Statement Supporting NGOs in

As the leaders of private philanthropies in the United States and Europe, we are greatly concerned by the repeated efforts of the Hungarian government to restrict and stigmatize nongovernmental organizations operating in the public interest. This includes actions in recent years that have threatened the existence of organizations supported by Norwegian civil society grants and, more recently, steps that may force the closure of the Central European University. We are especially concerned with efforts to require entities that receive even modest international financial support to register as foreign-funded organizations and list this designation on their website and all publications, or face fines and potential closure.

We support transparency in the public, private, and social sectors and the reasonable regulation of civil society organizations, but some of the proposals currently under consideration go well beyond what is reasonable and would have the effect of discriminating against certain organizations and stigmatizing those that operate at world-class levels and are able to attract financial support from private foundations in Europe and globally. Hungarian law already requires all civil society organizations to report their sources of income and other support to the National Office for the Judiciary. We oppose public communications campaigns that undermine public trust in civil society organizations, falsely implying that such organizations in general, and those receiving foreign funding in particular, may be more prone to engaging in illegitimate activities than others. We are especially concerned that listing NGOs in a special registry of foreign-funded organizations may open the door to further, discriminatory treatment of these NGOs.

The ability to source funding from international donors is an important signal of the international quality and competitiveness of Hungarian NGOs, and it reflects Hungary’s solidarity with the European commitment to civil society. We hope the Hungarian government will honor the country’s and Europe’s commitment to the freedom of its citizens to form organizations, debate the issues of the day, and seek financial support from all legitimate sources.

Paweł Łukasiak, President of the Board Rogier van der Weerd, Managing Director Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland Adessium Foundation, Netherlands Paul L. Joskow, President Jason McGill & Annette Lanjouw, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, USA Executive Directors Arcus Foundation, USA

J. Bob Alotta, Executive Director Helen Cadbury, Chair Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, USA Barrow Cadbury Trust, UK Michael Feigelson, Executive Director Aart De Geus, Chairman & CEO Bernard Van Leer Foundation, Netherlands Bertelsmann Stiftung, Germany Dimitris Vlastos, President Flemming Besenbacher, Chair Bodossaki Foundation, Greece Carlsberg Foundation, Denmark Vartan Gregorian, President Christopher Hartwell, President Carnegie Corporation of New York, USA Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE), Poland William White, Chairman & CEO Piero Gastaldo, Secretary General Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, USA Compagnia di San Paolo, Italy Cameron Munter, President & CEO Jerzy Dietl, President East West Institute, USA Educational Enterprise Foundation, Poland Boris Marte, Member of the Executive Board Horton Beebe-Center, President ERSTE Foundation, Eurasia Foundation Christoph Wolff, Managing Director Katherine Watson, Director European Climate Foundation, Netherlands European Cultural Foundation, Netherlands Dorota Komornicka, Board Chair Vesna Bajsanski-Agic, Executive Director Federation of Community Foundations, Poland Fondacija Mozaik, Bosnia and Herzegovina Tonika Hirdman, Directrice Générale Cinthia Bianconi, President Fondation de Luxembourg Fondazione Adriano Olivetti, Italy Mariacristina Cedrini, Luigi Amore, Secretary General Secretary General Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Parma, Italy Fondazione Bracco, Italy Board Member Bracco Suisse SA, Switzerland Director Fondazione Milano per EXPO 2015, Italy

Marco Imperiale, Director General Giandomenico Genta, President Fondazione Con Il Sud, Italy Fondazione CRC, Italy Massimo Lapucci, Secretary General Massimo Lanza, Governing Council of EFC Fondazione CRT, Italy Fondazione di Venezia, Italy John Massaar, Directeur Darren Walker, President Fonds Schiedam Vlaardingen e.o., Netherlands Ford Foundation, USA Benoît Mirabel, Director General Ieva Morica, Executive Director Foundation Merieux, France Foundation for an Open Society DOTS, Latvia Nick Grono, Chief Executive Officer Pia Gerber, Chief Executive Freedom Fund, UK Freudenberg Stiftung GMBH, Germany Regan Ralph, President & CEO Rui Esgaio, Secretary-General Fund for Global Human Rights Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Portugal Jose Luis Martinez Donoso, General Director Karen Donfried, President Fundacion ONCE, Spain German Marshall Fund of the U.S. Jenny Hodgson, Executive Director Ulla Koski, President Global Fund for Community Foundations Helsingin Sanomat Foundation, Finland Randy Newcomb, President & CEO Sandro Giuliani, Managing Director Humanity United, USA Jacobs Foundation, Switzerland Arto Mäenmaa, Executive Director Nick Perks, Trust Secretary Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Finland Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, UK Luc Tayart de Borms, Managing Director Jean Paul Warmoes, Executive Director King Baudouin Foundation, Belgium King Baudouin Foundation, USA Anna Talasniemi, Executive Director Thomas Paulsen, Executive Board Member Kone Foundation, Finland Körber-Stiftung, Germany Rupert Graf Strachwitz, Executive Director Tim Gardam, Chief Executive Maecenata Foundation, Germany Nuffield Foundation, UK Charlene Lea, Chief Executive Officer Kathleen Cravero, President NGENA Foundation, USA Oak Foundation, Switzerland Mall Hellam, Executive Director Christopher Stone, President Open Estonia Foundation, Estonia Open Society Foundations Robert Basch, Executive Director Moira Sinclair, Chief Executive Open Society Fund Prague, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, UK Adriana Esmeijer, Director Uta-Micaela Dürig and Joachim Rogall, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, Netherlands Chief Executive Officers Robert Bosch Stiftung, Germany

Stephen Heintz, President Roxana Vitan, President Rockefeller Brothers Fund, USA Romanian-American Foundation, Piotr Szczepański, President Zerrin Koyunsagan, General Manager Rural Development Foundation, Poland Sabanci Foundation, Turkey Poonam Joshi, Executive Director Ewa Kulik-Bielińska, Executive Director Sigrid Rausing Trust, UK Stefan Batory Foundation, Poland Boudewijn de Blij, Managing Director Michael Schwarz, Executive Director Stichting Fonds 1818, Netherlands Stiftung Mercator GmbH, Germany Göran Blomqvist, Chief Executive Officer Anna Sienicka, Vice President Stiftelsen Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, Sweden TechSoup Europe Deniz Ataç, President Bharat Mehta, Chief Executive Third Sector Foundation of Turkey Trust for London, UK Sarah Perrine, Chief Executive Officer André Betting, Executive Director Trust for Social Achievement, Bulgaria Van Leer Group Foundation, Netherlands Erdal Yildirim, President Oksana Oracheva, General Director Vehbi Koç Foundation, Turkey Vladimir Potanin Foundation, Russia Wilhelm Krull, Secretary General Michael Göring, President VolkswagenStiftung, Germany ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius, Germany Foundation networks and support organizations

Vikki Spruill, President & CEO Council on Foundations

James Magowan, Coordinating Director Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe (DAFNE)

Gerard Salole, Chief Executive European Foundation Centre

Deborah Doane, Director Funders Initiative for Civil Society

Peggy Saïller, Executive Director Network of European Foundations

Rien van Gendt, Director Van Gendt Philanthropy Services, Netherlands

Benjamin Bellegy, Executive Director Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS)