Did they try to lower the thermostat or try wearing sweaters? Couponing could be an option.
Open Society Foundations will be closing 40% of their offices in Africa, and putting up signs saying “Sorry, We Are Closed”. The organization will post want ads and employees will be posting them.
Bloomberg reported earlier this month that staffers had sent emails to the company announcing their intention to cut back. Binaifer Nowrojee, vice president of programs, wrote: “With June’s decision by the board to reduce staff by more than 40%, we are forced to decrease both our staffing levels and footprint. “We don’t have enough resources to operate multiple small offices. We decided to reduce the number.
In a subsequent email, Africa Executive Director Muthoni Wasjeki stated, “I’m very sorry for the result.” She added, “It is not what we had expected. I’m also sorry I didn’t have this information sooner.” According to reports, grantmaker positions will be the most affected.
Bloomberg reported earlier this year that OSF announced the closure of offices in Spain and Baltimore, as well as other European countries. The African offices have been in “transition” since 2021.
In September, OSF president Mark Malloch Brown stated that the reorganization was an attempt to make the OSF more “nimble”. The organization will focus on the impact of its grants, rather than doing due diligence prior to making grants.
If this seems vague, it’s important to keep in mind that Bloomberg reported that Alex Soros said, in response to an OSF letter that stated the organization would “largely stop” funding in Europe that OSF “was simply changing strategy.” The newly reorganized OSF will accept applications from African employees who have been fired. However, they must relocate and pay relocation costs.
There is one thing that sticks out, even though the page is filled with rabbit holes. Many of the grant announcements are vague and could be used for any number of things.
