Soros Foundation

A Soros Foundation is one of a network of national foundations, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, which fund volunteer socio-political activity, created by George Soros, international financier and philanthropist, and coordinated since early 1994 by a management team called the Open Society Institute.

Soros says that the principle underlying the philosophy of the Open Society is that there can be no absolute answers to political questions because the same principle of reflexivity applies as in financial markets.

Soros foundations are autonomous institutions established in particular countries or regions, especially those emerging from behind the Iron Curtain to initiate and support open society activities. Such countries include the former Communist bloc in Central and Eastern Europe, parts of the former Soviet Union, South Africa, and Haiti. The priorities and specific activities of each Soros foundation are determined by a local board of directors and staff in consultation with George Soros and OSI boards and advisers. In addition to support from the Open Society Institute, many of the foundations receive funding from other sources.

Intended programs include "the education of librarians and others; expansion of a free press, Internet, and e-mail communication; publishing; human rights; arts and culture; and social, legal, and economic reform". One such program, for example, is the Library of Congress - Soros Foundation Visiting Fellows Program for librarians. George Soros insists that staff in local Soros Foundation offices conduct the initial interviews of applicants and then allow LC to make the final decisions.

Soros very much seeks to "influence the future of the newly democratized Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union... educating librarians about how to improve their libraries and assist the policymakers of their countries.. provide a strong foundation for democracy". Another example of Soros's commitment to the development of Eastern Europe in particular is his pledge of $206 million to the endowment of Central European University.

In 1997 George Soros received the James Madison Award from the Coalition on Government Information. He has also been compared to Andrew Carnegie by Barabara Ford, president of the American Library Association, in honor of his philanthropy, implying that its influence on the world's libraries rivals that of the Carnegie family on the United States'.