Open Society Foundations is dedicating EUR 100 million to support Roma in Europe through a new foundation led by Željko Jovanović
Open Society Foundations (OSF) announced on 5 September that it will be dedicating EUR 100 million to strengthening the development and the position of Romani communities in Europe - which, according to the foundation, represents a new era in the three decades of support that the organization has pledged to Romani people. The financial support will last until 2030 and will be provided through an independent, new foundation headquartered in Brussels, Belgium which, after its establishment next year, will be the first institution on such a scale and of such a scope to be directed by leaders who are Romani.
In addition to the new foundation becoming a new tool for Open Society to support Romani activities, it will also strive to create other sources of financing to fulfill its mission. “I’m confident this new foundation, along with the new generation of exceptional Romani figures to determine strategy and priorities for the financing, will become a dynamic force dedicated to realizing the full potential of the Roma people and overcoming the deep-rooted barriers they face. We’ll do everything we can to support this foundation and its leadership in this mission, which will be beneficial not just to Romani people, but to all of Europe,” said Alexander Soros, chair of Open Society Foundations, on the occasion of announcing the financial gift.
OSF is one of the biggest private foundations that has been supporting Romani activities since the early 1990s under the leadership of founder George Soros. Europe’s new Romani foundation will collaborate with Romani groups in Eastern Europe, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Western Balkans.
The head of the new foundation will be Željko Jovanović, who has directed Open Society Roma Initiatives since 2010. The foundation will continue to develop its partnerships with four initiatives which are leading on the Romani cause: the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture, the Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative, Roma for Democracy and the Roma Education Fund.
The new foundation will also continue to collaborate with many Romani movements and organizations such as the Roma Standing Conference in Bulgaria, Kethane in Italy, Avaja in North Macedonia, Aresel in Romania and Opre Roma in Serbia. “We will collaborate with everybody who is able to strengthen our mission, which is to combine the electoral and economic potential of Europe’s largest minority with the voice of their most faithful followers, supporters and influential friends. Our aim will be to build a platform that not only yields positive transformations for Romani people, but that also contributes to a European future based on justice and fairness,” said Jovanović, who will be Executive Director.
Open Society Foundations, with an annual budget exceeding EUR 930 million, is the biggest private sponsor of groups striving for equality, freedom of speech and justice. This new approach to supporting Romani-related subjects is happening together with a wider reassessment of how OSF works worldwide.
