Soros Foundations

From the Soros Foundations web pages:

Overview
"The Soros foundations -- managed by George Soros -- network includes Soros foundations covering more than 50 countries; Open Society Institute (OSI) initiatives that address specific issue areas on a regional or network-wide basis and support the work of those foundations; and initiatives that deal specifically with the United States and are currently administered under U.S. Programs - as well as the OSI and its offices.

"The Soros foundations are autonomous institutions established in particular countries or regions to initiate and support open society activities. The priorities and specific activities of each Soros foundation are determined by a local board of directors and staff in consultation with George Soros and OSI boards and advisors. In addition to support from the Open Society Institute, many of the foundations receive funding from other sources.

"The Soros foundations consist of national foundations in 29 countries, foundations in Kosovo and Montenegro, and two regional foundations, the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa. The two regional foundations, which are governed by their own boards of directors and staffs from the region, make grants in 27 African countries. All of the foundations share the common goal of transforming closed societies into open ones and protecting and expanding the values of existing open societies."

The conservative Capital Research Center (CRC) has criticised Soros in a number of articles. CRC, a champion of the conservatives defund the left campaign - is critical of foundations that support 'liberal groups'.

List of foundations

 * Open Society Foundation For Albania
 * Open Society Institute – Macedonia
 * Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation – Armenia
 * Soros Foundation – Moldova
 * Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation – Azerbaijan
 * Mongolian Foundation For Open Society – Mongolia
 * Open Society Fund – Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * Open Society Institute – Montenegro
 * Open Society Foundation – Sofia (Bulgaria)
 * Open Society Institute – Croatia
 * Open Society Foundation – Romania
 * Open Society Fund – Prague (Czech Republic)
 * Open Society Institute – Russia
 * Open Estonia Foundation – Estonia
 * Fund For An Open Society – Serbia
 * Open Society Georgia Foundation
 * Open Society Fund – Bratislava (Slovakia)
 * Fundacion Soros – Guatemala
 * Open Society Foundation For South Africa
 * Fondation Connaissance Et Liberte (Haiti)
 * Open Society Initiative For Southern Africa
 * Soros Foundation – Hungary
 * Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation – Tajikistan
 * Soros Foundation – Kazakhstan
 * Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation – Turkey
 * Kosova Foundation For Open Society
 * International Renaissance Foundation (Ukraine)
 * Soros Foundation – Kyrgyzstan
 * Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation – Uzbekistan
 * Soros Foundation – Latvia
 * Open Society Initiative For West Africa
 * Open Society Fund – Lithuania
 * Stefan Batory Foundation (Poland)
 * Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa

OSI Initiatives
"The Open Society Institute's initiatives address specific issue areas on a regional or network-wide basis around the world. Most of the initiatives are administered by OSI in New York or OSI - Budapest and implemented in cooperation with Soros foundations in various countries."

"The nearly 20 OSI initiatives cover a range of activities aimed at building free and open societies, including the strengthening of civil society; economic reform; education at all levels; human rights; legal reform and public administration; media and communications; public health; and arts and culture. OSI in New York also operates special initiatives such as the Central Eurasia Project, the Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative, and the European Union Accession Monitoring Program."

U.S. Programs
"The Open Society Institute's U.S. Programs support initiatives in a range of social areas, including access to justice for low- and moderate-income people; independence of the judiciary; ending the death penalty; reducing gun violence and over-reliance on incarceration; drug policy reform; inner-city education and youth programs; reproductive health and choice; campaign finance reform; and improved care of the dying."

Publications

 * Open Society News: A quarterly newsletter dedicated to reporting on the programs and activities of the network of independent foundations created and funded by George Soros.
 * Ideas for an Open Society: A bimonthly publication produced by U.S. Programs that promotes provocative ideas and innovative strategies to advance open society values.

Contact
Open Society Institute 400 West 59th Street New York, NY 10019 USA Phone: 1-212-548-0600 Web: http://www.soros.org