Big news: We’re committing $400 million over eight years to develop green industrial policies that contribute to economic growth in the Global South and address the climate emergency. This is a significant increase in our support for economic development. This is the first major new program to be announced following a two-year organizational transformation at Open Society and builds on our long history of supporting economic and social rights in addition to civil and political rights. “The current economic system is failing developing countries. It stops them from being able to grow economically and fight climate change at the same time. We need new ideas to create fairer, more just societies. That's why Open Society is committing $400 million to help achieve this goal,” says Open Society President Binaifer Nowrojee. Our new Economic and Climate Prosperity program will fund efforts in the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and North Africa region, and Southeast Asia that support green and equitable economic agendas that create jobs, reduce inequalities, and explore the impact of international taxation and financing on developing countries’ investment in green initiatives. We will support civil society organizations and independent economic think tanks working on policy issues in countries including Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Senegal, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Share if you think it’s time to build economic and climate prosperity in the Global South and read more: https://osf.to/3zGYtcT. #OpenSociety #ClimateResilience #ClimateChange #EconomicDevelopment #EconomicProsperity #ClimateEmergency
Open Society Foundations
Non-profit Organizations
New York, NY 228,962 followers
We work to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens.
About us
The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable to their people. To achieve this mission, we give thousands of grants every year to groups and individuals in over 120 countries that work on the issues we focus on—promoting tolerance, transparency, and open debate. We also engage in strategic human rights litigation and impact investing, while incubating new ideas and engaging directly with governments and policymakers through advocacy to advance positive change. We seek to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. We build alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information. We place a high priority on protecting and improving the lives of people in marginalized communities. The Open Society Foundations were founded by George Soros, one of the world’s foremost philanthropists, who since 1984 has given away $32 billion of a personal fortune made in the financial markets. Interested in learning more about our grants, scholarships and fellowships? Visit https://osf.to/grants. Interested in working for us? Visit https://osf.to/jobs for our open positions. Here on our LinkedIn page, we encourage comments and responses that add new information or value; that are clear, concise, and on-topic; and that are generous and constructive. We like questions and feedback, too! Community guidelines: http://osf.to/communityguidelines Privacy policy: http://osf.to/privacy
- Website
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http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org
External link for Open Society Foundations
- Industry
- Non-profit Organizations
- Company size
- 1,001-5,000 employees
- Headquarters
- New York, NY
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 1979
Locations
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Primary
224 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019, US
Employees at Open Society Foundations
Updates
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Today is Nelson Mandela Day, an opportunity to celebrate his life, legacy, and dedication to rights, equality, peace, and reconciliation. An activist against the institutionalized racial segregation of apartheid and imprisoned for his activism, Mandela became South Africa’s first president in 1994 after the country’s first fully representative democratic election. Our founder George Soros began his philanthropy in South Africa in 1979 when he launched a scholarship program for Black South African students to study at the University of Cape Town during apartheid. Soros also provided financial support for a first dialogue between South African business and political leaders seeking to dismantle the apartheid system in 1987. After apartheid fell, Open Society focused on addressing injustices—and creating opportunities—in a country that had systematically discriminated against the majority of its citizens for decades. The mutual dedication to rights and freedom continues in our work in South Africa and around the world. Share to commemorate Nelson Mandela’s legacy. George Soros and Nelson Mandela meet in Cape Town, South Africa, April 1, 1994. Photo credit: © Greg Marinovich #OpenSociety #MandelaDay #MandelaDay2024 #ItIsInYourHands #NelsonMandela #Madiba
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“There is never a moment to contemplate the turn of events that has made all forms of life in Gaza into a perpetual hell.” Muhammad al-Zaqzouq writes from a tent in Rafah about life in the vortex of war in The Ideas Letter, published by our Ideas Workshop: https://osf.to/3zLYfRO #OpenSociety #Gaza #Rafah
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Sudan’s devastating war has led to nearly half of the country’s population in dire need of humanitarian assistance while millions have fled their homes in the world’s largest displacement. A look at the country’s war from within: https://osf.to/4d2VolP
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In a victory for rights and justice in Nigeria and across Africa, the ECOWAS Court of Justice ruled that Nigerian authorities violated the rights of protesters as they put down the mass #EndSARS demonstrations against police brutality in 2020:
Regional court: Nigeria violated human rights during police brutality protests
voanews.com
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Investigative collective Bellingcat has been pioneering the use of open source evidence like social media posts to bring justice and accountability for human rights abuses, atrocities, and disinformation. Its investigations have included detailing Russian military intelligence’s role in poisoning opposition figures, discovering who was responsible for a devastating, mysterious oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago, and illuminating the murky funding of far-right disinformation websites in India. Bellingcat has been developing a process to use open source evidence in international court cases that seek justice for atrocities and other human rights abuses, like those dealing with the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine before the International Criminal Court. “It really helps complement other types of investigative work, witness statements, evidence gathered from the ground, when you have a vast amount of open-source data to support that,” explains Bellingcat’s founder, Eliot Higgins. Physical evidence is no longer so necessary, he says, “because there are multiple other ways to verify whether a video or photograph is taken in the place it claims to be.” We spoke to Higgins about the collective’s work and how it strengthens human rights and democracy: https://osf.to/3VZa7XQ Listen to more from Eliot Higgins on the latest episode of What's Wrong with Democracy?, a podcast produced by Tortoise Media and supported by us. #OpenSociety #Democracy #OpenSource #IndependentJournalism #Investigations #InternationalJustice #Disinformation
Why is access to reliable information so important for democracy? On the latest episode of What's Wrong With Democracy, Ben Ansell is joined by Bellingcat's Eliot Higgins, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)'s Rebecca Vincent, and Daraj Media founder Alia Ibrahim. Listen: https://lnk.to/WWWD7 Supported by Open Society Foundations.
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The new Afghanistan Cultural Fund, seed funded by us and led by the Goethe-Institut e.V., supports Afghan cultural workers and artists, particularly women, who are working in Afghanistan and in the diaspora on music and storytelling projects. Apply by August 15: https://osf.to/4cuaqkD
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“Despite language indicating that presidents have partial immunity, the conservative majority has opened a pathway for presidents to act—without consequence—above the law. In their view, presidents are kings unless otherwise determined by courts,” says Laleh Ispahani of Open Society-U.S. after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that former President Trump has partial immunity: cnn.it/45RQ0j4
Supreme Court issues decision on Trump immunity case | CNN Politics
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The High Court in Namibia struck down laws that criminalized same-sex intimacy on June 21—a huge step forward in LGBTQI rights for Namibians. The laws were a remnant of colonial rule and were maintained after Namibia gained independence in 1990 from South Africa. “I no longer feel like a criminal on the run in my own country simply because of who I am,” says Friedel Dausab who brought the case and was assisted by our grantee, The Human Dignity Trust. Most countries in Africa still outlaw same sex relationships, and some proscribe the death penalty for homosexuality in some cases. Share if you think it’s time more countries repeal anti-homosexuality laws. Read more: https://osf.to/4ciHhZC #OpenSociety #Namibia #PrideMonth #Pride #Equity #LGBTQI #LGBT
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Shifting the “Democracy vs. Far Right” framing of the recent European elections by Cas Mudde, Llily Lynch on Turkey’s resurgent Republican People’s Party, and more in the latest edition of the Ideas Letter, published by our Ideas Workshop:
Illuminating Distinctions
theideasletter.substack.com