$220 million donated by Soros for activist groups

The Open Society Foundations, the philanthropic group founded by business magnate George Soros, announced Monday that it was investing $220 million in efforts to achieve racial equality in America, a huge financial undertaking that will support several Blackled racial justice groups for years to come.

The initiative, which comes amid national protests for racial equality and calls for police reform ignited by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, will immediately reshape the landscape of Black political and civil rights organizations.

Soros, who has at times faced smears and antiSemitism over his role as a liberal megadonor, is also positioning his foundation near the forefront of the protest movement.

Of the $220 million, the foundation will invest $150 million in fiveyear grants for selected groups, including progressive and emerging organizations like the Black Voters Matter Fund and Repairers of the Breach, a group founded by the Rev. William Barber of the Poor People’s Campaign. The money will also support more established Black civil rights organizations like the Equal Justice Initiative, which was founded by civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson and depicted in the 2019 movie “Just Mercy.”

The Open Society Foundations will invest an additional $70 million in local grants supporting changes to policing and criminal justice. This money will also be used to pay for opportunities for civic engagement and to organize internships and political training for young people.