NEW YORK — Billionaire philanthropist George Soros is putting up $100 million, one of the largest donations of its kind, to expand Human Rights Watch and help it court more international support.
The financier and major donor to liberal causes said Tuesday that it’s become a disadvantage for the group to be primarily funded by Americans because the U.S. has lost the “moral high ground” when it comes to fighting abuses.
The gift, to be distributed over 10 years, is meant as a dramatic start toward major growth for the group, which documents abuses and advocates for human rights in about 90 countries.
Plans call for Human Rights Watch to draw at least half its income and most of its board members from outside the U.S. within five years. Now, about 70 percent of the money and 80 percent of the board members are U.S.-based.
While the gift isn’t a record-breaker in the annals of philanthropy — those are measured in billions — experts say it’s one of the largest in many years to human rights.
Soros has donated more than $8 billion during his lifetime. His Open Societies Foundations are on pace to give away about $800 million this year on causes ranging from education to helping Pakistan recover from its recent floods.
Born in Hungary, Soros immigrated to Britain as a youth after surviving the Nazi occupation of his country and later moved to the U.S.
