The Open Society Fellowship supports individuals who are developing innovative solutions to pressing open society challenges. The fellowship program seeks applicants eager to communicate original and provocative ideas to a broad audience, as well as to shape policy and inspire critical debate among activists, intellectuals, decision makers, and the public. The program also aims to sharpen the Open Society Foundations'  thinking, question its assumptions, and broaden its understanding of pivotal problems.

A fellow's contribution may take several forms. A fellowship project might identify a problem that has not previously been recognized, develop new policy ideas to address familiar problems, or offer a new advocacy strategy. Fellows are invited to join the diverse Open Society Foundations community and bring new people and fresh ideas to the organization. Most fellows sit in residence in Foundations offices. They are encouraged to organize and participate in conferences and program events and may be asked to run seminars involving Foundations staff and outside colleagues. The Open Society Fellowship is open to journalists, activists, academics, and public policy practitioners from around the world.

Recent fellows have explored topics such as the role of new media in authoritarian societies, the prospects of applying criminal law to arms manufacturers trading in war zones, the diverse and contradictory effects of Chinese migration to Africa, and the challenges of community organizing in the rural United States. Fellows have posed—and attempted to answer—such pointed questions as: Do international tribunals really serve the interests of victims of atrocity? and How can ordinary citizens evaluate classified intelligence as their country prepares for war?  

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