“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.