NEW YORK—Fourteen new leaders of nonprofit organizations have been awarded New Executives Fund grants to help implement their organizational leadership visions during a time of unprecedented global change, the Open Society Foundations announced today.
Based in six countries around the world, from Argentina to South Africa, the recipients have backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences that have been historically underrepresented in leadership positions in their respective geographic, cultural, and professional contexts. Their work involves a range of efforts to advance open society, including through legal protection of LGBTQI rights, digital rights advocacy, gender equality, community-centered policymaking, and civic engagement.
“We are delighted to welcome these directors to our incredible community of changemakers,” said Alethia Jones, director of the Open Society Fellowship Program, which includes the New Executives Fund. “Robust, early support from funders gives new leaders a chance to realize their bold visions and have an outsized impact. We support a fraction of the incredibly talented leaders who are nominated, and we urge other funders to enthusiastically support new leaders in their fields.”
Since 2013, the New Executives Fund has competitively awarded 132 grants for a total of $12.8 million. These two-year awards, which in 2021 range from $95,000 to $135,000, are designed to give new executives the flexibility to invest in their development as leaders as well as organizational sustainability while gaining access to networks of their peers—both especially crucial in the face of current challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession.
“Our hope is that this support can offer these leaders the space to dream and collaboratively imagine new possibilities for their organizations, together with their staffs, boards, and constituents,” said Bipasha Ray, project director of the New Executives Fund. “During this current moment in history, we need to encourage and reward bold thinking more than ever.”
