Open Society Foundations Under Scrutiny Over Alleged $80 Million Funding to Extremist Groups

A recent social media post by Steve Guest has ignited controversy, alleging that George Soros’s Open Society Foundations (OSF), now led by his son Alexander, has directed over $80 million since 2016 to organizations linked with "terrorism or extremist violence." The tweet, which described the claim as a "BOMBSHELL," pointed to an article from capitalresearch.org as its source.

Open Society Foundations, established by billionaire philanthropist George Soros, states its mission is to "build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens," supporting civil society groups globally. The organization operates with an annual budget exceeding $1 billion, funding initiatives focused on human rights, justice, and democracy in over 120 countries.

However, the specific claim regarding OSF's funding of extremist groups has been widely debunked by independent fact-checkers. Reuters reported that "George Soros’s Open Society Foundations has not funded Hamas or other terrorist groups," directly quoting an OSF spokesperson who affirmed, "OSF does not fund terrorist organizations. We do not fund organizations that promote or engage in violence, or that discriminate on the basis of religion, race, ethnicity, origin, gender, sexual orientation or disability.” USA Today similarly rated such claims as false, based on OSF's stated commitments.

The Capital Research Center article specifically cited by Guest's tweet mentions a group called Al-Haq, noting its sanctioning by the U.S. State Department for "advancing campaigns that 'directly engaged in the [International Criminal Court’s] illegitimate targeting of Israel.'" This highlights a broader context where accusations of ties to terrorism or extremism are sometimes leveled against human rights and advocacy organizations, particularly those involved in sensitive geopolitical issues.

In fact, OSF itself, through its Open Society Justice Initiative, has published extensive reports, such as "Eroding Trust," which critically examine counter-extremism strategies like the UK's Prevent program. These reports often highlight concerns about human rights violations and potential discrimination arising from overly broad definitions of extremism and the targeting of advocacy groups. Such publications underscore OSF's engagement with the complexities of counter-extremism from a civil liberties perspective.

The circulation of such unverified claims underscores the ongoing challenges faced by large philanthropic organizations, especially those with a global reach and involvement in politically charged areas. Critics often scrutinize their funding decisions, leading to public disputes over the nature and impact of their grantees' work.