Donor Spotlight: Open Society Foundations

Advancing Equity for Workers and Immigrant Communities Across New York City

When philanthropy comes together with government and community-based organizations, our collective ability to equitably distribute resources, support, and relief is unparalleled. That belief is embedded in the mission of Open Society Foundations (OSF), which has partnered with the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City to develop and deliver innovative solutions to many of New York City’s most pressing challenges.

As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic rippled throughout New York City, the 3.1 million immigrants who comprise about 37 percent of the city’s population and 44 percent of its workforce—including approximately 360,000 undocumented workers and 48,000 undocumented business owners—were among the hardest hit. More than half of the one million essential workers who were on the frontlines of the pandemic—delivery workers, EMS staff, drivers, healthcare personnel, and more—were immigrants.

Undocumented workers and their families—approximately 738,000 New Yorkers, including 218,000 children—were particularly vulnerable. More than a third of New York City’s undocumented workforce are low-income, ineligible for most safety net assistance, and were left behind by federal stimulus packages because of their documentation status.

Recognizing the unprecedented level of need, in April 2020, OSF provided $20 million to New York City to create the Immigrant Emergency Relief Program. he fund, managed by the Mayor’s Fund in partnership with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, worked with over 30 on-the-ground community organizations to provide direct, one-time emergency relief payments that helped approximately 76,000 New Yorkers who were hardest hit financially by the crisis, yet excluded from the reach of the federal relief program–including undocumented workers who play a vital role in the city’s economy. This funding was part of the Emma Lazarus Campaign, a national initiative funded by OSF to ensure that undocumented workers had some financial support at this perilous time.

“It is time for us to appreciate the dignity of workers, who form the backbone of our economies but are too often invisible to our media and policymakers.”

“This crisis has exposed just how much we rely on those who provide essential services—the domestic workers, the health workers, the janitors, the workers harvesting, stocking, and delivering our food, and so many others—and just how precarious life is for far too many people who are the backbone of our economies,” said Mark Malloch-Brown, president of the Open Society Foundations. “It is time for us to appreciate the dignity of workers, who are too often unseen by our media and policymakers.”

OSF’s commitment to the long-term success and well-being of workers in New York City is also evidenced by their generous support of Employee Ownership NYC, the nation’s largest municipal initiative for education and technical assistance around employee ownership and conversion.

Launched in December 2020 as an initiative of the Mayor’s Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity, the Department of Small Business Services, and the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Businesses, the program offers businesses and workers support in adopting this compelling business model. Thanks to support from OSF and the Mayor’s Fund, business owners taking full advantage of Employee Ownership NYC have been able to access services worth $10,000 or more in the private sector, all while building sustainable business models that offer true wealth-building opportunities for workers.

OSF has also been a central funder of Cities for Action, a coalition of mayors and county executives co-founded by Mayor de Blasio that leads the work to support stronger cities and countries by advocating for pro-immigrant federal policies and launching innovative, inclusive programs and policies at the local level. Today, the coalition has nearly 200 members and collectively represents more than 17 million foreign-born residents across the United States. Recent OSF funding made possible the development and publication of “A Vision for Immigration Action,” an articulation of local leaders’ priorities and recommendations for building inclusive, equitable and resilient communities. The coalition will promote these priorities through ongoing engagement with the Biden Administration and Congress to advocate for immigrant integration and immigration reform.

Thank You To Our Supporters

  • adidas America Inc
  • AECOM Tishman
  • Alexandra Korry
  • AlleyCorp
  • Alyssa Sherman
  • Amalgamated Foundation
  • Amass
  • American Eagle Outfitters
  • American Express Company
  • Americares
  • Amy & Brian France
  • Anderson-Rogers Foundation
  • Andrew Saladino
  • Ann and Tom van Buren
  • Assure Distribution
  • Astoria Energy, LLC
  • AT&T
  • Aurate New York
  • Back Country
  • Balyasny Asset Management 
  • Barbara Broccoli
  • Barry Goldsmith
  • Ben Wei
  • Benevity Community Impact Fund
  • Betty Lee
  • Big H Foundation
  • BNY Mellon
  • Bob Woodruff Foundation
  • Boots Retail USA Inc
  • Brad & Roberta Karp
  • Bradley Korell
  • Brookfield Properties
  • Brooklyn Mile/Brooklyn Running Company
  • Bruce Bernstein
  • Camdrew Productions LLC
  • Carbon 3D
  • Carol Jun and Daniel Choi
  • CBRE Foundation 
  • CDC Foundation
  • CGCC Foundation
  • Check Point Software Technologies
  • Cheryl Mckissack Daniel
  • CICC US Securities, Inc
  • Cielo Foundation 
  • CIT
  • Citi Community Development
  • Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund
  • Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
  • Con Edison
  • Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
  • Consulate General of Luxembourg in New York
  • Corporation for National and Community Service
  • Cozen O’Connor 
  • Cristina Giroux
  • Curtis James
  • Dagan Kasavana
  • Dan Juda
  • Dana Schuessler
  • Daniel Vosovic NY, LLC
  • David Guetta
  • David Pozen
  • David, Angela, and Gary Li
  • Debra and Leon Black Family
  • Deloitte
  • Deloitte Foundation
  • Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation
  • Deven and Monika Parekh
  • Dharani Jasthi
  • Diane and Dorothy Brooks Foundation
  • Eli Lilly and Company 
  • Ellis Island Honors Society 
  • EmblemHealth
  • Emigrant Bank
  • Ericsson
  • Erika Wayne
  • Estate of Julia J. Brody
  • Eugene Schneur
  • Evan Gogel
  • ExpandED Schools
  • EY
  • Eye Productions Inc
  • Facebook
  • FDNY Foundation
  • Footy Rooty Development 
  • Ford Motor Company
  • Formula E
  • Fresh Beauty
  • Gabriella Nawi
  • Global Geeks
  • GlobalGiving Foundation Inc
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund
  • Gray Foundation
  • Greater New York Hospital Association
  • Gwen Shihyao Lai
  • Hachette Book Group
  • Harry’s Inc
  • Hartinger Family with EduCare e.V.
  • Hauser & Wirth
  • Hejin Hu
  • Henry Alpert
  • HOLDEN Rings
  • HP Foundation
  • iEDM
  • Intact Insurance Charitable Trust
  • Ionetix PPE Foundation
  • Islamic Cultural Center of New York
  • James Meyer
  • James Stevens
  • Jean-Pascal Chauvet
  • Jeff Dunham Fund
  • Jeffrey L. Pote
  • Jeffrey Stedman
  • Jeffries LLC
  • Jenny Holzer
  • Jessica Weidman Steans-Gail
  • Jonathan Friedman
  • Joyce Hsieh
  • JPMorgan Chase Foundation
  • Kate Barlean
  • Kelly Day
  • Korea Beauty Industry Development Institute Co., Ltd
  • Kyra Sedgwick & Kevin Bacon Family Foundation
  • Lattice
  • Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
  • Lavenstein Family Philanthropic Fund
  • Leonard Drenski
  • Lerer Hippeau
  • Leslie Singer and Lawrence Noe
  • Lewis and Sharon Miller
  • Linda Roche
  • Lono  Life
  • lululemon athletica inc 
  • Luminess Air
  • M&T Bank 
  • M9 Charitable Fund
  • Maharashtra Foundation
  • Mahendra Patel 
  • Maimonides Medical Center
  • Maple Tree 
  • Marcia R. Levine
  • Marissa Buick
  • Marshall Wace
  • Mary Jordan
  • Mattel
  • Maurice Harkless
  • Maxwell Abeles
  • May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation
  • Meryl & Joey Levin
  • Met Council on Jewish Poverty
  • MetLife Stadium
  • Michael Murphy
  • Michael Park
  • Milk Makeup LLC 
  • MJS Foundation Inc
  • Mondrian investment Partners
  • Mubadala Investment Company
  • MUFG
  • National Grid 
  • NATIXIS
  • Nestle Waters North America
  • Network for Good
  • Networks For Emergencies And Relief, NEAR
  • New York City Football Club, LLC
  • New York Road Runners
  • New York State Health Foundation 
  • New York Yankees
  • NewYork-Presbyterian
  • NIKE
  • Nordstrom
  • Novo Nordisk
  • Open Society Foundations
  • Orior Furniture
  • Palladium Equity Partners
  • Parish of Trinity Church
  • Peloton
  • Peter Duffy
  • PharmaBlock Sciences
  • Philadelphia Insurance Companies Foundation
  • Piantino Family Foundation
  • Piper Sandler Foundation
  • PJT Partners
  • Poses Family Foundation
  • Project Isaiah
  • Qi Tom Chen
  • Raxwell Industrial Technologies
  • REBNY Foundation
  • REGENXBIO
  • Richard Abbe
  • Richard Platt
  • Richard Sanford
  • Richmond County Savings Bank
  • Robert Buisman
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Robin Hood Foundation
  • Roewell Hobbs
  • Ross Wilson 
  • Sajani Raman
  • Salesforce
  • Santander Bank
  • Sascha Gruber
  • Schroder Investment Management
  • ServiceNow, Inc
  • Shearman & Sterling LLP
  • Shree Swaminarayan Satsang New York
  • Signature Bank
  • Silicon Valley Community Foundation
  • Sogotrade Incorporation
  • Solomon Family Foundation
  • SOMOS Healthcare Providers, Inc
  • Sri Viswayogi Viswamjee Foundation for Universal Integration
  • Star of TruTV’s Impractical Jokers, Joe Gatto
  • Start Small LLC
  • Stephanie Gottlieb
  • Susan Pettersen
  • Suzanne Lerner Charitable Fund
  • Sydney & Jonathan Stern
  • Synergy Business Innovation & Solutions, Inc
  • Rowe Price Foundation, Inc
  • Taniya Mishra
  • Tao Chen
  • Tatcha LLC
  • Taylor Walshe
  • Tech:NYC
  • The Allergan Foundation
  • The Center for Spiritual Studies
  • The Clara Lionel Foundation
  • The Coca-Cola Company
  • The Consulate General of The United Arab Emirates
  • The Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust
  • The Edward and Helen Oppenheimer Foundation
  • The Food Bank for New York City
  • The Ford Foundation
  • The Frick Collection
  • The Goodnation Foundation
  • The Greenwall Foundation
  • The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
  • The Hole
  • The Home Depot
  • The Human Fund
  • The J.M. Kaplan Fund, Inc
  • The Jennifer & Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation
  • The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
  • The John W. Hill Foundation
  • The JPB Foundation
  • The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
  • The Marc Haas Foundation
  • The Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation
  • The Neuberger Berman Foundation
  • The New York Allergy Society
  • The New York Community Trust
  • The PenFed Foundation 
  • The Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations
  • The Pestcoe Family Foundation
  • The Pinkerton Foundation
  • The PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc
  • The Rockefeller Foundation
  • The Ruth Stanton Foundation
  • The Solomon Wilson Family Foundation
  • The Staten Island Foundation
  • The Walt Disney Company
  • The Westminster Kennel Club
  • The Wills Family Fund
  • The Yen Family Charitable Foundation
  • Theresa and Edward O’Toole Foundation
  • Thompson Family Benevolent Fund
  • Tides Foundation
  • Tiffany Zheng
  • Tim Chau
  • Tishman Speyer Properties, LP
  • TP ICAP Americas Holdings Inc
  • TraMy Nguyen 
  • TransPerfect
  • Tucker Sisterhood LLC
  • Tudor
  • Tunnel to Towers Foundation
  • U.S. Soccer Foundation
  • UBS
  • UJA-Federation of New York
  • Unilever United States Foundation, Inc
  • United Nations Foundation
  • Ursa Major Leo, LLC
  • Victor Li
  • Viet Nguyen
  • Viola Foundation
  • Virtu Financial Operating LLC
  • VMT holdings Inc
  • VOSS USA, Inc
  • Warburg Pincus LLC
  • Warby Parker
  • Warner Bros.
  • Wells Fargo Foundation
  • Whole Foods Market
  • Winky Foundation
  • Winston Brothers, Inc
  • Workforce Development Corporation
  • Yanoh Jalloh
  • Yvonne Deporre
  • Zadie Adeline Smith

*Supporters who donated $5,000 or more as of December 31, 2020.