Open Society Institute – Sofia

Open Society Institute – Sofia is a non-governmental organization, acting for the public benefit, defending the values of the open society in Bulgaria and supporting the integration of the country to the European Union. The Institute is founded in 1990, thanks to a donation of Mr. George Soros.

Mission

To promote, help develop and sustain the values, attitudes and practices of open society in Bulgaria.

Geographic Focus

Bulgaria, Western Balkans countries, Ukraine, Georgia, EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe

Programme Areas

OSIS is a leading operator of regranting programs. In the past years, OSIS was involved in over EUR 20 million in funding administered through initiatives such as the EEA Grants NGO Programme (EUR 11.8 million), Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria (EUR 15.5 million), and EU CERV programs (ProEUvalues, PACT), carried out as a lead organization in partnership with other CSOs.

These programs support civil society, democracy, media independence, and EU values. OSIS also implements multi-country schemes that promote regional collaboration and democratic resilience, such as “The Next Mile of European Integration.”, to support think tanks in EU candidate countries.

The Enhancing Media Resilience and Quality News Journalism project offers grants in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, and Slovenia with a call opened in 2024. Beyond grant management, OSIS conducts research and advocacy on democracy, civic participation, and media resilience. It conducts research on media resilience and publishes the annual Media Literacy Index, assessing susceptibility to disinformation across Europe, the U.S., and Canada. OSIS also regularly produces State of Democracy, Hate Speech and state of civil society reports on Bulgaria, used by institutions like FRA.

With an ISO 9001-certified quality management system, OSIS ensures high standards of administrative efficiency, accountability, and financial oversight.