Open Society Foundations WHO WE ARE HOW WE WORK WHAT WE DO EQUALITY AND ANTIDISCRIMINATION The Open Society Foundations view equal treatment for all—regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or sexual identity—as a fundamental part of healthy democracies. $137.1M 2020 EXPENDITURES FOR EQUALITY AND ANTIDISCRIMINATION 13.7% PERCENTAGE OF GLOBAL EXPENDITURES 11.5% AVERAGE ANNUAL CHANGE IN EXPENDITURES SINCE 2016 Explore our full expenditures by theme and region OUR WORK On a range of issues, affecting diverse populations, we support groups that speak out and litigate on behalf of communities who face discrimination—at work, on the street, in access to health care and other public services, or before the law. Disability Rights The Open Society Foundations supports efforts to change discriminatory laws, practices, and attitudes that hinder full equality and inclusion of persons with disabilities in their communities. In a rural village in Fiji, local persons with disabilities participate in a training on disability rights. © Andy Isaacson/Disability Rights Fund Roma George Soros and the Open Society Foundations are the leading private funder of efforts to support Europe’s estimated 10 to 12 million Roma people. A grade school-aged girl stands with her father outside her school, which educates Roma and non-Roma children together, in Ostrava, Czech Republic. © Bjoern Steinz/Panos for the Open Society Foundations Today our Roma Initiatives Office focuses on building the capacity of an emerging generation of young men and women to take a leadership role in their communities, providing training and educational opportunities to be a force for social change. We support local grassroots organizations that work to secure better access for Roma to health care, education, and other public services. Demonstrators gather after marching at the Louisiana Capitol to protest the shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 9, 2016. © Mark Wallheiser/Getty Racial Justice in the United States Open Society-U.S. support groups that work on a range of issues affecting communities of color, including the racial wealth gap, a justice system that disproportionately incarcerates African Americans, and overly punitive school discipline policies. We have also focused on efforts to improve opportunities for Black men and boys in the United States, and to support the development of the next generation of minority communities across the country. Statelessness A woman holds her ID card, which shows that she is a citizen, in Kailali, Nepal. © Kishor Sharma/Majority World for the Open Society Foundations An estimated 14 million people around the world are stateless—often lacking the identity documents they need to secure access to public services such as health care and education. The Open Society Justice Initiative has taken a global lead in pursuing legal action to address statelessness, which can fuel conflict and exclude entire communities from access to their rights. LGBTI Rights A demonstrator holds the rainbow flag during the first LGBTI pride event ever held in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2010. © Charles Meacham/Redux Our Human Rights Initiative funds a range of LGBTI advocacy organizations, and supports groups that are advancing rights in areas such as the legal recognition of gender fluidity. Fighting Prejudice and Hate Muslim residents walk past a wall which has a racial slur painted on it in Saint-Etienne, France on February 8, 2010. © Laurent Cipriani/AP Concerns over terrorism and a rise in ethnic nationalism have fueled intolerance and sometimes violence toward both migrants and minorities in Western Europe and the United States. In the United States, we have responded by funding efforts to better document and track hate crimes, while in Europe we promote the successful integration of new migrants into host communities. Open Society’s Human Rights Initiative is working with our African regional foundations to end discrimination and violence targeting people with albinism, which affects an estimated one in five thousand people in sub-Saharan Africa. A human rights lawyer who is also a person with albinism stands up during a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya in June, 2018. © Sven Torfinn/Panos for the Open Society Foundations READ MORE NATIONAL SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS Rebuilding and Resilience: 20 Years Since 9/11 On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Open Society shares reflections from partners on the road traveled since—and the hard work still ahead. SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 | LALEH ISPAHANI JUSTICE FOR ALL Q&A: A Different Approach to Disability Gerard Quinn, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of People with Disabilities, explains how he’s using his office to boldly push for a more inclusive world. JUNE 21, 2021 ALBINISM IN AFRICA IN DEPTH “We Are Tired of Being Ignored” Following a brutal murder in Mali, one of Africa’s most celebrated artists helped rally a movement to defend the rights of people with albinism, and organized a defiant musical festival unlike anything the world had ever seen. MAY 29, 2019 | DAVID DANZIG Read more from this theme: Equality and Antidiscrimination Subscribe to updates about Open Society’s work around the world By entering your email address and clicking “Submit,” you agree to receive updates from the Open Society Foundations about our work. To learn more about how we use and protect your personal data, please view our privacy policy. VOICES Read the latest from our staff, grantees, and partners about how we’re working around the world to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people. Learn more HOW WE FUND Every year the Open Society Foundations give thousands of grants to groups and individuals that work on the issues we focus on—promoting tolerance, transparency, and open debate. Learn more WHO WE ARE Our History George Soros Leadership Financials Policies Programs Offices and Foundations HOW WE WORK How We Fund Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships Awarded Grants WHAT WE DO Where We Work Themes Events Newsroom Publications Employment Contact Us © 2021 Open Society Foundations, some rights reserved. Terms and Conditions Privacy Accessibility We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience of our website, to collect anonymous statistics, and to keep our site reliable and secure. 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