemic Anti-Israel Bias".Tablet Magazine.August 14, 2016.
  43. ^David Israel (August 14, 2016)."DC Leaks Publishes George Soros' Files Showing Millions Contributed to Anti-Israel Causes".Jewish Press.Archivedfrom the original on September 1, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 23,2019.
  44. ^Kaplan, Rachel (August 14, 2016)."George Soros hacked, documents posted online".israelnationalnews.com.RetrievedNovember 6,2022.
  45. ^Bad Investment: The Philanthropy of George Soros and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: How Soros-funded Groups Increase Tensions in a Troubled Region,Alexander H. Joffe, Professor Gerald M. Steinberg, May 1, 2013
  46. ^"Russia bans George Soros foundation as state security 'threat'".Reuters.November 30, 2015.RetrievedNovember 6,2022.
  47. ^ab"After Trump Win, Anti-Soros Forces Are Emboldened in Eastern Europe".The New York Times.March 1, 2017.RetrievedMarch 3,2017.
  48. ^Sayeed, Saad (December 13, 2017)"Pakistan orders George Soros foundation, other aid groups to close,"Reuters
  49. ^Heijmans, Philip (May 15, 2018)."George Soros foundation to close office in 'repressive' Hungary".al Jazeera.
  50. ^"Soros foundation to leave Hungary".BBC News.May 15, 2018.
  51. ^"Soros foundation to close office in Budapest over Hungarian government's 'repressive' policies".The Daily Telegraph.May 15, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on January 12, 2022.
  52. ^"Açık Toplum Vakfı Türkiye'deki faaliyetlerini sonlandırıyor".Deutsche Welle Türkçe. November 26, 2018.RetrievedNovember 27,2018.
  53. ^"Soros foundation to close in Turkey after being bashed by Erdogan".Al Jazeera.November 27, 2018.
  54. ^"George Soros's Open Society Foundations to pull out of Turkey".The Guardian.Istanbul. November 26, 2018.

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