Head of civil liberties group awarded Open Society Foundations grant

The executive director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has been awarded a grant from the Open Society Foundations (OSF).

Liam Herrick is one of 11 recipients of the New Executive Funds, which is handed out twice a year.

The grants are made to newly-appointed leaders of non-profits around the world to help implement their vision of change.

The recipients represent a wide array of organisations focused on open society concerns, including transparency and accountability, youth civic engagement, and social and economic justice.

In a statement, the ICCL said it was “delighted that our Executive Director, Liam Herrick, is named amongst a host of very impressive recipients of Open Society Foundation’s New Executives Fund”.

Since its inception in 2013, the New Executives Fund has awarded 86 grants for a total of $8,247,000.

The competitive two-year awards, ranging from $20,000 to $250,000, are designed to give a new executive the flexibility to invest in the organization’s development or their own leadership.

OSF was founded by billionaire businessman and philanthropist George Soros, a strong opponent of racism and right-wing populism.