Open Society Foundations, the family philanthropy launched by hedge fund billionaire George Soros, is directing $30 million over the next three years to organizations fighting antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate. The commitment, announced Wednesday, responds to what the foundation’s president called “indiscriminate prejudice” stoked by the Israel-Hamas war and the current fragile ceasefire. The funding is meant to strengthen interfaith partnerships and shield communities facing heightened threats amid a global rise in both forms of bigotry.
“The deep injustices occurring in the Middle East are fueling indiscriminate prejudice, dehumanization, and violence directed against both Muslims and Jews,” OSF President Binaifer Nowrojee said in a statement. “Entire communities cannot be targeted simply because of their religion. Bigotry and intolerance in any form must be called out and confronted.”
The announcement represents the foundation’s most visible public campaign since reports emerged last fall that the U.S. Department of Justice was weighing possible charges against OSF. President Donald Trump subsequently named George Soros directly when ordering the FBI to intensify its crackdown on what Trump labeled “left-wing terrorism” — an accusation OSF has denied, emphasizing its mission to strengthen democracy. George Soros, a major liberal donor, has long been the target of conservative conspiracy theories that often carry antisemitic tropes about hidden puppet masters, the foundation noted.
Alex Soros, who took over leadership of his father’s foundations in late 2022, underscored the personal stakes. “Discrimination and hate” are not abstract for him, he said — as the son of a Holocaust survivor and the husband of a Muslim American. In a pretaped video posted on social media, he said, “At a moment like this we need to stand together and act. This investment is about keeping people safe and pushing back against hate.”
The $30 million will broadly support education about forms of discrimination, cross-community leaders who build trust, and the protection of free speech rights for lawful expression. OSF has already selected some grantees and is inviting other nonprofits to apply. Recipients include the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and the Nexus Project. Shoulder to Shoulder, a multifaith alliance that equips religious leaders to address anti-Muslim discrimination, is leading work on Islamophobia.
Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, welcomed the joint approach. The grant will allow JCPA to expand solidarity work with Muslim and Arab American communities that has deepened since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, she said, citing a fellowship and a Capitol Hill discussion on Jewish-Muslim solidarity launched with the Muslim Public Affairs Council. “We need funders and others to recognize that treating any of these issues in silos doesn’t get at the root cause, doesn’t get at the broader resiliency we need right now,” Spitalnick said. “The fact that Jewish safety requires Muslim safety, that Muslim safety requires Jewish safety.”
The OSF announcement did not define antisemitism — a flashpoint on college campuses and in state legislatures, where debate continues over whether criticism of Israel amounts to hatred of Jewish people. The shortlist of grantees suggests a more nuanced definition than that of the Anti-Defamation League, which holds that vilifying Zionism is a form of antisemitism. The Nexus Project, by contrast, promotes definitions that do not include opposition to Israeli state policies. Spitalnick underscored that point, saying “one does not need to align with the ADL on every issue.”
Andrés Spokoiny, president and CEO of the Jewish Funders Network, noted that the philanthropic sector has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into countering antisemitism — including the $25 million “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” ad campaign launched by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in March 2023. But persistent hatred has left many donors searching. “There’s a lot of perplexity around what actually works,” Spokoiny said. “So many funders are very frustrated.”