Open Society Institute
Private foundation NYEIN 13-7029285
Open Society Institute is a grantmaker based in New York, NY (EIN 13-7029285). Its most recent IRS filing reports about $269M in grants paid across 676 awards in 2023. Its largest giving areas are Education, Environment, Community Development. This profile is built from public IRS giving history — it reflects what the funder has actually funded, not an open call for proposals.
Funding capacity & financials (FY2023)
From Open Society Institute's IRS Form 990. Assets show capacity; the giving rate shows how actively they deploy it (a private foundation must pay out ~5%/yr) — useful for sizing your ask.
Leadership & board
Officers, directors & key staff from Open Society Institute's IRS Form 990 (Part VII).
Who does the Open Society Institute fund?
The Open Society Institute is a private foundation that awards grants nationally (and, in some cases, internationally). According to its most recent IRS Form 990-PF filing (FY2023), it paid about $269M across 676 grants, concentrated in Education, Environment, Community Development and Human Services.
What types of organizations does the Open Society Institute fund?
The Open Society Institute's recent grants went to nonprofits and institutions working in Education, Environment, Community Development and Human Services. Recent recipients include Bard College, Central European University, Central European University. Because giving is reported in aggregate on the 990-PF, the best signal of fit is the funder's giving history below.
How much does the Open Society Institute give, and what is a typical grant?
In FY2023, the Open Society Institute awarded about $269M across 676 grants — an average grant of about $398K and a median of about $33K.
Where does the Open Society Institute award grants?
The Open Society Institute awards grants nationally (and, in some cases, internationally), based on the locations of the recipient organizations in its 990-PF giving records.
Does the Open Society Institute accept unsolicited grant applications?
GrantSonar has no verified information on whether the Open Society Institute accepts unsolicited applications or has an open application cycle. This profile is built from IRS giving records, which show past grants, not current application rules. Check the Open Society Institute's own website or its latest IRS filing before reaching out.
Who are recent Open Society Institute grant recipients?
Recent Open Society Institute grant recipients include Bard College ($45M); Central European University ($41M); Central European University ($30M); Central European University ($9.3M); Bard College ($7.5M); Media Development Investment Fund ($5.0M). The full recipient list and giving history are available on GrantSonar.
Past Open Society Institute grant recipients
GrantSonar holds 676 itemized recipient records for the Open Society Institute from its IRS filings. The 25 largest are listed, with the fiscal year and the purpose the filing states. The full list is on GrantSonar.
| Recipient | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bard CollegeNY | $45M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Central European UniversityNY | $41M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Central European UniversityNY | $30M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Central European UniversityNY | $9.3M | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE LAUNCH OF THE OSUN RESEARCH EXCELLENCE HUB AT CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY'S BUDAPEST CAMPUS |
| Bard CollegeNY | $7.5M | 2023 | TO SUPPORT BARD COLLEGE'S CENTER FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AS THE NEW ADMINISTRATIVE HUB FOR THE OPEN SOCIETY UNIVERSITY NETWORK'S OPERATIONS |
| Media Development Investment FundNY | $5.0M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Kurawal Foundation | $3.2M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| New Venture FundDC | $3.2M | 2023 | TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE POOLED FUND ON SPYWARE ACCOUNTABILITY THAT SUPPORTS CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS TO INVESTIGATE AND EXPOSE MERCENARY SPYWARE AND HELP BRING ACCOUNTABILITY TO TH... |
| International Consortium Of Investigative JournaliDC | $3.0M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| The Barack Obama FoundationIL | $3.0M | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE FOUNDATIONS EFFORTS TO SCALE UP THEIR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AND IN PARTICULAR, OBAMA FOUNDATION LEADERS, SCHOLARS AND FELLOWS PROGRAMS |
| Journalism Development NetworkDC | $2.6M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| New Venture FundDC | $2.5M | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE JOINT SKILLS BUILDING AND STRATEGIZING OF ACTIVISTS WORKING NATIONALLY AND ACROSS BORDERS TO RENEW DEMOCRACY AND RESIST BACKSLIDING |
| European Council On Foreign Relations | $2.5M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Center For Global DevelopmentDC | $2.1M | 2023 | TO DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS AND SUPPORT RESEARCH THAT WILL BUILD CONSENSUS ON THE REVISED SCOPE AND FOCUS OF THE MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS |
| Natural Resource Governance InstituteNY | $2.0M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Asian University For Women Support FoundationMA | $2.0M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| International Budget PartnershipDC | $2.0M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Asia Democracy Network | $2.0M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Bard CollegeNY | $1.8M | 2023 | TO DEVELOP AN INTEGRATED CURRICULUM, AND A SET OF PUBLIC PROGRAMS, RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, AND COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE OPEN SOCIETY UNIVERSITY NETWORK |
| Tides FoundationCA | $1.7M | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE ASIA ADVANCEMENT FUND TO ENHANCE PARTICIPATORY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN SOUTH ASIA |
| Foxglove Legal Community Interest Company | $1.7M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| European Network On Debt And Development | $1.6M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Open Society Foundation For Albania | $1.5M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Center For Civilians In ConflictDC | $1.5M | 2023 | TO SUPPORT GRANTEE'S CHARITABLE OPERATIONS |
| Human Rights Watch INCNY | $1.5M | 2023 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT |
Markdown version of this recipient history, for citation and LLM retrieval.
Based on the Open Society Institute's public IRS Form 990-PF filings (most recent: FY2023). 990 data reflects giving history and typically lags 1–2 years; it is not an open call for proposals. Always confirm the funder's current guidelines before applying.
Built from 236,000+ U.S. grantmaking foundations and 4.6 million itemized grant records in public IRS Form 990 / 990-PF filings (135,000+ funders with itemized giving history).
See if the Open Society Institute fits your organization
GrantSonar shows the full recipient list, your org-specific fit, similar funders, and the open grants you're actually eligible for.