Open Society Foundations Launch $300 Million Initiative to Advance Economic Security and Defend Civil Liberties in the United States

NEW YORK—The Open Society Foundations today announced a bold new initiative to improve the daily lives of Americans and stand up for the rule of law while strengthening rights and freedoms under attack across the United States. The $300 million investment reflects the organization’s commitment to defending against efforts to erode freedoms and civil liberties in the United States, and its belief that economic security and rights must advance together to protect democracy. 

This commitment builds on the significant investments Open Society has made in the United States to support rights, equity, and justice, and represents a meaningful expansion of the Foundations’ work on democracy reform and economic justice. It complements other ongoing U.S. initiatives, including on drug policy reform, migration, U.S. foreign policy, and our impact investing and strategic litigation work.

“Democratic governments must create opportunity for all Americans—not just in principle, but in their daily lives. Guaranteed rights and freedoms are just as critical as broad economic prosperity and are the strongest defense we have against a closed society,” said Alex Soros, chair of the Open Society Foundations. “Our new investments will tackle these twin challenges of improving economic well-being and expanding rights so that opportunity and freedom are finally both defining features of American life and democracy.” 

Through this effort, Open Society will issue grants to organizations at the national, state, and local levels working across the following pillars: 

• Defending Civil Liberties and Standing for the Rule of Law: Open Society will redouble efforts to support partners on the front lines defending against erosions of civil liberties and the rule of law. This includes grants that defend civil society against the attacks it faces, support strategic litigation challenging government overreach, and back efforts to expose corruption and hold government accountable. 
• Expanding Civil Rights and Creating Economic Opportunity: In parallel, Open Society will support initiatives that advance racial and economic justice together, so that more Americans live with dignity and security, with equal access to jobs that pay a living wage, affordable childcare and elder care, and protections against emerging forms of discrimination, including algorithmic bias. This work will also seek to reform structural barriers that limit political participation at the federal, state, and local levels. 

“This initiative builds on a long American tradition that links liberty to livelihood” said Binaifer Nowrojee, president of the Open Society Foundations. “Today, that promise remains unfulfilled. Open Society is committed to supporting the realization of these longstanding aspirations for the next generation.” 

Open Society is launching this commitment at a time of profound challenge for the United States amid economic insecurity, declining trust in institutions, and assaults on basic rights as we approach the 250th anniversary of its founding. 
 
“This is both a moral and material response to a time when rights and freedoms are being rolled back across the country, and far too many people cannot afford the basics even though we live in the wealthiest country in the world,” said Laleh Ispahani, managing director for the U.S. at Open Society. “We will invest in new thinking to reimagine and reframe individual rights and core economic needs. Open Society has decades of experience tackling these issues here and around the world. We must now take up this task in the more deeply connected way MLK and FDR envisioned—to defend and bolster fundamental freedoms hand in hand with promoting policies that expand opportunity.”