Open Society Institute

The Open Society Institute (OSI) is among the most influential private foundations shaping the ongoing processes of global political, economic, and social change. It is a private, nonpartisan, grantmaking foundation that was established by investor and philanthropist George Soros in 1993. The institute provides administrative, financial, and technical support to Soros Foundations in more than 60 countries. These foundations support civil society groups working to promote democratic governance, human rights, economic reform, and social justice.

The OSI is almost exclusively dependent on the continued philanthropy of George Soros. Soros, who was born in Hungary in 1930, once studied at the London School of Economics; it was there that Soros encountered philosopher Karl Popper. Soros was greatly influenced by Popper's notion of an [Page 1267]“open society,” best reflected in his two-volume work The Open Society and Its Enemies. Soros later immigrated to the United States where he founded the Quantum Fund, an offshore hedge fund through which he accumulated considerable wealth. He is currently chair of Soros Fund Management.

The OSI was established by Soros to promote open societies worldwide. Drawing on the writings of Popper, Soros defines open societies as those societies striving to achieve the greatest degree of freedom compatible with social justice. They are characterized by democratically elected governments accountable to their citizens, the rule of law, public sector transparency, respect for human rights, market economies, equal opportunities, and vibrant civil societies. Because people living in open societies acknowledge that no one has a monopoly on the truth, they are tolerant of diverse modes of thinking and behavior.

The OSI provides grants to nongovernmental organizations working to advance the basic principles of an open society. These grants are typically channeled through separate Soros Foundations that have been established in individual countries or regions. The activities of each Soros Foundation are determined by a local board of directors in consultation with the OSI board of directors. While the earliest grants were awarded to civil society groups in the former Soviet Union and the nations of central and eastern Europe, OSI has since expanded the geographic scope of its operations to support nongovernmental organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States.

By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the OSI and the Soros Foundations Network had awarded more than US$7 billion in grants. Annual allocations have surpassed US$500 million. The OSI is also engaged in public advocacy and research. The Open Society Policy Center works to influence legislation within national governments on civil liberties, minority rights, and criminal justice reform. OSI maintains administrative offices in New York, Brussels, Budapest, London, Paris, and Washington, D.C.

Grants from OSI to civil society groups generally involve support for efforts to strengthen democratic governance, protect human rights, or meet basic human needs. A central priority has been to strengthen democratic institutions and practices internationally. The institute has worked to ensure free and fair elections, either by funding voter registration and education initiatives or by supporting the direct monitoring of elections. OSI has also championed efforts to lessen public sector corruption, such as measures to ensure greater access to information about government revenues and expenditures and campaign finance reform. Strengthening civil society groups and an independent media, which are deemed critically important for holding governments accountable, have also been top priorities.

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