About Us
Open Society Fund Prague is a Czech foundation with a 30-year history. Our mission is to nurture democracy in the Czech Republic. We support and educate civil society and encourage the state to develop into a place where everyone has equal chances and participates in various activities in their surroundings. We open up sensitive and neglected topics and together with donors we seek trailblazers who will carry them forward. Over the last 30 years, we have supported more than 10,000 projects done by Czech non-profit organizations and individuals with more than 2 billion Czech crowns.
These are the places where we help
We have unique know-how at our foundation
We are a leader among Czech foundations. We cooperate with private philanthropists, take care of their donations and fulfil a common vision. We distribute funds to civil society organizations, which we have been mapping for a long time and know well. We complement financial support with educational activities and innovation. We focus our own programming activities on raising the visibility of topics that would otherwise be kept under wraps and establishing unique programs and creating a stable basis for them, so that they can subsequently become independent and grow.
The History of Open Society Fund Prague
The OSF Prague was founded in 1992 by the American philanthropist George Soros. Its aim was to help kick-start democratic principles in the post-communist Czechoslovakia (soon after just the Czech Republic), to contribute to the development of a free society, transparency and equality of all people without distinction. Initially, the OSF Prague (formerly known as the Open Society Fund Prague) was part of the transnational network of the Open Society Foundations. In 2012, the Czech branch became financially independent. However, it has continued to pursue its original goals: it remains an advocate for democratic values, a driver of positive change and a promoter of an open society.
The Principles of the OSF Prague
We are an equal opportunity employer. All of our programmes are inclusive and enable active participation by all without distinction.
By adopting the Policy for the Protection of Children and Particularly Vulnerable Adults, we are publicly committed to protecting children and particularly vulnerable adults from any form of ill-treatment.
We are committed to ensuring that our workplace is a PLACE FOR ALL.
We supported civil society organizations even as they actively offered their services in the fight against the coronavirus. In the Group of 7 Foundations, we jointly committed ourselves to supporting the non-profit sector during the crisis. We stand with you.
The OSF Prague is currently a member of the Network of Education Policy Centres (NEPC), Ariadne, the informal coalition of the Open Society European Network, the Coalition for Easy Giving, the Network to Protect Democracy, Together and Digitally, and the British Chamber of Commerce.