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Fact check: Are there any known connections between antifa and billionaire philanthropists like George Soros?
Executive Summary
Multiple recent articles and organizational letters claim that George Soros’s Open Society Foundations provided more than $80 million to groups alleged to have ties to violent or extremist activity, and some commentators link those groups to campaigns associated with anti-fascist (antifa) activists. Reporting on these claims is contested: some outlets present the $80 million allegation directly (dated mid–September 2025), while others contextually rebut or describe such narratives as part of broader conspiratorial framing of Soros and progressive philanthropy (September 2025) [1] [2].
1. Explosive allegation: Who says Soros funded groups tied to violence — and what do they claim?
A cluster of September 2025 reports asserts that the Open Society Foundations “funneled $80 million” to organizations characterized as praising or facilitating violent protests, with named recipients including the Center for Third World Organizing and the Sunrise Movement and an asserted link to the Stop Cop City campaign that has been described as antifa-linked. These pieces present the $80 million figure as a central finding and connect specific activist groups to episodes of unrest or campaigns labeled by critics as extremist [1]. The claims were published in mid- to late-September 2025 and have been amplified by advocacy organizations asking for action [3].
2. Pushback and context: Coverage that frames the claims as part of a broader narrative
Other reporting in the same September 2025 window places the $80 million allegation in a broader media pattern that assigns Soros responsibility for diverse left-wing activism and conspiratorial blame. These analyses emphasize that Open Society publicly condemns violence and argue that funding for progressive causes is not evidence of direct operational control over protests or violent acts. The contextual pieces stress that donations to advocacy, research, and community-organizing groups do not equate to sponsorship of violent tactics, highlighting a gap between grantmaking and on-the-ground conduct [2].
3. Who is raising concerns and what actions followed the allegations?
Conservative watchdogs and advocacy groups pushed the claim into requests for withdrawal of funding, with the National Legal and Policy Center explicitly urging Open Society leadership to cease support for groups it says engaged in violent or vandalistic protests, referencing incidents in 2025 and urging scrutiny of grant recipients. These appeals frame the grants as politically consequential and actionable, and they were circulated in mid-September 2025 as part of targeted pressure campaigns [3]. The existence of such requests reflects how allegations translate into institutional and political pressure.
4. Evidence gaps: What the immediate reporting does not establish
The available analyses show assertions of grant totals and named recipients but do not uniformly present chain-of-custody documentation linking specific OSF grants to operational support for violent acts, nor do they universally demonstrate direct coordination between philanthropists and antifa networks. Some sources are repetitions or emphatic headlines with limited public disclosure of primary grant agreements in the presented summaries; they stop short of proving intent to fund violence rather than broad civic or advocacy work. The distinction between funding general organizing and funding violent operations remains the critical evidentiary gap in these September 2025 reports [1].
5. Competing agendas: How source selection shapes the story
Coverage comes from outlets and organizations with clear political aims, and each framing serves an identifiable constituency: advocacy groups pressing for accountability emphasize alleged links to violence, while mainstream analysis pieces caution against scapegoating and stress philanthropic norms. The repetition of the $80 million number across ideologically aligned reports increases circulation but does not by itself resolve contested interpretations. Readers should note that requests for policy change and investigative headlines both function as advocacy tools, influencing public perception irrespective of fully adjudicated evidence [3] [2].
6. Bottom line for the question: Are there known direct connections between antifa and Soros?
Based on the examined September 2025 material, there are published allegations that Open Society Foundations gave over $80 million to groups criticized for links to violent or extremist actions, and some critics draw lines from those groups to antifa-associated campaigns. However, the reporting provided here does not present incontrovertible, public documentation of direct operational financing of antifa as an organized entity; the evidence cited shows grantmaking to progressive organizations and subsequent contested interpretations of those organizations’ activities. Readers should weigh the September 2025 allegations against contextual rebuttals and recognize the role of advocacy agendas in shaping claims [1] [2].