NEW YORK—The Open Society Foundations help fund an array of nonprofit civil society groups across the United States that advocate for a fairer world.
The vast majority of these groups have no involvement with protests of any kind. Others may seek to articulate and amplify dissenting voices through, for example, petitions, meetings, and peaceful public protests.
These decisions on how best to advance change lie with our grantees, not with Open Society; we adopt an arm’s length approach to grantees once our publicly disclosed funding decisions are made. Open Society does not pay protestors. We never, and will never, coordinate, train, or strategize with protest organizers or participants.
At the same time, in all their work, our grantees are expected to adhere to the principles of nonviolence grounded in the human rights that are inherent to Open Society’s mission.
We recognize that the ability to engage in nonviolent public protest is a hallmark of any vibrant democracy—and that in the United States this right is secured by the Constitution.
Read more
Online Hate Speech
New SEC Complaint Says Meta Misled Shareholders over Myanmar Hate

A whistleblower complaint to the SEC argues that the social media giant Meta misrepresented its role in fueling violence against Myanmar’s Rohingya—highlighting the need for more platform accountability for online hate.
Civic Engagement
Bolstering Women and Youth, Linchpins of Democracy

Philanthropy has historically underfunded women and youth. Open Society’s new $50 million investment in their engagement addresses that imbalance—and builds on recent surges in civic engagement crucial to the future of American democracy.
Art and Activism
Reimagining January 6th

The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol left him in a cold sweat. Creating a comic book seemed like one way to reach people not obsessively following the news and spark activism to help defend a multicultural democracy.