Open Society Foundations’ pledge of $30 million over the next three years aims at what it describes as rising threats to both Jewish and Muslim communities, with the grants framed against the Israel-Hamas war and a fragile ceasefire, and alongside a broader atmosphere in which hostility is affecting multiple groups. The Open Society Foundations statement said the funding is meant to strengthen interfaith partnerships and protect people facing heightened threats, and it tied the escalation of prejudice to injustices occurring in the Middle East.
In the statement, Open Society Foundations President Binaifer Nowrojee pointed to what she described as “The deep injustices occurring in the Middle East” as a driver of “indiscriminate prejudice, dehumanization, and violence directed against both Muslims and Jews.” She added that “Entire communities cannot be targeted simply because of their religion,” and said “Bigotry and intolerance in any form must be called out and confronted.”
Open Society Foundations said the new commitment follows what it characterized as heightened levels of violence and rhetoric affecting Jewish and Muslim communities. An annual study released last month by Tel Aviv University, the announcement said, found the highest level of deadly violence against Jews worldwide in over three decades, including the December shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. The foundation also cited an intensification of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the backdrop of the Iran war, including a remark by a congressional Republican that Muslims “don’t belong in American society.”
The announcement comes as Open Society Foundations has faced renewed scrutiny in Washington. The AP reported that last year saw “reports that the U.S. Department of Justice was considering possible charges” against Open Society Foundations, and that President Donald Trump specifically named Soros as he ordered the FBI to crack down on what he called “left-wing terrorism,” a claim Open Society Foundations has denied in statements emphasizing its democracy-focused mission. The foundations’ announcement also addressed the way George Soros is targeted by what it described as conservative conspiracy theories that it said twist philanthropic influence into antisemitic tropes.
Alex Soros, who took over leadership of his father’s foundations in late 2022, said in a pretaped video posted on social media that “At a moment like this we need to stand together and act,” and that “This investment is about keeping people safe and pushing back against hate.” The foundation said the funding is designed to expand education on discrimination, support cross-community leaders who build trust, and safeguard free-speech rights to lawful expression.
Open Society Foundations said it has already selected some grantees and is inviting other nonprofits to apply for funding. Among the recipients named by the foundation were the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and the Nexus Project. The foundation also said Shoulder to Shoulder, described as a multifaith alliance that prepares religious leaders to address anti-Muslim discrimination, would lead work on Islamophobia.
Amy Spitalnick, chief executive of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, welcomed what she described as tackling the issues together. She said the grant would let the JCPA “build upon its solidarity work with Muslim and Arab American communities,” work she said has deepened since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, and she pointed to a fellowship and a Capitol Hill discussion on Jewish-Muslim solidarity that were launched with the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Spitalnick also described the connection between the different forms of hostility, saying the “normalization of Islamophobia, racism and broader anti-democratic extremism creates the conditions for antisemitism to flourish.” She added, “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,” and “The fact that Jewish safety requires Muslim safety, that Muslim safety requires Jewish safety.”
The announcement did not say how Open Society Foundations would define antisemitism, an issue the AP said is a point of contention on college campuses and in state legislatures. The AP reported that groups on the grant shortlist suggest a “more nuanced definition” than the Anti-Defamation League’s approach, which treats vilifying Zionism—the movement to establish and maintain a Jewish state in Israel—as a form of antisemitism.
In contrast, the AP said the Nexus Project promotes definitions of antisemitism that do not include opposition to the Israeli state’s policies. It also reported Spitalnick emphasizing that “one does not need to align with the ADL on every issue” in the context of a National Education Association resolution prohibiting the use of the ADL’s educational resources. The report said philanthropic leaders have debated what strategies work amid ongoing concern about persistent antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate.
Andrés Spokoiny, president and CEO of the Jewish Funders Network, told AP that his group estimates the philanthropic sector has dedicated hundreds of thousands of dollars to countering antisemitism, and he pointed to other high-profile efforts, including a $25 million “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” ad campaign launched in March 2023 through the Robert Kraft Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. He said the persistence of antisemitism has left some funders asking “There’s a lot of perplexity around what actually works,” adding, “So many funders are very frustrated.”