Open Society Foundation for South Africa Fact Sheet 2017
Discover nine facts about OSF-SA grant-making in South Africa over the last 25 years.
Over the years, groups partly funded by the Foundation have taken a leading role in efforts to realise the rights promised by South Africa’s progressive constitution—including the right to education, healthcare and housing. Today, many of the projects and organisations the Foundation supports focus on protecting the constitutional rights of marginalised groups including refugees, sex workers and LGBT communities—and on promoting transparency and accountability in the state and private sector. Since its earliest days, the Foundation has also strongly supported efforts to give all South Africans equal access to the protections of the law.
The Open Society Foundations and George Soros
Learn about The Open Society Foundations and their founder, George Soros.
The Open Society Foundations were founded by George Soros, one of the world’s foremost philanthropists, who since 1984 has given away $32 billion of a personal fortune made in the financial markets.
Open Society has supported individuals and organizations across the globe fighting for freedom of expression, transparency, accountable government, and for societies that promote justice and equality. This giving has often focused on those who face discrimination purely for who they are, such as Europe’s Roma people, and others pushed to the margins of mainstream society.
The Story of the Open Society Foundations
Learn about The Open Society Foundations and the 25 years of grant making in South Africa.
From 1979 through the early 1980s, George provided financial support to approximately 80 black students to study at the University of Cape Town (UCT) through the Karl Popper Bursaries/Open Society Fund, with the support of the then Vice-Chancellor, Dr Stuart Saunders.
The Story of the Open Society Foundations …
The following list is drawn from a set of intensive interviews and desk top research carried out by Halima Mahomed and Allan Moolman, independent evaluation consultants, as part of the Open Society Foundation for South Africa’s (OSF-SA) turning 25 commemorative activities. The complete evaluation report will be released in stand-alone sections from January 2019 and reflects on OSF-SA’s critical contribution to the strengthening of South Africa’s democracy over the past 25 years.
The Early Years
The Early Years

Building an Open Society Through Government Partnership
Building an Open Society through government partnership

Promoting Expression and Accountability
Promoting Expression and Accountability

Fostering Democracy’s Role in Holding Accountability
Fostering participatory democracy as a tool for accountability

Deepening Rights And Access To Community Justice Services, Particularly For Marginalised Groups
Deepening rights and access to community justice services, particularly for marginalised groups

Since 1993, OSF-SA has contributed over R 1 billion, to over 700 different organisations and projects in South Africa. In 2018, we celebrate 25 years of grant making with the award of a commemorative set of Scholarships and Fellowships, issued to 25 young, black, outstanding individuals who will be part of South Africa’s impressive set of next generation leaders.