Today we remember those who gave everything in service to this country. Grateful for their sacrifice — and for the democracy they gave their lives defending. 🇺🇸🙏🗽
In the U.S., the rule of law is under attack, rights are being rolled back, and too many families cannot afford the basics.
Today, @OpenSociety is responding by investing $300M to defend freedoms, advance rights, and create economic opportunity, all of which are critical to protect democracy. https://t.co/E24WMQFIin
Every American should be able to live, work, and care for their families, yet costs are soaring, and this promise is out of reach for too many people in America today.
Laleh Ispahani shares why we’re doubling down on our work in the U.S. with a $300 million investment that will expand rights, foster economic dignity, and rebuild our democracy.
This builds on our decades-long work in the U.S. and around the world.
We are proud to announce a bold new $300 million initiative to improve the daily lives of Americans and stand up for the rule of law while strengthening rights and freedoms under attack across the United States as we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the republic.
This investment reflects our commitment to defending against efforts to erode freedoms and civil liberties in the United States and our belief that economic security and rights must advance together to protect democracy.
We will give grants to organizations working at the national, state, and local levels that defend civil liberties, stand for the rule of law, expand civil rights, and create economic opportunity.
These commitments build on the significant investments Open Society has made in the United States to advance rights, equity, and justice, and represent a meaningful expansion of our work on democracy reform and economic justice.
They complement other ongoing Open Society initiatives in the U.S., including on drug policy reform, migration, U.S. foreign policy, and our impact investing and strategic litigation work.
The attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego is not an isolated incident. It follows a long and painful line of violent acts in the U.S. targeting Muslim communities and other racial and ethnic minorities.
This demands a response that starts with solidarity, writes our Laleh Ispahani @lispahani. An attack on one community does not stay contained—the damage radiates outward.
Democracies are not permanent but fragile and require active maintenance. The fuse that most reliably burns them down is racial and ethnic scapegoating—the decision, often made by those in power, to define some people as threats and others as worth protecting.
Americans must choose to see themselves as one community and must recognize and make clear that the country’s promise of liberty and justice belongs to all.
Last week, we announced a $30 million initiative to counter antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate. Funding, legal defense, research, and interfaith coalition building matter. But the truth is that these do not work without the willingness of every American—regardless of faith or background—to say clearly: This is not who we want to be.
To the community of the Islamic Center of San Diego: You are not alone. What happens to you matters to all of us. And when we hold that truth and stand together, we help create the democracy we all deserve.
This is important context for a potential 2026 blue wave-one driven by non white and younger Americans (this is also thanks to Trump’s increases with some of these groups in 2024) But we may be seeing reversion to 2020 (or even before types of numbers?!) particularly if these trends continue!!! 🌊
This is consistent with what we find in our surveys too. It's an apocalyptic 2026 environment for Republicans (our "definitely/probably voting" metrics were D+10 a month ago), but one driven by young, hispanic, and nonwhite voters rather than whites/white college voters.
Folks, to clarify for some replies/DMs: at the levels the national environment is at right now, the House isn't even close to a tossup, whatever may happen with redistricting. You can credibly make an argument that the *Senate* — where the 51st seat is Trump +13 — is a tossup.
“As in other recent Times/Siena polls, the survey found that young and nonwhite voters have snapped back toward the left. Democrats have regained their usual, pre-Biden advantage among both groups in the race for control of Congress as well as in party identification. Mr. Trump’s approval rating among both groups is abysmal: Among voters 18 to 29 years old, only 19 percent approve of his performance; just 20 percent of Hispanic voters say the same.”
https://t.co/gmr4Uel8Jn via @NYTimes
1. The brand new NYT poll points towards a shellacking for the GOP driven by Trump’s putrid polls, an unpopular war with Iran, and anger about his economic policies.
But the reality in the crosstabs is even worse than the headline suggests. Here's why:
Keeping Ukraine on the agenda at @ImpactCEE alongside Polish and Ukrainian volunteers, and many IRF and OSF grantees supporting a nation under siege.
Honored to join two outstanding journalists: Martin Wolf, whom I’ve admired since I first started reading newspapers, and Ukrainska Pravda editor-in-chief Sevgil Musaieva, whose resilience and courage continue to inspire.
.@ImpactCEE in Poznań — the future of democracy on the agenda, and never more urgent given recent developments in the U.S. and Hungary.
Good to be back with friends, colleagues, and people I admire.
Proud to announce that today, we’re pushing back against this abhorrent rise in antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate and violence. https://t.co/OhRmqucNNP
My father has been the target of antisemitism his whole life. It has only strengthened our resolve to stand against all forms of hate.
Proud that @OpenSociety is making a $30 million investment to build trust and solidarity across communities and keep people of all faiths safe.
For more than 50 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has endeavored to protect those most vulnerable to hate, safeguard communities, and advance the principle that every person in this country deserves dignity and equal treatment.
We are living through a broader moment that demands we name what we are seeing. The organizations and institutions that protect our democracy are under sustained and coordinated pressure. There is a documented pattern of the federal government threatening nonprofit organizations, law firms, and even public servants who disagree with the current administration, a pattern that courts have rebuked repeatedly.
And as with law firms and universities, financial institutions and other intermediaries critical to charitable work now appear to be acting out of intimidation. When donor-advised fund sponsors preemptively decline to process contributions to civil rights organizations, the effect is no different from any other form of targeted pressure. It chills free speech and erodes our democracy.
As funders committed to democracy, justice, and the long-term health of civil society, we boldly stand with the Southern Poverty Law Center and with the broader civil rights community. We will continue to resource organizations defending rights and freedoms. And we will continue to call out the difference between legitimate accountability and the use of government power to silence critics.
Our democracy depends on a vibrant civil society and the freedom to organize, advocate, litigate, and express alternative points of view. We will not back down from the defense of our most vital freedoms.
This moment calls for a united voice. We hope you will join us.