Posted on 10/09/24
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Oct. 9, 2024 - Billionaire George Soros has delivered millions of dollars to Baltimore non-profits and activists via his philanthropic empire, providing valuable cash to organizations that push progressive policies and fund left-wing activism in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Baltimore has long been a focus for Soros, whose philanthropy is primarily conducted through his Open Society Foundations. Charm City was previously home to the nation’s only local Open Society field office, known as OSI-Baltimore. The office closed last year after 25 years of operation.
The impact Soros has had on Maryland, specifically Baltimore City, is evident in the local organizations he has financially supported through Open Society. Tax filings reveal the Alliance For Open Society International, the non-profit entity behind OSI-Baltimore, has pumped millions of dollars into several Baltimore-area organizations.
Some of those organizations sit close to power and influence. Bmore Empowered, a Black women’s advocacy organization, received $175,000 from Open Society in 2022 and is run by Hana Pugh, who is married to Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott. Pugh serves as the non-profit’s operations director.
Other organizations are more vocal about public policy and left-wing activism. Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, a self-described “grassroots think-tank” based in Baltimore, was granted $150,000 by Open Society in 2022 via a fiscal sponsor called Fusion Partnerships, tax filings show. The grant is not disclosed on the LBS website.
LBS has been a strong advocate for the Child Interrogation Protection Act, a controversial Maryland law that limits police interrogation of juveniles suspected of committing crimes. Prosecutors and lawmakers across the state, including Democratic Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, have criticized the law as having a negative impact on public safety.
LBS, which is run by self-described “Black nationalist” Adam Jackson, has publicly pushed several other left-wing political causes. The organization opposes Baltimore City prosecutors cracking down on illegal dirt bike activity. The LBS director of public policy, Dayvon Love, proclaimed in January 2024 that “Zionism is White Supremacy” and cited an author who blamed the Holocaust on “European colonialism.”
“What Jewish people experienced during WWII is white people doing to other white people what they had been doing for centuries to non-white people,” Love wrote. “Some Jewish people would take issue with this frame because it makes the atrocity of the holocaust appear less exceptional. This is exactly the problem.”
When reached via email about contributions to his organization, Love told FOX45 News “straight up donations are so minimal” and that “most of our resources are generated through work that we do.” Love refused to disclose his group’s donors despite multiple requests.
“Sinclair is not a serious media organization," Love wrote in an email, referring to the parent company of FOX45 News. "I am only choosing to engage you because I wanted you to know directly how little regard I have for you all professionally."
Love did not comment on the grant provided to LBS by Open Society.
Open Society has even extended its financial support to the local news industry. The Baltimore Beat, a non-profit newspaper, received $100,000 from Open Society in 2022. The paper identifies Open Society as a donor on its website but does not disclose the total value of the grant beyond the fact it is worth “more than $5,000.”
The Baltimore Beat says its staff “retains full authority” over editorial decisions and insists its news judgement is not predicated on donor support. The paper also has a robust conflict of interest policy listed on its website. The outlet’s editor-in-chief did not respond to a request for comment from FOX45 News.
Open Society has also delivered funds to the Maryland Philanthropy Network for various local and regional projects, including the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition, the Black Yield Institute and the Education Funders Affinity Group. Progressive Maryland, a left-wing activist group based in Largo, received $100,000 from Open Society in 2022 as well.
Altogether in 2022, the Alliance For Open Society International sent $2.3 million to Maryland-based non-profits and activist groups, primarily ones located in Baltimore City. The explanations for the grants often make vague references to “community organizing” and “general support.”
Open Society declined to tell FOX45 News if or when grant funding for Baltimore non-profits will end following the closure of OSI-Baltimore. It also declined to answer a series of questions about its grantmaking process, instead pointing to a press release about the closure of OSI-Baltimore.