Open Society Institute
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The Open Society Institute is a George Soros project that works to build "vibrant and tolerant democracies" by trying to shape public policies.
On a local level, OSI tries advance justice, education, public health, and independent media while also building alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information.
Connecting "progressives"
On November 29, 2006 Open Society Institute held a roundtable discussion entitled "How Do Progressives Connect Ideas to Action?"
- Individuals and organizations with similarly progressive goals often dilute their power by working alone or even working at cross-purposes. As Americans who are politically left of center move forward, questions of infrastructure, communication, and collaboration are particularly important.
Participants included several key leaders of the "progressive" movement[1];
- Eric Foner Columbia University, Department of History
- Michel Gelobter Redefining Progress
- Alan Jenkins Opportunity Agenda
- Stephanie Robinson The Jamestown Project at Yale
- Joel Rogers University of Wisconsin Law School
- Andrea Batista Schlesinger Drum Major Institute for Public Policy
- Katrina vanden Heuvel The Nation editor.
Initiatives
Along with the rest of the Soros Foundations Network members, the following are initiatives for the OSI:
- AfriMAP
- Arts & Culture Program
- Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative
- Central Eurasia Project
- Children and Youth Programs
- Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap
- Documentary Photography Project
- East Africa Initiative (OSIEA)
- East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program
- Education Support Program
- EU Monitoring & Advocacy Program
- Global Drug Policy Program
- Human Rights and Governance Grants Program
- Information Program
- International Higher Education Support Program
- International Policy Fellowships
- International Women's Program
- Latin America Program
- Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative-LGI
- Middle East & North Africa Initiative
- Network Media Program
- Open Society Fellowship
- Open Society Justice Initiative
- Public Health Program
- Roma Initiatives
- Scholarship Programs
- Think Tank Fund
- Turkmenistan Project
- U.S. Programs
- Youth Initiative
Grants distributed
Unions
| Grant recipient | Purpose | Amount | Year | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Inc. | General support | $250,000 | 2004 | 1-year |
| Reproductive Freedom Project | $100,000 | 2004 | 1-year | |
| Second year of the Aryeh Neier fellowship prog. | $75,000 | 2004 | 1-year | |
| Union of Concerned Scientists, Inc. | Scientific Integrity Program | $400,000 | 2006 | 2-year |
| Consumers Union of United States, Inc. | Democratic Pluralism in Media project | $150,000 | 2004 | 1-year |
| Grassroots organizations and media | $200,000 | 2005 | 2-year | |
| New York Civil Liberties Union Foundation | Protecting Protest project | $150,000 | 2004 | 1-year |
| Completion of the Protecting Protest project | $48,000 | 2005 | 1-year | |
| Union for Reform Judaism | Religious Action Center's Deborah Campaign | $35,000 | 2006 | 1-year |
| Religious Action Center's Deborah Campaign | $75,000 | 2005 | 1-year | |
| American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Maryland, Inc. | Fundraising and management capacity | $29,500 | 2004 | 1-year |
| Public school reform through advocacy, monitoring and public information activities | $130,000 | 2006 | 2-year | |
| Advocacy, litigation, public education and mobilization activities to secure adequate funding for public education in Maryland and effective reform in the Baltimore City Public School System | $100,000 | 2004 | 2-year | |
| Union Memorial Hospital | Improve health and drug addiction treatment outcomes for heroin addicted patients transitioning from Baltimore hospitals to the community | $50,100 | 2004 | 28-month |
| Open Society Institute Budapest Foundation | Teaching and special projects exclusively to alumni of the Edmund S. Muskie/FREEDOM Support Act Graduate Fellowship Program in the 15 countries of the former Soviet Union | $306,643 | 2004 | 1-year |
To individuals
| Grant recipient location | Purpose | Amount | Year | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaounde, Cameroon | Attend the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Conference and the Treatment Action Group's Community Workshop in Paris, October 30th to November 6th, 2006 | $2,199 | 2006 | 1- month |
| Astana, Kazakhstan | Professional development of junior faculty from former Soviet Union countries | $15,000 | 2006 | 4-month |
| Telavi, Georgia | Professional development of junior faculty from former Soviet Union countries | $15,000 | 2006 | 4-month |
| Jalalabat, Kyrgyzstan | Professional development of junior faculty from former Soviet Union countries | $15,000 | 2006 | 4-month |
| Telavi, Georgia | Professional development of junior faculty from former Soviet Union countries | $15,000 | 2006 | 5-month |
| Astana, Kazakhstan | Professional development of junior faculty from former Soviet Union countries | $15,000 | 2006 | 4-month |
| Tbilisi, Georgia | Professional development of junior faculty from former Soviet Union countries | $15,000 | 2004 | 10-month[2] |
In 2006 for a 15-month term, the Open Society Institute awarded a $100,000 grant to the SEIU Support and Education Fund to support the Since Sliced Bread project.