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Can the Open Society Foundations provide financial support to individuals, not just organizations?
Executive summary
The Open Society Foundations (OSF) primarily funds organizations but explicitly also provides grants and fellowships to individuals through specific programs such as the Open Society Fellowship, Soros Justice and Equality Fellowships, and other individual grants; OSF reported 2,350+ grants to organizations and individuals in 2023 and says the vast majority go to organizations while a limited number go to individuals [1] [2] [3]. Available sources show both ongoing individual fellowships and program-by-program discretion — they recommend inquiring with specific programs for fit [4] [5].
1. Funding profile: organizations first, individuals sometimes
OSF’s public materials make a clear pattern: most grantmaking is organization‑centered, but the foundation also “award[s] grants and fellowships … to organizations and individuals” and acknowledges that the vast majority of its grants go to organizations while it “also award[s] a limited number of grants to individuals” via fellowships and specific programs [2] [3]. OSF’s “How We Fund” page quantifies activity in 2023 as 2,350+ grants to organizations and individuals, underscoring that individual awards occur but are a smaller slice of total giving [1].
2. Where individuals get supported: fellowships and named programs
The clearest route for individuals is fellowships and named individual grant opportunities. Examples in the available material include the Open Society Fellowship (public intellectuals in selected cities), Soros Justice Fellowships, and Soros Equality Fellowship — all explicitly targeted at individuals whose work aligns with OSF goals [5] [2]. FundsForNGOs and other summaries also describe OSF’s history of providing grants to individuals in particular regions and through targeted initiatives [6] [7].
3. How OSF decides: decentralized, program‑by‑program discretion
OSF operates as a global, decentralized network of more than 100 foundations and offices, and “each program within the Open Society Foundations has its own strategy and process for selecting grantees.” That means eligibility and the likelihood an individual will be funded depend on the specific program, geographic office, and fit with OSF’s thematic goals — the site explicitly advises contacting relevant program staff to explore a fit [8] [4].
4. Scale and examples: grants range widely in size and purpose
OSF states its grants “ranging from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars—are awarded to organizations and individuals in scores of countries” and highlights examples where targeted emergency or regional funds have been created (for instance, emergency funds for Ukraine and Gaza/Israel) indicating the foundation can and does deploy variable-sized awards that sometimes target individuals through fellowships or small grants [9] [8].
5. Practical pathway if you are an individual applicant
OSF advises individuals to review program pages and contact the relevant program to inquire about fit because “each program … has its own strategy and process” and the foundation can provide both project and general support when appropriate [4]. For individual applicants the concrete options in current public material are applying for fellowships (e.g., Open Society Fellowship) or seeking competitive named fellowships like Soros Justice or Equality Fellowships [5] [2].
6. Competing viewpoints and transparency limits
OSF presents itself as increasingly open about some grantmaking, yet it also emphasizes that most funding goes to organizations and that individual grants are limited — an implicit explanation for why some critics argue OSF’s influence is mostly institutional rather than individual [3] [8]. External summaries (e.g., Inside Philanthropy, Ballotpedia) describe OSF as a large, decentralized operation with evolving transparency and priorities, which can make navigating individual funding paths uneven across regions [8] [10]. Available sources do not provide an exhaustive public list of all individual grants or a simple universal application route for every country; instead, they indicate program contact as the practical step [4].
7. What this means for applicants and journalists
If you’re an individual seeking support, treat OSF as a potential but selective funder: pursue named fellowships (Open Society Fellowship, Soros Justice/Equality Fellowships), research the program office closest to your geography or thematic area, and expect that most OSF dollars go to organizations even as individuals remain eligible in particular streams [5] [2] [1]. Journalists should report both that OSF does fund individuals and that its grantmaking is largely organization‑focused, and should cite program pages or fellowship announcements when claiming individual support has been given [3] [4].
Limitations: This analysis relies solely on OSF’s public pages and affiliated summaries provided here; available sources do not list every individual grant OSF has ever made or provide a single universal application mechanism beyond program contact and specified fellowship calls [3] [4].