Special Initiatives

In addition to its long and short term programs, U.S. Programs occasionally undertakes special projects to take advantage of new opportunities or to address emerging threats to open society in the United States.

Current special initiatives include the work described below. Unless otherwise noted, proposals related to these initiaves are considered by invitation only.

"Seize the Day" Fund

The global economic crisis and recent changes in the U.S. political environment have elevated the risks and opportunities for building a better society in America. In order to ensure that the most critical work moves forward during this period, the Open Society Institute's U.S. Programs created a special fund, known informally as the "Seize the Day" Fund, to provide timely support for efforts to:

• advance the most challenging issues—including mass incarceration, immigration, drug policy, and structural inequality—as part of a transformative national agenda;
• ensure transparency, accountability, and equity in the development and implementation of economic recovery plans;
• increase public participation in policy reform efforts by those most impacted, including people of color, immigrant, and low-income communities; and
• integrate recent innovations in organizing and technology into more organizations and movements.

Global Warming

U.S. Programs has been monitoring domestic and international developments related to global warming since mid-2005. Broadly speaking, our interests lie in three areas:

• building the public and political will to adopt and implement effective and comprehensive national climate policies in the U.S.;
• restoring American leadership in international efforts to solve the climate crisis;
• identifying opportunities to assist with the development of an international policy framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012.