The Open Society Foundations are proud to announce that philanthropist and founder George Soros has been awarded the European Civil Rights Prize of the Sinti and Roma in recognition of his lifelong commitment to advancing the rights, dignity, and empowerment of Roma communities across Europe.
The award, endowed by Germany’s Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation, was established in memory of Holocaust survivors and Roma civil rights pioneers Oskar and Vinzenz Rose. It honors individuals and institutions that have made outstanding contributions to improving the human rights situation of Sinti and Roma communities.
For more than four decades, George Soros has been a steadfast ally of the Roma, the largest and most marginalized ethnic minority in Europe. Through sustained philanthropic initiatives, he has supported Roma-led organizations to fight discrimination, expand access to education and justice, and strengthen early childhood development and health care. His efforts also helped elevate Roma voices in public life.
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Among his notable contributions are the creation of the European Roma Rights Centre, the Roma Education Fund, and the Decade of Roma Inclusion, collective efforts that have helped more than 150,000 Roma students attend school, challenged segregation before the European Court of Human Rights, and strengthened Roma representation in civic discourse. In 2017, the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture was launched in Berlin with institutional and financial backing from the Council of Europe and the Open Society Foundations.
These efforts culminated in the 2024 establishment of the Roma Foundation for Europe, an independent, Roma-led institution launched with a €100 million pledge from the Open Society Foundations.
Soros’s commitment has also extended to economic empowerment. Through the Soros Economic Development Fund, the Foundations supported a Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative pilot program, which demonstrated that Roma entrepreneurs, long excluded from formal financial systems, are just as creditworthy as their non-Roma counterparts when given equal access to capital. The initiative challenged long-held biases about risk and reliability within Europe’s economic structures.
Accepting the award on behalf of his father, Alex Soros, Chair of the Open Society Foundations, said:
“My father’s partnership with Roma communities has always been grounded in a deep belief in justice, dignity, and self-determination. This prize is a powerful recognition of that shared journey and a call to continue the fight against prejudice and exclusion. As a child, I accompanied my parents on visits across Europe to meet Roma leaders and their families. Those experiences shaped my own commitment to human rights. Today, I am proud to carry forward this vital work and stand alongside Roma communities in their pursuit of equal rights and freedom. The discrimination that Roma experience is a threat to all of Europe. None of us are free until we are all free.”
Reflecting on his decades-long relationship with Roma communities, George Soros said:
“The Roma have endured centuries of discrimination and marginalization, rooted in a history of violence, from the Holocaust to forced sterilization, child removals, and evictions. These injustices continue to resurface, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic and when Roma fleeing the war in Ukraine faced barriers to aid. I’ve always believed that open societies must protect the rights of all people, especially those who are excluded. Working alongside Roma leaders and communities has been one of the most meaningful parts of my life’s work.”
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Since its inception in 2007, marking the 10th anniversary of the Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma, the European Civil Rights Prize has recognized extraordinary contributions to Roma inclusion and human rights. Previous recipients include Angela Merkel in 2021 for her leadership in promoting inclusion and Daniel Libeskind in 2023 for his contributions to the culture of remembrance through architecture.
Continuing his legacy of giving, George Soros announced that he will donate the prize money to the Roma Education Fund, which empowers Roma communities through education, skills development, and employment opportunities, helping them build resilience and thrive amid ongoing social and economic challenges.
