Open Society Stories 2009

Open Society Stories 2009 recounts activities from a year that marked three decades of efforts to promote open society. Since 1979, the Open Society Foundations and the Soros foundations have given away over $7 billion to promote the rule of law; respect for human rights, minorities, and a diversity of opinions; democratically elected governments; and a civil society that helps keep government power in check.

Expenditures for 2009 were approximately $636 million, up $95 million from the previous year. The Open Society Foundations' priorities in 2009 included supporting public health reform, advocating for transparency and the fair distribution of natural resource riches, and improving the lives and securing the human rights of groups such as the Roma, immigrants, Muslims, and the developmentally disabled.

Some of the stories in this brochure are about the efforts of Open Society Foundations grantees. Others are about larger issues and policies the Open Society Institute is trying to improve. Together they represent only a fraction of the work the Open Society Foundations and the Soros foundations accomplished in 2009.