Ninety years after a small boy survived wartime Budapest, that same name still moves markets and bankrolls idealists. George Soros, a Hungarian-American immigrant, has been called many things — financial genius, philanthropist, political bogeyman — and his foundations have given away more than $32 billion since 1984, according to the Open Society Foundations.
Net worth: US$8.6 billion (2024) ·
Age: 94 (born August 12, 1930) ·
Philanthropy given: Over $32 billion ·
Known for: Hedge fund management, Open Society Foundations ·
Profit in 2024: $1 billion from investments
Quick snapshot
- Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1930; lived through the Nazi occupation (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
- More than $32 billion given to his foundations since 1984 (Open Society Foundations biography)
- Recorded by OpenSecrets as a donor to U.S. outside-spending groups in the 2016 cycle (OpenSecrets)
- The exact Disney stake shifts with each quarterly fund filing (per Soros Fund Management filings)
- Total giving specifically to LGBTQ causes is not separately disclosed (per Open Society Foundations grantmaking overview)
- The boundary between personal political gifts and foundation grants is routinely blurred in public debate (per OpenSecrets and foundation records)
- 1979: international philanthropy begins with support for Black South Africans under apartheid (Open Society Foundations mission page)
- 1984: first international foundation opens in Hungary (Open Society Foundations newsroom) (Open Society Foundations mission page)
- 2017: $18 billion transferred to the foundations (Open Society Foundations biography) (Open Society Foundations mission page)
- Watch the next Soros Fund Management quarterly filing for updated stock positions
- The foundations’ priorities remain freedom of expression, accountable government, justice, equity, and human rights (Open Society Foundations mission page)
Seven rows, one pattern: a life split between accumulating wealth and distributing it.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | George Soros |
| Born | August 12, 1930, Budapest, Hungary |
| Net worth | US$8.6 billion (2024 estimate) |
| Known for | Hedge fund management, philanthropy |
| Spouse | Tamiko Bolton (married 2013) |
| Children | 5 (including Alexander, Jonathan, Robert) |
| Education | London School of Economics (studied under Karl Popper) |
The implication: even the dry biographical facts point to the same arc — an immigrant who converted a London education into a Wall Street fortune and then spent the bulk of it trying to pry open closed societies.
What is George Soros famous for?
His career as a hedge fund manager
- Left Budapest for London in 1947 as Communists took power in Hungary (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
- Studied at the London School of Economics, where he encountered Karl Popper’s philosophy (Open Society Foundations biography)
- Moved to the United States in 1956 and entered finance (Open Society Foundations biography)
- Launched his own hedge fund in 1970 (Open Society Foundations biography)
Soros Fund Management made him a billionaire through macroeconomic trading — large directional bets on currencies, bonds, and markets. The most retold moment came in 1992, when the fund’s position against the British pound became global news and fixed his image as the financier who could move a national economy by himself.
Founding the Open Society Foundations
- International philanthropy began in 1979, with early support for Black South Africans under apartheid (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
- The first international foundation opened in Hungary in 1984 (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
- Academic research dates the formal Open Society Institute to 1993, with roots in the 1979 Open Society Fund (International Studies Quarterly)
The intellectual engine was Popper’s idea of an open society — a political system that permits criticism, dissent, and peaceful change. Soros turned that concept into a worldwide grantmaking apparatus long before large-scale philanthropy became a fashion in tech.
Major financial wins and controversies
- The 1992 British pound trade made him a global symbol of market power
- His progressive grantmaking made him a recurring target in political campaigns and conspiracy narratives
His fame is double-edged: markets remember the trade, activists remember the grants, and critics remember the politics.
The pattern: the fortune built his platform; the giving defined his purpose. Anyone who understands only one half of that equation is reading half the man.
The $32 billion figure is money given away, not money kept. Net worth and philanthropy are separate ledgers, and conflating them drives most of the confusion around Soros.
How much of Disney does George Soros own?
Soros Fund Management’s Disney holdings
- Roughly 3.8 million Disney shares held in mid-2024, per fund disclosures
- The position was worth about $400 million at the time
- The stake is a small fraction of Disney’s total outstanding shares
Those figures come from Soros Fund Management’s quarterly filings, which update each reporting period. The holding attracts attention because of the name attached to it; the fund, closed to outside investors since 2011, sizes positions as small parts of a diversified family portfolio.
Recent filing disclosures
A $400 million stake is real money and still a marginal position against Disney’s total share count. This is portfolio positioning, not a corporate play.
Fund managers disclose large U.S. stock positions quarterly, so the Disney figure refreshes every few months. The reporting lag means a viral claim about the “real” size of the stake is usually citing a document that is already out of date.
What this means: the Disney stake tells you less about Soros’ strategy than about how much attention his name still generates.
What political party does George Soros support?
Major contributions to Democratic candidates
- OpenSecrets, the nonprofit campaign-finance tracker, records Soros as a donor to U.S. outside-spending groups in the 2016 election cycle (OpenSecrets donor records)
- His personal giving has consistently favored Democratic candidates and progressive ballot initiatives
- He has given millions to Democratic-aligned super PACs, including the Democracy PAC network
These donations are personal and itemized in federal records; they are not foundation money. The scale of his outside-spending contributions made him a fixture in campaign-finance reporting and a recurring name in Republican attack ads.
Funding progressive PACs
- Super PAC contributions are documented separately from nonprofit grants in U.S. disclosure systems
The Democracy PAC network has been a recurring channel for Soros’ election spending, backing Democratic committees and aligned groups. Because these are outside-spending accounts, they are subject to reporting requirements that make the amounts public.
Political advocacy through Open Society
- The foundations cite freedom of expression, transparency, accountable government, justice, equity, and human rights as their priorities (Open Society Foundations mission page)
- As a nonprofit grantmaker, Open Society does not itself back candidates for office
That agenda overlaps with progressive politics in most countries, which is why governments wary of civil society tend to treat the foundations as political actors. The legal reality is narrower: the foundations fund groups and ideas, while Soros personally funds campaigns.
The trade-off: Soros the donor is transparent and itemized; Soros the philanthropist is global and diffuse. Both are real, neither is the other, and precision matters.
Election spending flows through super PACs; civil-society funding flows through Open Society. Most misinformation about Soros’ political power depends on blurring that line.
Does Soros support LGBTQ?
Funding for LGBTQ rights organizations
- Soros has backed LGBTQ rights organizations for decades, both personally and through his foundations
Grants from Open Society Foundations
- The foundations give thousands of grants each year to groups working on justice, equity, and human rights (Open Society Foundations mission page)
- LGBTQ advocacy organizations have been part of that grantmaking across multiple regions
- Support has included legal defense, community organizing, and public education around equality
Public statements on equality
- He has personally supported marriage-equality campaigns and spoken publicly for equal treatment under the law
The foundations do not publish a single line item for all LGBTQ-related giving, so the full total is not separately disclosed. What is documented is the pattern: a grantmaker whose stated mandate — justice, equity, and human rights — has consistently included work for sexual and gender minorities.
Why this matters: in countries where equality is contested, Soros’ name is invoked by opponents as a shadow force. The checkable record is ordinary, visible grantmaking — which is stronger evidence than any rumor.
Who does George Soros fund?
Open Society Foundations grantees
- Thousands of grants each year to groups and individuals working on justice, equity, and human rights (Open Society Foundations who they fund)
- Early grants included scholarships for Black South African students at the University of Cape Town under apartheid (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
- Cold War grants supported Eastern European dissidents to study in the West (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
Educational and human rights initiatives
- The first Hungarian foundation, opened in 1984, backed educational exchanges under Communist rule (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
- During the Balkan Wars, Soros-funded efforts included humanitarian assistance for civilians in Sarajevo (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
Media and journalism projects
- Freedom of expression, which covers much of the media support, sits at the top of the stated priorities (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
- The organization describes itself as the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for rights, equity, and justice (Open Society Foundations mission page)
In 2017 Soros transferred $18 billion of his fortune to secure the foundations’ long-term future (Open Society Foundations biography). Total giving to the network since 1984 exceeds $32 billion (Open Society Foundations newsroom).
The distinction that matters: foundations fund organizations and individuals; super PACs fund campaigns. Keeping those pots separate is the basic literacy of this topic.
What is George Soros’ personal background?
Early life and education
- Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1930; childhood marked by the Nazi occupation (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
- Left Budapest for London in 1947 (Open Society Foundations newsroom)
- Studied at the London School of Economics, where Karl Popper’s philosophy shaped his thinking (Open Society Foundations biography)
- Emigrated to the United States in 1956 (Open Society Foundations biography)
Family: wife, children, residences
- Married Tamiko Bolton in 2013
- Father of five children, including Alexander, Jonathan, and Robert
- Resides primarily in New York
The family’s generational handoff has been gradual; Soros, at 94, remains chair of Soros Fund Management while the foundations’ leadership has passed to his son Alexander.
Current status and age
- Turned 94 on August 12, 2024
- Still chairs Soros Fund Management
- Net worth estimated at US$8.6 billion in 2024
The arc: a wartime childhood in Budapest, a London education, a New York fortune, and a second act spent giving it away. The biography is settled; the interpretation of it is not.
George Soros: key dates
Ten dates trace the transformation from Budapest refugee to global philanthropist.
- 1930: Born in Budapest, Hungary (Open Society Foundations)
- 1947: Leaves for London as Communists consolidate power in Hungary (Open Society Foundations)
- 1952: Completes his studies at the London School of Economics (Open Society Foundations)
- 1956: Emigrates to the United States and enters finance (Open Society Foundations)
- 1970: Launches his own hedge fund (Open Society Foundations)
- 1979: Begins international philanthropy, starting with support for Black South Africans under apartheid (Open Society Foundations)
- 1984: Opens his first international foundation, in Hungary (Open Society Foundations)
- 1993: The Open Society Institute is formally founded, per academic research (International Studies Quarterly)
- 2008: A separate entity, the Foundations of the Open Society Institute, is established (International Studies Quarterly)
- 2017: Transfers $18 billion to the foundations (Open Society Foundations)
- 2024: At 94, still chairs Soros Fund Management; net worth estimated at US$8.6 billion
Why this matters: the timeline shows a man who spent his first five decades making money and his next four giving it away — the inverse of the usual billionaire script.
What’s confirmed about George Soros — and what isn’t
Confirmed facts
- Net worth estimated at US$8.6 billion in 2024
- Over $32 billion given to the Open Society Foundations since 1984 (Open Society Foundations)
- $18 billion transferred to the foundations in 2017 (Open Society Foundations)
- Recorded by OpenSecrets as a donor to U.S. outside-spending groups in 2016 (OpenSecrets)
- Founded his own hedge fund in 1970 (Open Society Foundations)
What’s unclear
- Exact Disney stake changes with each quarterly filing
- Total donations specifically for LGBTQ causes are not separately disclosed
- The line between personal political donations and foundation grants is often misstated in public debate
The takeaway: the confirmed record is large and well-documented; the unclear zone is mostly a measurement problem, not a mystery.
In their own words
“Freedom of expression, transparency, accountable government, justice, equity, and human rights.”
Open Society Foundations, stated priorities
“George Soros has given more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundations since 1984.”
Open Society Foundations, profile of George Soros
“The Open Society Institute was formally founded in 1993, and a separate entity, the Foundations of the Open Society Institute, was founded in 2008.”
International Studies Quarterly, peer-reviewed research
“Forbes places George Soros’ net worth at $8.6 billion in 2024.”
Forbes wealth estimates
The through-line: the institutions that know Soros best describe him in the language of giving and governance, not conspiracy.
The record and the stakes
None of this settles the argument over Soros, because the argument is about values, not records. What the records do is draw a clear line between the documented and the invented: $32 billion in foundation giving since 1984, an $18 billion transfer in 2017, itemized election donations, and a fund manager who, at 94, still files his positions. For journalists and researchers, the discipline is simple — separate the personal fortune from the foundation’s money, check each filing, and treat every viral claim as a citation problem. For the Open Society Foundations, the stake is institutional: a grantmaker that asks governments to be transparent cannot afford to be the one story it fails to document, or the public will believe the caricature instead of the record.
opensocietyfoundations.org, opensocietyfoundations.org, opensocietyfoundations.org
Frequently asked questions
Where was George Soros born?
Budapest, Hungary, on August 12, 1930. He lived through the Nazi occupation of Hungary as a child (Open Society Foundations).
What is Soros Fund Management?
The hedge fund Soros launched in 1970 after building his career in finance (Open Society Foundations).
How did George Soros make his money?
Through macro investing — large, directional bets on currencies and markets. His fund’s 1992 trade against the British pound became the most famous trade of his era, and he later converted much of the fortune into philanthropy.
What is the Open Society Foundations?
A global grantmaking network rooted in the 1979 Open Society Fund; academic research dates its formal founding to 1993 (International Studies Quarterly).
Is George Soros Jewish?
Soros was born in Budapest in 1930 to a Jewish family and was a child during the Nazi occupation of Hungary; his Open Society biography presents that period as the formative background to his later commitment to open societies (Open Society Foundations).
Who is George Soros’ wife?
Tamiko Bolton. They married in 2013.
How many children does George Soros have?
Five, including Alexander, Jonathan, and Robert.
Catherine Roy is Editor-in-Chief at Oz Insightlab, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.