Which global south organizations got Open Society Foundations funding?

Open Society Foundations is one of the largest grantgivers in the world, with a particular focus on causes such as justice, equity, and democracy. It’s also recently gone through a radical makeover, with a new chair, a president, and a strategy — all of which have been accompanied by deep staff cuts. With all that change, many eyes will be on OSF to see where it concentrates its giving. We looked back over the last five years to see which global south organizations have received the most funding. OSF divides its funding into regions, and, after converting figures to 2023 constant prices, we excluded $1.7 billion in grants going to the United States and $495.3 million going to Europe and Central Asia, as well as $3.2 billion in grants labeled as global and multiregional. Excluding these figures, this leaves $902.9 million that went to the global south. We then further analyzed those grants to identify only recipients based in low- and middle-income countries. We also excluded a small number of government bodies from the analysis to show only nongovernmental organizations. Below, we give information on the total grants to each region and that region’s largest recipients of funding. Readers interested in all grantees should refer to a previous analysis, which looks at all OSF funding for projects taking place outside the U.S. and Europe, which found that most of the largest recipients were organizations based in high-income countries. Africa The African region received 888 awards worth $217.9 million, accounting for 24.1% of the total funding by OSF to the global south, and 3.5% of all funding. OSF made several grants to government institutions in Ethiopia, however, these were omitted from the analysis. Institute for Security Studies The ISS is Africa’s leading multidisciplinary human security organization and is based in South Africa. It has a broad reach, tackling issues from climate change, maritime security, and transnational crimes. It received seven awards worth $5.1 million. The largest of these was a $2.9 million grant to strengthen the rule of law in South Africa. University of the Witwatersrand The University of Witwatersrand is a long-standing institution based in South Africa, priding itself as a hub of knowledge to advance inclusive and sustainable futures for all. It received a whopping 16 grants from the OSF that amount to $3.9 million. The biggest was worth $1.2 million, awarded in 2020 to build capacity for vaccine development in Africa. University of Ghana The University of Ghana is the leading university in the country and has set itself the goal of becoming a world-class research institution. It received three awards, amounting to $3.1 million. The biggest of the bunch was a $2.6 million grant to support the understanding of obstacles to a transformative social policy in Africa. Coalition for Dialogue on Africa CoDA is a combination of several high-level forums in Africa to promote dialogue and debate on African development. The main body of the coalition is headquartered in Ethiopia. It received two awards worth $2.7 million, with the largest award, amounting to $1.5 million, awarded in 2023 for general support. University of Cape Town UCT is another educational institution that is research-based and one of the top-rated universities in Africa. It received seven awards worth $2.6 million. The largest of these was worth $503,172 back in 2019 to advance constitutionalism in South Africa. Asia Pacific The Asia-Pacific region received 642 awards worth $132.3 million, accounting for 14.7% of the total funding toward the global south and 2.1% of all funding. Below are the top grantees from the region. Kurawal Foundation The Kurawal Foundation is an Indonesia-based social justice philanthropy that aims to promote democracy in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. It received five awards worth a total of $6.5 million. The largest of these amounted to $3.2 million for general operating support. Purak Asia Purak Asia, headquartered in Nepal, is a grantmaking arm of OSF that aims to strengthen Nepal’s democracy. It only received one award, which was worth $2.9 million, for general operating support. APCASO APCASO is a Thailand-based regional civil society network organization that serves as a platform for advocacy in the Asia-Pacific region. It received two awards worth $1.6 million. The largest of these amounts to $868,331 for general operating support in 2022. Judicial Reform Foundation JRF is a nongovernmental, Taiwan-based organization, specializing in the protection of human rights and the rule of law by reforming the judicial system in Taiwan. It received three awards, amounting to $1.2 million. The biggest of these was worth $506,019 for general operating support. Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust BLAST provides free legal aid services for poor people in Bangladesh. It got three grants worth $1.1 million. The biggest of these was worth $618,467 for general operating support. Latin America and the Caribbean The Latin America and Caribbean region received 1,750 awards worth $366.8 million, accounting for 40.6% of the overall funding for the global south, and around 6% of all funding. Below are the region’s top organizations. Instituto Clima e Sociedade The Institute for Climate and Society, or iCS, is a Brazil-based philanthropic organization that mainly tackles issues related to climate change by providing organizations with the necessary funding to face climate issues in the country. It received three awards, amounting to $5 million. The largest of these amounted to $1.7 million for general operating support. Consucol SAS Concusol is a consulting firm that specializes in territorial development within the region and is headquartered in Colombia. It received five awards totaling almost $4.1 million. The biggest of these amounts to nearly $2 million to support peace organizations in Colombia. Center for Legal and Social Studies El Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales, or CELS, is an Argentina-based human rights organization founded in 1979. Its key area of work is advocating justice for government-led injustices and institutional violence. It received six awards, amounting to $4 million. The biggest was $2.3 million in 2021 as general support. Instituto Incube Instituto Incube is a nonprofit organization based in Brazil that primarily focuses on defending democracy and social justice within the country. It received five awards worth $3.3 million, with the largest, worth $1.9 million, awarded in 2023 to support a fund to advance open society values. Fondo Lunaria Mujer Fondo Lunaria Mujer is a feminist fund headquartered in Colombia that aims to mobilize economic resources to strengthen the processes of women and transgender people in Colombia. It received four awards, amounting to $3.2 million. The largest of these was a nearly $2 million grant to support the organization’s work on intersectional gender justice. Middle East and North Africa The MENA region received 675 awards worth almost $186 million, accounting for 20.6% of the total funding for the global south, and almost 3% of all funding. Below are the top local awardees. Culture Resource Al Mawred Al Thaqafy, or Culture Resource, is a nonprofit organization that aims to preserve and promote artistic creativity and culture within the Arab region, headquartered in Lebanon. It received three awards worth $3 million. The largest award was worth $1.7 million for general operating support. Arab Fund for Art and Culture AFAC is another cultural organization dedicated to supporting artists, writers, researchers, and intellectuals. It received three awards worth $2.3 million. The biggest of these amounted to $1 million for general operating support. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies CIHRS is a human rights organization that promotes respect for freedoms and democratic values across the Arab region. It received five awards, totalling almost $2 million. The biggest was awarded in 2019 and was worth $715,103 for general support. Arab Council for the Social Sciences ACSS is a Lebanon-based nonprofit organization focused on strengthening social science research and knowledge production in the Arab region. It received four awards worth $1.7 million. The biggest was worth $1.1 million for general operating support. Birzeit University Birzeit University is a higher education institution based in the West Bank. It received four awards, amounting to $1.7 million. The largest of which amounted to $715,103 for the expansion of its Ph.D. program in the social sciences.