# Open Society Foundations pledges €100mn for Roma communities

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/09/06/open-society-foundations-pledges-e100mn-for-roma-communities/
- Published: 2023-09-06T08:47:00+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**The Open Society Foundations is pledging €100 million (over £85mn) to the empowerment
and development of Europe’s Roma communities, marking a new stage in the organisation’s
three decades of support for the Roma people. **

The funding commitment runs until 2030, and will be delivered through a new independent
foundation, headquartered in Brussels. The organisation says it will be the first
institution of its scale and scope to be managed by Roma leaders when it launches
next year. 

In addition to becoming the new channel for Open Society support for Roma causes,
the new foundation will also look to develop additional funding sources to advance
its mission.

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Alexander Soros, Chair of the [Open Society Foundations](https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/),
said: 

> “With a new generation of exceptional Roma leaders determining strategy and funding
> priorities, I am confident the new foundation will be a dynamic force–dedicated
> to realizing the full potential of the Roma people, and overcoming the deep-rooted
> barriers they face. We will do everything we can to support the foundation and
> its leadership in a mission that will benefit not only the Roma, but Europe as
> whole.”

The Open Society Foundations has been a private supporter of Europe’s Roma since
the early 1990s, when Open Society’s founder, George Soros, first showed support
for the cause.

The new Roma Foundation for Europe will work with Roma groups in the Western Balkans,
Eastern Europe, Spain, Italy, and Germany. It will be headed by Zeljko Jovanovic,
who has overseen Open Society’s Roma Initiatives Office since 2010.

The foundation will inherit and develop Open Society’s founding partnerships with
four leading Roma-led initiatives: the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture;
the Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative, Roma for Democracy; and the Roma
Education Fund. It will also continue Open Society’s work with a range of national
Roma movements, including _Aresel_ in Romania, _Opre Roma_ in Serbia, _Kethane_ 
in Italy, Roma Standing Conference in Bulgaria, and _Avaja_ in North Macedonia, 
among others.

Jovanovic, who will be Executive Director of the new foundation, said: 

> “We will work with all those who can advance our mission—to combine the electoral
> and economic potential of the biggest minority in Europe with the voice of its
> most credible advocates, supportive allies, and influential friends. Our goal 
> will be to build a foundation that not only delivers positive change for Roma,
> but that also contributes to a European future grounded in justice and fairness.”

Open Society’s support for the Roma so far has included: 

 * The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture, launched in 2017, and dedicated
   to promoting Roma pride and dispelling anti-Roma prejudice through the arts.
 * The Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative, which since 2016 has sought
   to empower Roma communities economically by supporting Roma-owned small businesses.
 * Roma for Democracy, a program aimed at promoting Roma participation in elections
   and democratic representation.
 * The Roma Education Fund, established in 2005 to provide scholarships and grants
   promoting high-quality, inclusive education for Roma students in Central, Eastern
   and Southern Europe and Turkey. 

The Open Society Foundations has an annual budget of over $1 billion (€917 million).

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