Open Society Foundations

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

The Ideas Letter is our online magazine and newsletter that delivers political and cultural perspectives to readers who are open to the unconventional with commissioned pieces and curated articles from other sources. Read and subscribe for free:?https://theideasletter.org

Today, we’re launching The Ideas Letter, an online magazine and newsletter that delivers political and cultural perspectives to readers who are open to the unconventional with commissioned pieces and curated articles from other sources: theideasletter.org “The mission of The Ideas Letter is to provide readers with contributions from across ideological and intellectual aisles, from a range of disciplines, intended to bolster debate around issues of consequence,” said Leonard Benardo, Open Society’s senior vice president. It’s the first project of its kind for us at Open Society and is shaped by the spirit of our mission to support free expression and intellectual exchange—as imbued by our founder, George Soros. “No one person or institution has a monopoly on the truth, and that is why The Ideas Letter is so crucial. It promotes diverse perspectives, some of which we may not agree with, but always ones that seek to challenge our thinking,” said Binaifer Nowrojee, president of the Open Society Foundations. This launch follows its soft launch in October of last year on Substack and marks its move to a dedicated website that will enhance readers’ accessibility and engagement. Today’s 28th issue is a special edition, entitled “America in Decline?” It brings together ten distinguished writers from around the globe to examine one central question—whether the United States is truly in decline or undergoing a creative transformation. Early issues of The Ideas Letter have explored topics such as workers’ disenchantment with social democracy; anti-imperialist excuses for authoritarianism in Tunisia; and the enduring, cosmopolitan allure of the New York Intellectuals. We invite you to read the latest issue and subscribe for free to receive The Ideas Letter via email at theideasletter.org #OpenSociety #TheIdeasLetter #Debate #Discussion #OnlineMagazine #Perspectives #Critique

The Open Society Foundations have long worked to build a more inclusive and equitable democracy in the United States. Today, we are still driven by and will not waver from our core values of justice, democratic governance, and human rights for all.

Today is #ElectionDay in the United States. Are you voting and have questions? Call or text 866-OUR-VOTE for nonpartisan assistance to vote from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Global calls for reparative justice are rising, addressing the injustices of slavery and colonialism. We support the movement, including by unifying its key voices, promoting academic partnerships, and enhancing legal frameworks. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ecypMN27 #OpenSociety #Reparations #RacialJustice #SocialJustice #SocialChange

Forced relocations and evictions. Longstanding neighborhoods torn apart. That’s what is happening now in communities across Denmark under the country’s so-called Ghetto Laws. Passed in 2018, these laws aimed to “eradicate ghettos”: residential areas with the hallmark feature that most of their residents are classed as being of “non-Western” background. This classification is not in fact based on geography, and it applies to Danish citizens and those born and raised in the country. The government justified the laws as efforts to “eliminate parallel societies,” which they said were caused by “religious and other values” that are “different from” the (white and Christian) Danish “majority.” But the neighborhoods are fighting back. With the help of the Open Society Justice Initiative, residents of one of the affected neighborhoods—Mj?lnerparken in Copenhagen— have brought cases against the Danish state charging that the “Ghetto Laws” violate European Union protections against racial discrimination. The cases surround the government-approved sale of 200 family homes that would evict all residents in them. Most residents have experienced great distress, and for some who are former refugees, re-traumatization. For all these residents, nothing will ever be the same. As Europe continues to swing closer to the far right, it’s crucial that the EU fulfills its promise and that no member state is permitted to discriminate by hiding behind proxy wording for ethnic origin. Or using integration as a guise for treating racialized groups as second-class citizens. Share this post and read more about the case and hear from the residents: https://osf.to/4fqYAJ1 #OpenSociety #GhettoLaws #Denmark #RacialDiscrimination #ForcedEvictions

This year’s Nobel-winning economists Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and Jim Robinson have overlooked the role of colonial exploitation in Western prosperity and dismisses successful alternative governance models in delivering economic growth, like China’s, argues Yuen Yuen Ang in the latest Ideas Letter, published by our Ideas Workshop: https://osf.to/3NM7rt7 Plus: Voting is a sacred and significant act in any democracy. Can elections in the U.S. truly honor voters’ commitment, especially amid the transactional, power-driven nature of electoral politics? Nanjala Nyabola in the Ideas Letter: https://osf.to/4hFsv2a

It's great to be back in South Africa, where the work of the Open Society Foundations began, in 1979, with scholarships for Black students attending the University of Cape Town. Today, we remain committed to a vision of society where all people live as equals, with guaranteed rights and freedoms - and not privileges because of their race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and other identities. Nearly three decades after South Africa adopted a constitution to "lay the foundations for a democratic and open society," there are key challenges that have to be met. The legacy of apartheid and the failures of our current economic system have created the most unequal country in the world. To build a fairer society, we are working in South Africa on new economic models that will allow the economy to grow in sustainable, more equitable ways while tackling the ravages of climate change. Earlier this year, Open Society announced an investment of $400 million that will advance economic justice through green industrial policy. South Africa, one of our countries of focus, needs a just energy transition. At the moment, it has an overdependence on coal and land use while failing to meet the country's energy needs. To support South Africa's industrial and consumption demands, the transition needs to secure diversified, green, sustainable energy sources. It was a pleasure to speak with Iman Rappetti and Newzroom Africa on Open Society Foundations' new programs, our enduring commitment to South Africa and the continent, the challenges and opportunities in the country, and the role South Africa can play in shaping a new, just and equitable order at home, regionally and globally.

Congratulations to the 2024 Soros Equality Fellows! These 11 fellows are pursuing projects that advance justice, equity, and human dignity across the United States. The fellows include documentary filmmakers, writers, digital specialists, organizers, researchers, and artists. The Soros Equality Fellowship supports innovators and risk takers striving to create and develop new ways of tackling the systemic causes and symptoms of racial disparity and discrimination. The 2024 Fellows: Allen Kwabena Frimpong will executive produce “The Remedy is Solidarity,” a multimedia anthology to educate and build public will for the demand for reparations across the Black diaspora. Aldita Amaru Gallardo seeks to meet the new moment in philanthropy by mobilizing funds to BIPOC trans movement-building and intersectional racial and gender justice, while training trans leaders to better navigate philanthropy. Esther Armah will create a multimedia digital village where Black and Latino men explore masculinity through power, vulnerability, accountability, loss, and empathy. The project aims to create a healing practice of Emotional Justice. Dania Rajendra will lead a project focused on research, writing, and convening, aimed at expanding the ideas and practices of participatory multiracial democracy within and among diasporic communities. Sandeep Ravindranath will work on a project focused on strengthening democracy and constitutional frameworks within the Indian diaspora. Kevin Powell will produce a documentary film exploring the age-old question, "What is a man?" through the perspectives of Black males ranging from youth to those in their 90s. Jungwon Kim will create a cross-cultural event series and related toolkit focused on transmuting "han," a Korean word for unresolved historical grief and rage, through ritual practices of joyful catharsis and healing. Cori Thomas and Rahsaan Thomas will curate a film festival inside San Quentin State Prison by BIPOC and system impacted people featuring short films made by both currently and formerly incarcerated people. Joseph Phelan will research and develop effective strategies for promoting racial justice narratives through internet technologies and influencer networks. Pushkar Sharma will advance the work of the South Asian Coalition to Renew Democracy (SACRED) to build a just and inclusive democracy, countering the enduring alliance of white supremacist and South Asian supremacist movements that promote racial and caste superiority. Learn more: https://osf.to/4fpAu1d #OpenSociety #EqualityFellows #SorosEqualityFellows #SocialChange #EconomicJustice #SocialJustice #RacialJustice #Fellowships