Foundation To Promote Open Society

The Foundation To Promote Open Society (FPOS) — the primary grantmaking vehicle within the Soros philanthropic network — operates on an almost entirely relationship-driven model. With $10.84 billion in assets and annual charitable giving ranging from $421 million to $875 million in recent years, it ranks among the five largest private foundations in the United States. The vast majority of grants are awarded to organizations that FPOS approaches directly, not to organizations that apply cold. This is the most important strategic reality for any prospective grantee to internalize before investing time in an approach.

FPOS funds across five core program areas: Democratic Governance, Human Rights, Economic Advancement, Justice and Equity, and Strategic Litigation and Impact Investment. Within these, dozens of sub-programs each maintain their own grant-making strategy and process — some issue requests for proposals (RFPs), others invite letters of inquiry (LOIs) or concept papers, and some fund exclusively by invitation. There is no single universal entry point, and no universal application deadline.

The foundation explicitly favors long-term organizational partnerships over discrete project grants. It supports movements, coalitions, networks, and informal groups (through intermediaries), and typically caps its contribution at approximately one-third of any organization's total budget — a strong signal that FPOS prioritizes grantees with diverse and stable funding bases.

For first-time applicants, the correct path is: identify the sub-program most closely aligned with your work, then reach out directly to program staff to explore fit. The foundation's grants FAQ explicitly endorses this approach. Newer or smaller organizations without direct program access can pursue funding through fiscal sponsors — Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, and The Boston Foundation are all major FPOS grantees that serve as conduits for partner organizations.

Leadership under President Binaifer Nowrojee (appointed post-Patrick Gaspard, who served until December 2020) and incoming COO Leela Ramdhani (February 2026, formerly Oxfam International) signals an orientation toward global human rights and international civil society, making alignment with global programming increasingly important for organizational grants.

FPOS's grantmaking operates at a scale that few foundations approach. From a dataset of 3,220 grants totaling $1.45 billion, the median grant is $150,000 and the average is $451,554, though the average is significantly inflated by a small number of large institutional partnerships and program-related investment transfers. For most civil society grantees, the realistic working range is $50,000–$1 million, with multi-year general operating support packages of $200,000–$500,000 per year representing the most common vehicle for established partners.

Annual giving fluctuates dramatically by year. Total grants paid were $481 million in fiscal 2024, $836 million in 2023, $450 million in 2022, $613 million in 2020, and $419 million in 2019. A notable outlier was fiscal 2021, when grants paid reached $2.38 billion — driven largely by major endowment transfers and program-related investments rather than typical charitable grantmaking. The baseline range for consistent grantee planning is $400–$875 million annually.

Geographically, the foundation shows a strong concentration in US organizational hubs: New York accounts for 572 recorded grants, Washington DC for 408, California for 185, Massachusetts for 72, and Maryland for 65. Internationally, grantees span more than 100 countries, with dense concentrations in the UK, Austria, Hungary (Central European University), and across Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.

By program area, higher education absorbs significant capital: Bard College has received $26.7 million across 11 grants; Central European University has received $21.3 million across 12 grants; the OSUN network (Open Society University Network) underpins both. Beyond education, the foundation's top grantee categories include: global democracy and governance advocacy (International Crisis Group: $12.7 million), economic justice and Latinx civic power (Amalgamated Charitable Foundation: $25.4 million), narrative infrastructure and climate mobility (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: $16.3 million), and Roma rights and minority inclusion (Roma Foundation for Europe: $15.6 million). Net investment income of $1.25–$1.5 billion annually provides a robust and consistent giving base.

The table below compares FPOS to four asset-comparable mega-foundations in the Philanthropy & Grantmaking sector:

Among peers in the $9–12 billion asset tier, FPOS is distinguished by its explicitly political mission — democracy promotion, rights advocacy, and strategic litigation — which narrows the universe of eligible grantees considerably compared to foundations with broader social sector mandates. MacArthur is the closest philosophical peer, emphasizing systems-change thinking and long-term institutional partnerships over project grants. FPOS's giving fluctuates more than Moore or Kellogg (both of which have endowment-funded grantmaking floors), partly reflecting discretionary large transfers within the Soros network and shifts in programmatic emphasis across political cycles. For organizations operating at the intersection of democracy, justice, and civil society, FPOS offers both larger potential grant sizes and deeper programmatic engagement than most comparable funders.

The 2025–2026 period has been marked by leadership transitions and strategic litigation victories. In February 2026, Leela Ramdhani joined as Chief Operating Officer, bringing extensive global civil society experience from her tenure as COO of Oxfam International. Her appointment reinforces the foundation's operational depth for international programming.

On February 23, 2026, OSF welcomed a landmark judgment from the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which held that central provisions of Denmark's "Ghetto Package" likely violate the EU's Race Equality Directive. This ruling — directly supported by OSF's strategic litigation investments — represents a significant win for minority housing rights across the EU and illustrates how FPOS uses legal strategy as a grantmaking instrument.

President Binaifer Nowrojee received the International Law Institute's 2025 Lifetime Impact Award in November 2025, affirming the foundation's continued leadership in international human rights law. George Soros was honored with the European Civil Rights Prize of the Sinti and Roma in October 2025 for decades of Roma rights investment.

The 2025–2026 Open Society Fellowship selected 31 public intellectuals from seven global cities, continuing the foundation's commitment to supporting independent scholarship outside traditional academic and media structures. In early 2025, the foundation reaffirmed it would approve further programming to advance rights, equity, and justice — signaling that total giving will remain substantial heading into 2026 despite the normalization from the 2021 peak.

Given that FPOS awards the vast majority of grants to organizations it approaches directly, the most effective application strategy is relationship cultivation before submission.

Map to a specific program, not the foundation as a whole. FPOS's five program areas (Democratic Governance, Human Rights, Economic Advancement, Justice and Equity, Strategic Litigation) each contain multiple sub-programs with distinct officers and strategies. Review the current program descriptions at opensocietyfoundations.org, identify the two or three best fits, and tailor every communication to that specific program's stated goals — not to FPOS's general mission.

Use a brief, targeted inquiry as your first contact. Two to three paragraphs is appropriate: describe your organization's mission, the specific work you want funded, your track record, and why this aligns with the identified program strategy. Do not send a full proposal or budget unsolicited. The grants FAQ explicitly endorses this direct inquiry approach.

Fiscal sponsor relationships are a legitimate path. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, and The Boston Foundation collectively received over $58 million from FPOS in recent years and serve as intermediaries for dozens of partner organizations. Approaching one of these organizations about fiscal sponsorship or sub-grant partnerships is particularly viable for organizations under three years old or without 501(c)(3) status.

For fellowship programs: The Open Society Fellowship and Leadership in Government Fellowship are among the few FPOS-administered programs accepting open applications. Both have formal application guidelines (available as PDF at opensocietyfoundations.org), specific eligibility criteria, and defined review cycles. Download the current guidelines before drafting — the Leadership in Government Fellowship guidelines for 2025 are available on the site.

Timing and patience are essential. There are no universal deadlines for organizational grants. Relationship development from first contact to grant execution typically spans six to eighteen months. Do not follow up more than once per month during cultivation.

Language that resonates: open society values, democratic accountability, systemic reform, rights-based approaches, coalition building, and civil society infrastructure. Avoid purely service-delivery framing — FPOS funds structural change, not program delivery.