Open Society Foundations commit $50M to women and youth groups' work on democracy
The major philanthropy, Open Society Foundations, said Tuesday it will commit $50 million to increase civic engagement among women and youth over the next three years as part of its strategy to support democracy in the U.S. Alex Soros, chair of the Ope...
NEW YORK — Open Society Foundations, the major philanthropy now led by Alex Soros, said Tuesday it will commit $50 million to increase civic engagement among women and young people over the next three years as part of its strategy to support democracy in the U.S.
Alex Soros, chair of the Open Society Foundations and son of its founder billionaire investor George Soros, said advocacy from women and younger generations is essential to stopping the advancement of authoritarianism.
“In the early stages of the Trump administration, philanthropic support for organizations seeking to protect and defend progressive policy wins and to counter democratic suppression efforts surged,” Alex Soros said in a statement. «But groups dedicated to the civic engagement of women and young people did not see similar increases in levels of support.”
The new Open Society commitment will support nonprofits working on a wide range of issues impacting these groups, including reproductive justice, climate change, voting and gun safety.
Such support is needed, said Shawnda Chapman, director of innovative grantmaking and research for the Ms. Foundation for Women, adding that foundations looking to support social justice need to fund nonprofits in the movement as if they want them to win. The Ms. Foundation published research last week advocating for more financial support for women and gender nonconforming people of color leading nonprofits on the frontlines of social justices issues.
The second
Read more on abcnews.go.com
