Open Society Foundations ECONOMIC EQUITY AND JUSTICE The Open Society Foundations work to promote economic development that advances social and racial justice, sustainability, and democracy. $136.4M 2020 EXPENDITURES FOR ECONOMIC EQUITY AND JUSTICE 13.6% PERCENTAGE OF GLOBAL EXPENDITURES 17.3% AVERAGE ANNUAL CHANGE IN EXPENDITURES SINCE 2016 Explore our full expenditures by theme and region OUR WORK Panama City's Boca La Caja and Punta Pacifica neighborhood on April 28, 2014. © Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Open Society’s early work on economic issues included support for affordable housing finance in South Africa after the end of apartheid, and work on revenue transparency in the oil, gas, and mining industries. Today, we support an array of groups working to advance systemic reform of fiscal systems, corporate governance, and labor rights and protections. We back organizations who share our belief that every person deserves to live a life of dignity, grounded in the rights to equal opportunity and a core set of basic goods and services, regardless of differences shaped by birth, luck, and oppression. We also fund technical assistance to governments and policymakers to promote accountable and equitable economic policy. Our impact investment arm, the Soros Economic Development Fund, invests in ventures that deliver positive social change. Currently, we are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with support for low-income and migrant workers, and with advocacy and impact investments aimed at ensuring equal and affordable access to any COVID-19-related therapies and vaccines. Advancing Worker Rights Activists protest to raise awareness of the risks COVID-19 poses to already vulnerable groups, such as incarcerated persons and essential workers, in Washington, D.C., on April 27, 2020. © Caroline Brehman/CQ-RollCall/Getty We support efforts by communities and workers to organize and have a say in decisions impacting them—a key protection that is increasingly under threat. This includes supporting migrants, women, and people from ethnic or racial minorities whose work is particularly exposed to exploitation. Our grantees include the International Domestic Workers’ Federation, which seeks to organize to protect and advance domestic and household workers’ rights worldwide. What Does Justice Have to Do with Overcoming Poverty? EXPLAINER Checking Corporate Power A farmer holds a young rice plant in a paddy owned by a foreign company in the Limpopo Valley, Mozambique, on March 24, 2017. © Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images Our Human Rights Initiative supports activists around the world who are fighting for enforced rules that protect people and the planet from unfettered corporate power. We work to ensure that local communities can use existing laws to protect their lands or livelihoods from illegal seizures or environmental damage. We also seek to raise regulatory standards for corporations and investors, such as backing demands that the European Union require companies to assess and reduce their human rights and environmental risks and impacts. Tax and Accountability Students at a primary school look at a charts displaying information that tracks government funds and expenditure for the school in Kitana, Tanzania, on January 29, 2010. © Andrew McConnell/Panos/Redux Our Economic Justice Program has been an active supporter of the Open Government Partnership, an initiative that brings together governments and civil society groups to promote inclusive, responsive, and accountable government—including in tax and budget spending. Impact Investing Two farmers in Junnar, India, on October 28, 2018. © Atul Loke/NYTimes/Redux The Soros Economic Development Fund, part of our Economic Justice Program, seeks to make private-sector investments in sectors where established funding pipelines do not exist, and to deliver clear benefits to our target communities, including women; refugees, migrants, and their host communities; and groups that face exclusion on racial or ethnic grounds. Using the Power of the Law An anticorruption sign at the side of a road in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on July 31, 2006. © Jenny Matthews/Panos/Redux Lawyers at our Open Society Justice Initiative continue to develop innovative approaches to using the law to support economic and social rights—from using European law to challenge mortgage-related home repossessions in Ireland, to using rights arguments to challenge corruption in Sierra Leone before West Africa’s regional court. READ MORE A JUST RECOVERY How the U.S. Can Mitigate the Pandemic’s Global Economic Impact By helping low-income countries with policy challenges relating to sovereign debt, tax dodging, and workers’ rights, the United States can begin to repair its alliances and reputation. DECEMBER 3, 2020 | JULIE MCCARTHY A NEW AND BETTER NORMAL It’s Time to Rethink How We Regulate Global Trade While conventional wisdom promotes laissez-faire trade policy, the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has shown that the dominant paradigm is in need of a serious reevaluation. NOVEMBER 11, 2020 | BETH BALTZAN PUBLICATION Working Together to Address Health Workforce Mobility in Europe In Europe, the migration of health workers from east to west has had significant impacts—including the loss of skilled health professionals. This policy brief offers six key insights concerning policies that are needed across the EU. SEPTEMBER 2020 Read more from this theme: Economic Equity and Justice 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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