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91-513: Open Society Foundations ( OSF ), formerly the Open Society Institute , is a US-based grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros . Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the stated aim of advancing justice, education, public health and independent media. The group's name was inspired by Karl Popper 's 1945 book The Open Society and Its Enemies . As of 2015,

182-525: A Metro Transit bus base. The two-building headquarters campus opened in June 2011 at a cost of $ 500 million and was designed by NBBJ . The design was awarded LEED Platinum status for its environmentally-friendly features, including a living roof , a rainwater retention pool, and a rooftop solar array . In 2010, the foundation's founders started the Commission on Education of Health Professionals for

273-433: A back-up plan in the event that its co-chairs could not work together due to their recent divorce. The deal gave Bill and Melinda a two-year trial, after which Melinda could resign from the organization as well as receiving personal resources from her ex-husband for her own charity work. On May 13, 2024, Melinda Gates resigned as co-chair of the foundation, to be effective June 7, 2024. The foundation will then be renamed to

364-483: A frequent critic of Israeli government policy, and does not consider himself a Zionist, but there is no evidence that he or his family holds any special hostility or opposition to the existence of the state of Israel. This report will show that their support, and that of the Open Society Foundations, has nevertheless gone to organizations with such agendas." The report says its objective is to inform

455-546: A full-fledged program under the Global Development Division in early 2010. The foundation has since 2005 undertaken a wide range of efforts in the WASH sector involving research, experimentation, reflection, advocacy , and field implementation. In 2009, the foundation decided to refocus its WASH effort mainly on sustainable sanitation services for the poor, using non-piped sanitation services (i.e. without

546-639: A grant of $ 20 million to the International Crisis Group in support of efforts to analyze global issues fuelling violence, climate injustice and economic inequality and providing recommendations to address them. OSF has given grants to Jewish Voice for Peace . In 2007, Nicolas Guilhot (a senior research associate at the French National Centre for Scientific Research ) wrote in Critical Sociology that

637-508: A human rights organization based in Washington, D.C., US to work in the area of sex trafficking . The official announcement explained that the grant would allow the IJM to "create a replicable model for combating sex trafficking and slavery" that would involve the opening of an office in a region with high rates of sex trafficking, following research. The office was opened for three years for

728-418: A hygienic, stand-alone toilet. This challenge is being complemented by another investment program to develop new technologies for improved pit latrine emptying (called by the foundation the "Omni-Ingestor" ) and fecal sludge processing (called " Omni-Processor "). The aim of the "Omni Processor" is to convert excreta (for example fecal sludge ) into beneficial products such as energy and soil nutrients with

819-668: A specific project or use and will not usually be given for projects that have already begun. Over the years the discipline of writing grant bids has developed into a specialised activity. Many organisations employ fundraising professionals to carry out this work. In the United Kingdom, the fundraising profession is governed by The Institute of Fundraising and is independently regulated by the Fundraising Regulator in England , Wales , and Northern Ireland and by

910-458: A sustainable, inclusive agricultural transformation—one that creates economic opportunity, respects limits on natural resources, and gives everyone equal access to affordable, nutritious food". The foundation's agricultural investments include: The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene ( WASH ) program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was launched in mid-2005 as a "Learning Initiative", and became

1001-514: Is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates . Based in Seattle , Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be the third largest charitable foundation in the world , holding $ 69 billion in assets as of 2020. The primary stated goals of the foundation are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the world, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology in

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1092-562: Is intended to lower administrative costs over the years of the Foundation Trust's life and ensure that the Foundation Trust does not fall into a situation where the vast majority of its expenditures are on administrative costs, including salaries, with only token amounts contributed to charitable causes. To maintain its status as a charitable foundation , the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation must donate funds equal to at least five percent of its assets each year. As of April 2014,

1183-440: Is lowest in those regions. Their grant-making focus has been since 2011 on sanitation science and technology ("transformative technologies"), delivery models at scale, urban sanitation markets, building demand for sanitation, measurement and evaluation as well as policy, advocacy and communications. In mid-2011, the foundation stated that they had committed more than $ 265 million to the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector over

1274-580: Is tasked to monitor progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) relating to drinking water and sanitation. About one billion people have no sanitation facility whatsoever and continue to defecate in gutters, behind bushes or in open water bodies, with no dignity or privacy. This is called open defecation and it poses significant health risks. India is the country with the highest number of people practicing open defecation, with around 157 million people or approximately 11% of

1365-574: The Democratic National Committee . In 2017, Soros transferred $ 18 billion to the foundation. In 2020, Soros announced that he was creating the Open Society University Network (OSUN), endowing the network with $ 1 billion. In 2023, George Soros handed over the leadership of the foundation to his son Alexander Soros , who soon announced layoffs of 40 percent of staff and "significant changes" to

1456-570: The Gates Cambridge Scholarships at Cambridge University . In 1994, the foundation was formed as the William H. Gates Foundation. In May 2002, the foundation purchased stocks in pharmaceutical companies Johnson & Johnson , Merck , and Pfizer . On June 15, 2006, Gates announced his plans to transition out of a day-to-day role with Microsoft , effective July 31, 2008, to allow him to devote more time to working with

1547-548: The Gates Foundation with Bill Gates as the sole chairman. On June 25, 2006, Warren Buffett pledged to give the foundation approximately 10 million Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares (then valued at $ 3,071 each, before a 50–1 stock split in 2010) spread over multiple years through annual contributions, with the first year's donation of 500,000 shares being worth approximately $ 1.5 billion. Buffett set conditions so that these contributions do not simply increase

1638-583: The Institutional Review Boards (IRB) and/or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is required. Econometric evidence shows public grants for firms can create additionality in jobs, sales, value added, innovation and capital. For example, this was shown to be the case for large public R&D grants, as well as for public grants for small and medium-sized firms or tourism firms. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ( BMGF )

1729-577: The International Aid Transparency Initiative . In December 2013 Susan Desmond-Hellmann , president of product development for Genentech before its acquisition by Roche Pharmaceuticals , was announced as BMGF's next CEO. She replaced Jeff Raikes on 1 May 2014. In February 2014 Hillary Clinton launched a partnership between the foundation and the Clinton Foundation to gather and study data on

1820-774: The National Democratic Institute , a charitable organization which partnered with pro-democracy groups like the Gov2U project run by Scytl . On January 23, 2020, the OSF announced a contribution of $ 1 billion from George Soros for the new Open Society University Network (OSUN), which supports Western university faculty in providing university courses, programs, and research to serve neglected student populations worldwide at institutions needing international partners. The founding institutions were Bard College and Central European University . In April 2022, OSF announced

1911-702: The Scottish Fundraising Standards Panel in Scotland . The grant writing process generally includes searching and proposal-writing for competitive grant funds. Traditional search methods - for example referring to the Charities Aid Foundation Directory of Grant Making Trusts - are quickly becoming replaced by online fundraising tools. Because grants are sometimes received in advance of the activity they are to resource, and would need to be returned to

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2002-566: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission , the trust owned the following investments (almost 202 million shares) worth a total of over $ 45 billion: Christopher Elias leads the foundation's efforts to combat extreme poverty through grants as president of the Global Development Program. In March 2006, the foundation announced a $ 5 million grant for the International Justice Mission (IJM),

2093-635: The first Trump Administration . Several right-leaning politicians in eastern Europe regard many of the NGO groups to be irritants if not threats, including Liviu Dragnea in Romania , Szilard Nemeth in Hungary , Nikola Gruevski in North Macedonia (who called for "de-Sorosization"), and Jarosław Kaczyński of Poland (who has said that Soros-funded groups want "societies without identity"). Some of

2184-458: The government to students attending post-secondary education institutions . In certain cases, a part of a government loan is issued as a grant, particularly pertaining to promising students seeking financial support for continuing their educations. Grant compliance and reporting requirements vary depending upon the type of grant and funding agency. In the case of research grants involving human or animal subjects, additional involvement with

2275-454: The 21st Century, entitled "Transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world." A 2011 survey of grantees found that many believed the foundation did not make its goals and strategies clear and sometimes did not understand those of the grantees; that the foundation's decision-making and grantmaking procedures were too opaque; and that its communications could be more consistent and responsive. The foundation's response

2366-578: The BMGF was acting as a fund aggregator for wealthy donors: the name recognition associated with BMGF caused more money to be placed than an anonymous control. This was particularly useful during the COVID-19 pandemic because the BMGF already knew which organizations were working in the field and able to receive funds. When former President Trump threatened to defund the WHO in summer 2020 over concerns that it

2457-738: The BMGF's committed funding as recorded in their International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) publications. The BMGF announced in October 2013 that it would join the IATI. The IATI publications only include a subset of BMGF grants (mainly excluding grants to developed countries), and contain few grants before 2009 (which are entirely excluded from the table). The BMGF states on the IATI Registry site that "reporting starts from 2009 and excludes grants related to our US programs and grants that if published could harm our employees, grantees, partners, or

2548-424: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation would not receive any more money after he died. While this does not prevent him from making any further donations while he is still alive, the recipients of his fortune upon his death will be decided unanimously by his three children. In October 2006, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was split into two entities: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, which manages

2639-846: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on global health and development, and the Ford Foundation, which supports human rights and social justice initiatives. Corporations often establish grant programs as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. These grants support community development, environmental sustainability, and other initiatives that align with the company’s values and business goals. Examples include Google's AI for Social Good program and Walmart's Community Grant Program. Educational grants are provided to support students and educational institutions. These can be merit-based, need-based, or designated for specific fields of study. The Fulbright Program, which offers grants for international educational exchange, and

2730-498: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In the 2006 announcement, it was reiterated that Warren Buffett "... has stipulated that the proceeds from the Berkshire Hathaway shares he still owns at death are to be used for philanthropic purposes within 10 years after his estate has been settled". The plan to close the Foundation Trust is in contrast to most large charitable foundations that have no set closure date. This

2821-690: The CEO of the BMGF. The foundation announced in January 2005 that it would build its headquarters campus on 12 acres (4.9 ha) adjacent to the Seattle Center in Downtown Seattle . The foundation purchased the property for $ 50.4 million from the Seattle city government, who would help build a 1,000-stall public parking garage and assist with cleanup of the land, which had been used as

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2912-505: The CanExport program helps businesses expand into international markets by covering expenses related to travel, marketing, and trade shows. Unlike interest-free loans, grants do not need to be repaid, making them an attractive funding option for businesses looking to reduce financial risk. Private foundations provide grants to support various causes, ranging from social services and education to arts and culture. Notable foundations include

3003-617: The Commission in Brussels. Due to the complexity of the funding mechanisms involved and especially the high competitiveness of the grant application processes (14%) professional Grant Consulting firms are gaining importance in the grant writing process. EU grants should not be confused with EU tenders, although there can be some similarities. Another funding body in Europe is the European Research Council established by

3094-853: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The European Commission provides financing through numerous specific calls for project proposals. These may be within Framework Programmes . Although there are many 7-year programmes that are renewed that provide money for various purposes. These may be structural funds , youth programmes and education programmes . There are also occasional one-off grants to deal with unforeseen aspects or special projects and themes. Most of these are administered through what are called National Agencies, but some are administered directly through

3185-727: The European Commission in 2007: see European Research Council#Grants offered . Similarly there are calls and various projects that are funded by this council. The European Commission and the Council of Europe also operate a joint grant-funding programme. Denmark has an educational universal grant system, SU ( Statens Uddannelsesstøtte , the State Education Fund). It is available to all students from 18 years of age, with no upper limit, who are currently taking courses. There are two systems of SU. In addition to

3276-609: The Hungarian government targeting the foundation's activities. As of 2021, OSF has reported expenditures in excess of US$ 16 billion since its establishment in 1993, mostly in grants to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) aligned with the organization's mission. On May 28, 1984, George Soros signed a contract between the Soros Foundation/New York City and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences ,

3367-566: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants for biomedical research are prominent examples. Grants serve a wide array of purposes, each designed to address specific needs or goals. Research grants are essential for advancing knowledge and innovation in various fields, including science, technology, medicine, and social sciences. These grants enable researchers to conduct experiments, collect data, and publish findings that can lead to breakthroughs and new technologies. Agencies like

3458-627: The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the European Research Council (ERC) are major funders of research grants. Educational grants help increase access to education by providing financial support to students and institutions. These grants can cover tuition fees, books, and living expenses, making higher education more accessible to disadvantaged populations. Teacher training and curriculum development programs also benefit from educational grants, improving

3549-651: The OSF had branches in 37 countries, encompassing a group of country and regional foundations, such as the Open Society Initiative for West Africa , and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa . The organization’s headquarters is located at 224 West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan , New York City . In 2018, OSF announced it was closing its European office in Budapest and moving to Berlin , in response to legislation passed by

3640-421: The OSF, claiming: "The evidence demonstrates that Open Society funding contributes significantly to anti-Israel campaigns in three important respects: The report concludes, "Yet, to what degree Soros, his family, and the Open Society Foundations are aware of the cumulative impact on Israel and of the political warfare conducted by many of their beneficiaries is an open question." In November 2015, Russia banned

3731-704: The Open Society Foundations is functionally conservative in supporting institutions that reinforce the existing social order, as the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation have done before them. Guilhot argues that control over the social sciences by moneyed interests, rather than by public officials, reinforced a neoliberal view of modernization . An OSF effort in 2008 in the African Great Lakes region aimed at spreading human rights awareness among prostitutes in Uganda and other nations in

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3822-664: The Open Society Institute was created in the United States to support the Soros foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia . In August 2010, it started using the name Open Society Foundations (OSF) to better reflect its role as a benefactor for civil society groups in countries around the world. In 1995, Soros stated that he believed there can be no absolute answers to political questions because

3913-673: The Pell Grant in the United States, which helps low-income students pay for college, and the Horizon Europe program, which funds research and innovation projects across Europe. For businesses, government grants are financial contributions provided by federal, provincial, or municipal governments to help businesses achieve specific goals, such as innovation, expansion, job creation, and export development. For example, in Canada,

4004-559: The Soros-funded advocacy groups in the region said the harassment and intimidation became more open after the 2016 election of Donald Trump in the United States. Stefania Kapronczay of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, which received half of its funding from Soros-backed foundations, claimed that Hungarian officials were "testing the waters" in an effort to see "what they can get away with." In 2017,

4095-535: The Toilet Challenge" is focused on "reinventing the flush toilet ". The aim was to create a toilet that not only removes pathogens from human excreta , but also recovers resources such as energy, clean water, and nutrients (a concept also known as reuse of excreta ). It should operate " off-the-grid " without connections to water, sewer, or electrical networks. Finally, it should cost less than 5 cents per user per day. High-tech toilets for tackling

4186-496: The Toilet Challenge", more than a dozen research teams, mainly at universities in the U.S., Europe, India, China, and South Africa, have received grants to develop innovative on-site and off-site waste treatment solutions for the urban poor. The grants were in the order of $ 400,000 for their first phase, followed by typically $ 1 million – 3 million for their second phase; many of them investigated resource recovery or processing technologies for excreta or fecal sludge . The "Reinvent

4277-603: The Turkish government including detention of liberal Turkish intellectuals and academics even tangentially associated with the foundation. Grant (money) Grants can be categorized into several types based on the purpose and the source of funding. Government grants are awarded by federal, state, provincial, local and/or municipal governments to support projects that benefit the public. These can include funding for scientific research, infrastructure development, public health initiatives, and education programs. Examples include

4368-410: The U.S. Key individuals of the foundation include Warren Buffett , chief executive officer Mark Suzman, and Michael Larson . The BMGF had an endowment of approximately $ 75.2 billion as of December 31, 2023 . The scale of the foundation and the way it seeks to apply business techniques to giving makes it one of the leaders in venture philanthropy , though the foundation itself notes that

4459-617: The United States, grants most often come from a wide range of government departments or an even wider range of public and private trusts and foundations. According to the Foundation Center there are over 88,000 trusts and foundations in the country that collectively distribute more than $ 40 billion annually. Conducting research on trusts and foundations can be a slightly more intricate process, often requiring access to subscription-based directories or databases for comprehensive information. Most often, education grants are issued by

4550-468: The United States. This funding included groups such as the Organization for Black Struggle and Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment that supported protests in the wake of the killing of Trayvon Martin , the death of Eric Garner , the shooting of Tamir Rice and the shooting of Michael Brown . According to OpenSecrets , the OSF spends much of its resources on democratic causes around

4641-659: The WHO. It was revealed after the fact that the BMGF had contributed US$ 1.553 billion to the GAVI over the five years 2016 to 2020. The BMGF was the number two ranked contributor. At the Global Vaccine Summit in June 2020, the BMGF pledged $ 1.6 billion (or just under 20% of the total) for the subsequent five years. In May 2022, the Gates Foundation announced the commitment of $ 125 million to aid in ending

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4732-592: The acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and to aid in preparing for future pandemics. In total since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic the Gates Foundation has committed more than $ 2 billion to COVID-19 response efforts. In 2015, it co-funded a community known as Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy in partnership with the United Kingdom Aid from the UK government. In July 2021, the foundation agreed on

4823-457: The area was rejected by Ugandan authorities, who considered it an effort to legalize and legitimize prostitution. Open Society Foundations has been criticized in the pro-Israel publications Tablet , Arutz Sheva and Jewish Press for funding the activist groups Adalah and I'lam , they accuse of being anti-Israel and supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Among

4914-525: The awarding or renewal of contracts and grants, or attempting to influence legislative or regulatory action" would generally not be treated as eligible for grant funding and therefore funded organisations would need to fund these activities in some other way. The Scottish Government has indicated it would not be introducing similar measures. As of 2021, 6 out of the top 10 charities in England and Wales (as measured by expenditure on charitable activities) make grants to individuals and/or organisations. In

5005-514: The beneficiaries of our work". The following table lists the top receiving organizations to which the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed funding, between 2009 and 2015. The table again only includes grants recorded in the Gates Foundation's IATI publications. According to the OECD , the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided US$ 4.1 billion for development in 2019. The foundation explains on its website that its trustees divided

5096-784: The creation and preservation of artistic works, the operation of cultural institutions, and the promotion of cultural heritage. Organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Arts Council England provide funding for artists, museums, theaters, and other cultural entities. Environmental grants support projects that protect and restore natural resources, promote sustainable practices, and address climate change. These grants fund activities such as habitat restoration, renewable energy development, and environmental education. Notable examples include grants from

5187-491: The documents released in 2016 by DCleaks , an OSF report reads "For a variety of reasons, we wanted to construct a diversified portfolio of grants dealing with Israel and Palestine , funding both Israeli Jewish and PCI (Palestinian Citizens of Israel) groups as well as building a portfolio of Palestinian grants and in all cases to maintain a low profile and relative distance—particularly on the advocacy front." In 2013, NGO Monitor , an Israeli NGO, reported that "Soros has been

5278-456: The endowment assets and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which "... conducts all operations and grantmaking work, and it is the entity from which all grants are made". Also announced was the decision to spend all of the foundation's resources within 50 years after Bill's and Melinda's deaths. This was later lowered to within 20 years of their death. This would close the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust and effectively end

5369-645: The following purposes: "conducting undercover investigations, training law enforcement, rescuing victims, ensuring appropriate aftercare, and seeking perpetrator accountability". The IJM used the grant money to found "Project Lantern" and established an office in the Philippines city of Cebu . In 2010, the results of the project were published, in which the IJM stated that Project Lantern had led to "an increase in law enforcement activity in sex trafficking cases, an increase in commitment to resolving sex trafficking cases among law enforcement officers trained through

5460-549: The foundation as necessary to achieve the foundation's charitable goals"—it holds the assets of Bill and Melinda Gates, who are the sole trustees, and receives contributions from Buffett. The foundation posts its audited financial statements and 990-PF forms on the "Financials" section of its website as they become available. At the end of 2023, the foundation registered a cash sum of $ 194,354,000, and net assets of $ 71,290,995,000 (of which 99.84% are unrestricted). As of 30 September 2024 , according to documents filed with

5551-410: The foundation is organized into four program areas under chief executive officer Susan Desmond-Hellmann, who "sets strategic priorities, monitors results, and facilitates relationships with key partners": The foundation maintains an online database of grants. In November 2014, the Gates Foundation announced that they were adopting an open access (OA) policy for publications and data , "to enable

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5642-431: The foundation two years to abide by the third requirement." The Gates Foundation received 5% (500,000) of the shares in July 2006 and will receive 5% of the remaining earmarked shares in the July of each following year (475,000 in 2007, 451,250 in 2008). In July 2018, Buffet announced another donation of his company's Class B stock, this time worth $ 2 billion, to the Gates Foundation. In June 2024, Buffett clarified

5733-503: The foundation's endowment, but effectively work as a matching contribution, doubling the foundation's annual giving. Bloomberg News noted, "Buffett's gift came with three conditions for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Bill or Melinda Gates must be alive and active in its administration; it must continue to qualify as a charity; and each year it must give away an amount equal to the previous year's Berkshire gift, plus an additional amount equal to 5 percent of net assets . Buffett gave

5824-436: The foundation. The first CEO of the foundation, until she stepped down in 2008, was Patty Stonesifer . In 2005, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates , along with the Irish rock musician Bono , were named by Time as Persons of the Year 2005 for their outstanding charitable work. In the case of the Gates, the work referenced was that of BMGF. On 12 May 2008 it was announced that Jeff Raikes would replace Stonesifer as

5915-524: The founding document of the Soros Foundation/Budapest. This was followed by several foundations in the region to help countries move away from Soviet-style socialism in the Eastern Bloc . In 1991, the foundation merged with the Fondation pour une Entraide Intellectuelle Européenne ("Foundation for European Intellectual Mutual Aid"), an affiliate of the Congress for Cultural Freedom , created in 1966 to imbue 'non-conformist' Eastern European scientists with anti-totalitarian and capitalist ideas. In 1993,

6006-531: The funder if their purpose could not be fulfilled, good accounting practice requires that grant income is not recognised "until there is reasonable assurance that the entity will adhere to the conditions which are attached to the grant". In 2016, the UK Government introduced proposals to include an "anti-lobbying clause" in grant-funding agreements, i.e. payments which "support lobbying or activity intended to influence or attempt to influence Parliament, Government or political parties, or attempting to influence

6097-471: The government grant scheme, more than 35,000 grants in Denmark exists, which is the second largest number of foundations in Europe by country. The foundations are estimated to possess 400 billion Danish kroner (US$ 60 billion) in accessible funds. Grant-giving organizations in Ireland include the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology and Science Foundation Ireland for research grants. Major grant organisations funded and operated by

6188-554: The government include: Grants are made available in the United Kingdom for a variety of business, charitable and research purposes. The biggest grant distributors are government departments and agencies which offer grants to third-party organisations (often a charitable organisation ) to carry out statutory work on their behalf. Other major grant distributors in the United Kingdom are the National Lottery , charitable trusts and corporate foundations (through Corporate Social Responsibility policies). For example, Google contributes to

6279-466: The government of Pakistan ordered the Open Society Foundations to cease operations in the country. In May 2018, Open Society Foundations announced they will move its office from Budapest to Berlin , amid Hungarian government interference. In November 2018, Open Society Foundations announced they are ceasing operations in Turkey and closing their Istanbul and Ankara offices due to "false accusations and speculations beyond measure", amid pressure from

6370-433: The grants process through its Google Grants programme, where any charitable organization can benefit financially from free Google Ads advertising if they share Google's social responsibility outcomes. Grants are time limited (usually between one and three years) and are offered to implement existing government policies, to pilot new ways of doing things or to secure agreed outcomes. A grant will usually only be given for

6461-446: The group on its territory, declaring "It was found that the activity of the Open Society Foundations and the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation represents a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation and the security of the state". In 2017, Open Society Foundations and other NGOs for open government and refugee assistance were targeted by authoritarian and populist governments emboldened by

6552-399: The growing public health problem of human waste are gaining increasing attention, but this focus on a "technology fix" has also been criticized by many in the sector. However, low-tech solutions may be more practical in poor countries, and research is also funded by the foundation for such toilets. The Reinvent the Toilet Challenge is a long-term research and development effort to develop

6643-412: The mainstream media. It was complemented by a program called "Grand Challenges Explorations" (2011 to 2013 with some follow-up grants reaching until 2015) which involved grants of $ 100,000 each in the first round. Both funding schemes explicitly excluded project ideas that relied on centralized sewerage systems or are not compatible with development country contexts. Since the launch of the "Reinvent

6734-700: The operating model. The Library of Congress Soros Foundation Visiting Fellows Program was initiated in 1990. Its $ 873 million budget in 2013 ranked as the second-largest private philanthropy budget in the United States, after the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation budget of $ 3.9 billion. As of 2020, its budget increased to $ 1.2 billion. In August 2013, the foundation partly sponsored an Aromanian cultural event in Malovište ( Aromanian : Mulovishti ), North Macedonia . The foundation reported granting at least $ 33 million to civil rights and social justice organizations in

6825-437: The organization into two entities: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. The foundation section, based in Seattle, US, "focuses on improving health and alleviating extreme poverty", and its trustees are currently Bill and Melinda Gates; Warren Buffett announced his resignation as a trustee on June 23, 2021. The trust section manages "the investment assets and transfer proceeds to

6916-552: The past five years, i.e. since about 2006. For the time period of about 2008 to mid-2015, all grants awarded to water, sanitation, and hygiene projects totaled a value of around $ 650 million, according to the publicly available grant database. Improved sanitation in the developing world is a global need, but a neglected priority, as shown by the data collected by the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) of UNICEF and WHO. This program

7007-408: The philanthropic role has limitations. In 2007, its founders were ranked as the second most generous philanthropists in the U.S., behind Warren Buffett. As of 2018, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates had donated around $ 36 billion to the foundation. Since its founding, the foundation has endowed and supported a broad range of social, health, and education developments, including the establishment of

7098-671: The progress of women and girls around the world since the 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. This is called "No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project". In October 2019, the BMGF partnered with the World Economic Forum to host the tabletop exercise called Event 201 in New York City . In February 2020, BMGF CEO Desmond-Hellmann was replaced "for health and family reasons" by Mark Suzman. As early as 2012, there were reports that

7189-440: The project, and an increase in services – like shelter, counseling, and career training – provided to trafficking survivors". At the time that the results were released, the IJM was exploring opportunities to replicate the model in other regions. In October 2000, William Gates established the Gates Cambridge Scholarships which allow students and scholars from the U.S. and around the world to study at Cambridge University , one of

7280-437: The quality of education. Community development grants aim to improve the quality of life in communities through projects that address issues such as housing, public safety, economic development, and social services. These grants can fund the construction of affordable housing, the establishment of community centers, and programs that provide job training and support to underserved populations. Grants for arts and culture support

7371-538: The same initiative launched in 2016 by Wellcome Trust in their Wellcome Open Research policy launched in partnership with F1000 Research . The Gates Foundation supported Our World in Data , one of the world's largest open-access publications. Bill Gates called the publication his "favorite website". In 2024, the Gates Foundation announced a "preprint-centric" open access policy, and their intention to stop paying article-processing charges. The following table lists

7462-526: The same principle of reflexivity applies as in financial markets. In 2012, Christopher Stone joined the OSF as the second president. He replaced Aryeh Neier , who served as president from 1993 to 2012. Stone announced in September 2017 that he was stepping down as president. In January 2018, Patrick Gaspard was appointed president of the Open Society Foundations. He announced in December 2020 that he

7553-445: The scholarship, making it one of the largest and best-endowed scholarships in the world. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship accepts less than 0.3% of applicants and remains extremely competitive. Each year, approximately 100 new graduate students from around the world receive funding to study at Cambridge. The BMGF's goal for agricultural development is "to support farmers and governments in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia that are seeking

7644-629: The top universities in the world. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship has often been compared to the Rhodes Scholarship , given its similarly international scope and substantial endowment. In 2000, the Gates Foundation endowed the scholarship trust with $ 210 million to help outstanding graduate students outside of the United Kingdom study at the University of Cambridge . The Gates Foundation has continued to contribute funds to expand

7735-557: The total population in 2022, although the situation has improved significantly since then. The foundation has been funding many sanitation research and demonstration projects in India since about 2011. In 2011, the foundation launched a program called "Reinvent the Toilet Challenge" with the aim to promote the development of innovations in toilet design to benefit the 2.5 billion people that do not have access to safe and effective sanitation. This program has generated significant interest of

7826-400: The unrestricted access and reuse of all peer-reviewed published research funded by the foundation, including any underlying data sets". Its terms have been called the most stringent among similar OA policies. As of January 1, 2015, their Open Access policy is effective for all new agreements. In March 2017, it was confirmed that the open access policy, Gates Open Research , would be based on

7917-526: The use of sewers ), and less on water supply . This was because the sanitation sector was generally receiving less attention from other donors and from governments, and because the foundation believed it had the potential to make a real difference through strategic investments. In mid-2011, the foundation announced in its new "Water, Sanitation, Hygiene Strategy Overview" that its funding now focuses primarily on sanitation, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, because access to improved sanitation

8008-607: The world, and has also contributed to groups such as the Tides Foundation . The OSF has been a major financial supporter of US immigration reform , including establishing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. OSF projects have included the National Security and Human Rights Campaign and the Lindesmith Center , which conducted research on drug reform. The OSF became a partner of

8099-549: Was stepping down as president. In January 2021, Mark Malloch-Brown was appointed president of the Open Society Foundations. On March 11, 2024, OSF announced that Binaifer Nowrojee would start as the group's new president on June 1, 2024. In 2016, the OSF was reportedly the target of a cyber security breach . Documents and information reportedly belonging to the OSF were published by a website. The cyber security breach has been described as sharing similarities with Russian-linked cyberattacks that targeted other institutions, such as

8190-412: Was to improve the clarity of its explanations, make "orientation calls" to grantees upon awarding grants, tell grantees who their foundation contact is, give timely feedback when they receive a grantee report, and establish a way for grantees to provide anonymous or attributed feedback to the foundation. The foundation also launched a podcast series. In October 2013, the BMGF announced that it would join

8281-491: Was too "deferential" to the Chinese Communist Party , because the BMGF constituted at that time the second-ranked contributor to the WHO, concerns were raised in the charity and academic sector that the BMGF might conceivably bias the WHO in the pursuit of its ideology. In the most timely accounting period, the BMGF provided 45% of the WHO's NGO funds, or in other words 12% of the total operating expenditure of

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