Monday, August 10, 2015
OSF to Continue Grantmaking in Russia
In a statement on the foundation's website, president and CEO Chris Stone wrote, "In recent days, several voices in Russia have called for the Open Society Foundations to be banned from work in Russia as a so-called undesirable organization, but as of this writing, the Russian authorities have not done so, and we are continuing to support many Russian organizations that seek our assistance to participate actively as part of their society. We are determined to continue to support those who seek our assistance in accordance with our mission and within the limits of the law."
Out of the seven U.S.-based NGOs on the list, which was made public in mid-July, only the National Endowment for Democracy so far has been declared "undesirable" — defined by the Russian government as presenting "a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, the defense capability of the country, or the security of the state." Two other organizations on the list have announced policy changes: the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has decided to close its Moscow office, while the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has announced it would put its activities in the country on hold....