What Is Open Society?

Open Society Foundations

Dear friends,

You may have visited our website. Maybe you’ve applied for or received a grant from us. You may follow our work on an issue of concern to you, such as promoting safe and sane drug policies or stopping discrimination against the Roma in Europe.

But given the complexity and breadth of what we do, it’s fair to ask: What are the Open Society Foundations truly all about? What are the ideals, passions, and strategies that fuel our work?

An Introduction to the Open Society Foundations

Watch this brief video introduction, in which George Soros and I, along with grantees and other members of the Open Society family, consider those questions.

I hope the film captures something of what has brought you into this family, too: what has led you to work toward the ideal of an open society in your own community and to get engaged.

“All our social institutions are imperfect and ought to hold themselves open to improvement,” says George Soros in the video. “That is the ideal of open society.” What does open society mean to you?

Please watch, and share your thoughts with us.

Thank you for reading (and watching!),

Chris Stone
President, Open Society Foundations
@OSFChris