The Open Society Institute – Sofia Foundation (OSIS) is an independent Bulgarian non-governmental organization operating for public benefit. It upholds the values of the open society and supports the country’s integration into the European Union.
Established in 1990, in the first months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the foundation has actively contributed to Bulgaria’s transformation from a closed totalitarian state into an open democratic society.
In its early years, the foundation worked to overcome the more than four decades of isolation Bulgaria experienced under the communist regime. It awarded scholarships to over 1,700 Bulgarian students to study at prestigious universities abroad. More than 7,600 individuals received financial support to participate in short-term specializations and international academic forums. Over 1,100 scholarships were granted to students in Bulgarian universities. The foundation also supported higher education institutions, libraries, book publishing, and the introduction of the internet across the country.
One of the foundation’s largest initiatives took place during the economic crisis of 1997–1999, when it provided USD 11 million in humanitarian aid. This assistance supported soup kitchens for the poor, scholarships for children from low-income families, and emergency deliveries of medicines to hospitals. Nearly 200,000 schoolchildren and kindergarten pupils across Bulgaria received free meals and milk during the severe economic hardship the country faced at the time.
In response to the global financial crisis of 2010, the foundation supported numerous projects aimed at mitigating the effects of the crisis on the most vulnerable groups by improving their access to quality public services. Within this framework, the foundation made an extraordinary donation of nearly 1.3 million BGN to support the “Public Soup Kitchens” service, which provided free meals during the winter months to around 10,000 Bulgarian citizens in vulnerable situations.
Throughout its 35-year history, the foundation has supported—and continues to support—the causes of hundreds of civil society organizations working to promote freedom of expression, media literacy, informed civic participation, protection of fundamental civil rights and freedoms, integrity of elections, inclusion of vulnerable communities, good governance, and the rule of law.
Alongside managing programs supporting civil society, the foundation’s team conducts economic and social research in the fields of education, social inclusion, public attitudes toward democracy, rule of law and human rights, media literacy, European integration, and more.
The foundation secures funding for its activities through donations and funding from programs of the European Union, the European Economic Area, and other donor organizations, including the Open Society Foundations, as well as through economic activities permitted by law. The foundation’s annual activity reports are public and subject to independent audit each year.
The founding endowment establishing the foundation in 1990 was provided by George Soros.
George Soros is an American financier and philanthropist of Hungarian origin. Born in 1930 in Budapest, he survived the Holocaust and Nazi occupation during World War II, emigrated to the United Kingdom, and later settled in the United States. His philanthropic contributions to civic initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and increasing transparency, as well as to scholarship programs and universities around the world, have earned him recognition as one of the most remarkable philanthropists of our time.
George Soros was awarded the Order of Stara Planina, First Degree (1997) — one of Bulgaria’s highest state honors granted to foreign citizens for exceptional merit in strengthening bilateral relations with the Republic of Bulgaria, advancing international cooperation, promoting peace and security among nations, and defending human rights and freedoms.
In 2025, George Soros received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor of the United States.
