Gary LaMarche, Director The Open Society Institute is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that promotes the development of open society around the world. OSI 's U.S. Programs seek to strengthen democracy in the United States by addressing barriers to opportunity and justice, broadening public discussion about such barriers, and assisting marginalized groups to participate equally in civil society and to make their voices heard. U.S. Programs challenge over-reliance on the market by advocating appropriate government responsibility for human needs and promoting public interest and service values in law, medicine, and the media. OSI is part of the network of foundations, created and funded by George Soros, active in more than 50 countries around the world.
Priority is given to projects addressing contemporary issues.
The goal of this program is to raise public consciousness about human rights abuses and restrictions of civil liberties, to give voice to the diverse speech which is crucial to an open society, and to engage citizens in debate about these issues. We do not fund series, historical documentaries or biographies.