The Open Society Foundations (OSF) has proposed significant cuts to its efforts in Europe and laying off a large portion of staff on the continent, the Associated Press (AP) reports.

As described in an internal email from Thorsten Klassen, director of OSF’s Berlin office, which was sent to Berlin staff on July 20, 2023 and seen by the AP, OSF has proposed an 80 percent cut to its Berlin offices staff. “The new approved strategic direction provides for withdrawal and termination of large parts of our current work within the European Union,” the letter states. According to staff members who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, OSF also proposed to cut at least 60 percent of staff in Brussels and an unclear number in London.

The changes are part of OSF’s shift to a new operating model adopted by the board at the end of June, the first major move by Alex Soros, the son of OSF founder George Soros, since he took over as head of its board of directors in December 2022.

“The Open Society Foundations is changing the way we work, but my family and OSF have long supported and remain steadfastly committed to the European project,” Alex Soros said in a statement.

According to grantees in Europe, OSF has not directly communicated the proposed strategy change, and many worry that its withdrawal in Europe will enable philanthropies supporting conservative social movements to gain ground.

“Here we are, probably hundreds of groups around Europe, and we have no idea why this decision came to be,” Márta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and a longtime recipient of OSF funding, told the AP. “When we look at the European Union, we really don’t see a justification for even decreasing support for human rights and democracy and for support for marginalized groups.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Eloi_Omella)