Abstract
This case study gives an overview of the history of the Open Society Foundations’ Scholarship Programs, which has designed and administered scholarship and fellowship programs for over 15,000 individuals since 1994. The study describes the often subtle ways in which individual educational grants have empowered agents of positive social change in societies experiencing war, dictatorships, natural disasters, or through the challenging years of post-communism. The elements of strategically designed grantmaking that have been most effective in promoting open societies are described, including transparent recruitment and selection procedures and ‘enhancements’. Despite the lack of ongoing systematic evaluation, the study reaffirms the Foundations’ continued confidence in scholarships as a vehicle for building local human capacity and fostering open societies.
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Notes
- 1.
Aryeh Neier , personal communication with author, June 10, 2016.
- 2.
The abbreviated term ‘Open Society’ is used throughout this chapter as the name for the global network of foundations (some formally and informally known as ‘Soros Foundations’) which make up George Soros’ philanthropy. The largest offices within Open Society include offices in Barcelona, Brussels, Hungary, the United Kingdom , and the United States, and with numerous other foundations around the world.
- 3.
The term ‘program’ will be used to describe specific scholarship programs designed and administered by the Open Society Scholarship Programs. Programs have a separate award title, a distinct purpose, are targeted at specific populations and countries, and are, in some cases, offered in a limited range of subjects at specified universities only.
- 4.
The Oxford and Cambridge Hospitality Schemes were co-funded by Open Society, the British Council, and the respective universities.
- 5.
The Doctoral Fellows Program was offset by tuition cost-sharing arrangements from the host universities.
- 6.
The Civil Service Awards were eligible for employees at the Georgian Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs; the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources; the Moldovan Ministry of Education; Ministry of Labor, Social Protection, and Family; Ministry of the Economy; Ministry of Transportation; Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration; and The State Chancellery.
- 7.
The Disability Rights Scholarship Program has been offered in Argentina, China , Colombia, Ghana , Kenya , Liberia, Mozambique, Malawi, Mexico, Peru, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- 8.
The Civil Society Leadership Awards are open to citizens of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burma /Myanmar, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia , Laos, Libya , Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria , Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
- 9.
Civil Society Leadership Awards Alum, in discussion with Inga Pracute, Program Specialist, Open Society Scholarship Programs, Istanbul, August 25, 2015. Internal document. The name of the alum is withheld by mutual agreement.
- 10.
Brunilda Bakshevani, personal communication with author, July 6, 2016.
- 11.
Scholarships have worked with EACs in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia , Kazakhstan , Macedonia, Montenegro, Moldova, Mongolia , Romania , and Ukraine , with smaller advising centers operating within local Open Society offices in Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan , Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Tajikistan .
References
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Brogden, Z. (2018). Case Study: Open Society Scholarship Programs. In: Dassin, J., Marsh, R., Mawer, M. (eds) International Scholarships in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62734-2_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62734-2_7
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