Open Society Foundations

Name

Open Society Foundations

Legal name

Open Society Foundations

Website

https://opensocietyfoundations.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grant-Making Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grant-making
• Civil society funding
• Human rights advocacy
• Democratic governance support
• Impact investment

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grant-Making: The Open Society Foundations operates as a philanthropic organization funded primarily by George Soros's personal fortune. The foundation gives grants to organizations and individuals promoting democratic governance, human rights, and social justice. Total expenditures over three decades exceed $24 billion, with $1.2 billion in 2024 alone. Funding supports strategic litigation, non-profit sector defense, government corruption tracking, and civil society organizations worldwide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Open Society Foundations is a global philanthropy that distributes grants to civil society organizations, advocacy groups, academics, and individuals working to build vibrant and inclusive democracies. Its activities include direct grant-making, strategic litigation support, research and publications, policy advocacy, and impact investment through arms such as the Soros Economic Development Fund, deployed across six regions including Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, and the United States.

Product overview

The Open Society Foundations is a global philanthropy organization that does not offer traditional technology products or SaaS offerings. Instead, it operates as a grant-giving foundation focused on building vibrant and inclusive democracies. The organization provides grants to diverse groups and individuals who promote its values of justice, equity, and human rights. OSF's work encompasses grant making, research, advocacy, impact investment, and strategic litigation across multiple geographic regions including Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, and the United States. The organization has offices worldwide and produces publications, news content, and maintains a website as a digital presence for sharing information about its mission and work, but does not offer software products, APIs, or technology platforms as offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Soros Economic Development Fund: Impact investment arm of Open Society that deploys catalytic capital to address challenges facing democracy and open society.
• Open Society Justice Initiative

Products and services

• Direct Grant-Making Program Direct grants to civil society organizations, NGOs, advocacy groups, academics, and individuals worldwide, ranging from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars, supporting work on democratic governance, human rights, rule of law, civil liberties, and economic justice.
• Strategic Litigation Support Funding and support for strategic litigation on human rights, government accountability, and atrocity crimes, including through the Open Society Justice Initiative.
• Soros Economic Development Fund (Impact Investment) Impact investment vehicle deploying catalytic capital to support enterprises and initiatives aligned with democratic and open society values, including regenerative agriculture, sustainable energy, and biodiversity protection.
• U.S. Economic Security and Civil Liberties Initiative A $300 million, five-year thematic grant initiative in the United States focused on economic security and civil liberties, funding civil rights, policy, and advocacy organizations including the Roosevelt Institute, Groundwork Collaborative, and National Women's Law Center.
• Antisemitism and Anti-Muslim Discrimination Initiative A $30 million, three-year thematic grant initiative to combat antisemitism and anti-Muslim discrimination, funding organizations such as the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Nexus Project, and Shoulder to Shoulder.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ grants awarded to organizations and individuals worldwide
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fondation Connaissance et Liberte (FOKAL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022FOKAL was Open Society's Haiti foundation, founded in 1995. In 2022, FOKAL became a fully independent entity, transitioning from being part of the Open Society network to operating independently while maintaining alignment with open society values.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ford Foundation: One of the largest US private foundations with a comparable global grantmaking footprint and focus on democracy, human rights, and inequality. Directly comparable as a multi-billion-dollar, internationally distributed philanthropy operating a similar program-driven model.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The world's largest private foundation with similarly massive scale (endowment tens of billions) and global grantmaking across health, governance, and equity. Comparable as a mega-foundation deploying billions annually through programmatic strategy and partnerships.
• Carnegie Corporation of New York: Major US private foundation with parallel focus on democracy, education, and international peace. Closely comparable in mission, scale, and historical roots as a programmatic philanthropy working through grants and advocacy.
• John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation: Large US private foundation with global grantmaking in human rights, democratic governance, and conservation. Comparable in operating model, endowment scale, and strategy of combining long-term grants with high-profile initiatives (e.g., MacArthur Fellows).
• Rockefeller Foundation: Historic US private foundation with global programs in health, equity, and democratic resilience. Comparable as a century-old endowment-driven philanthropy pursuing systemic change through grants and field-building.
• William and Flora Hewlett Foundation: Major US private foundation with substantial global democracy and human rights grantmaking. Directly comparable as a multi-billion-dollar programmatic funder with similar strategic-grants approach.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Large privately funded philanthropy with deep civic engagement and democracy programs globally. Comparable as a wealth-backed foundation deploying hundreds of millions annually into advocacy and governance reform.
• Kresge Foundation: US private foundation with significant US-focused grantmaking on equity, civic infrastructure, and climate. Comparable as a multi-billion-dollar programmatic philanthropy with a domestic focus overlapping OSF's US portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Oxfam International: Global confederation focused on poverty, inequality, and rights, employing advocacy, research, and grants across dozens of countries. Comparable in international advocacy footprint and operating model that overlaps with grantees OSF funds.

Regional players

• Human Rights Watch: Global human rights organization conducting research and advocacy that frequently intersects with OSF's grantmaking priorities. Comparable as a beneficiary-style partner and adjacent operating entity in the same thematic space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/opensociety
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/OpenSociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/opensocietyfoundations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-society-foundations
• Instagraminstagram.com/opensocietyfoundations
• TikToktiktok.com/@opensociety

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Open Society Foundations