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Trace Foundation
Trace Foundation was established in 1993 by Andrea Soros Colombel, daughter of George Soros, with a mission to support the continuity and development of...
Trace Foundation
Trace Foundation was established in 1993 by Andrea Soros Colombel, daughter of George Soros, with a mission to support the continuity and development of Tibetan culture. Colombel serves as President, operating the foundation from New York with her husband Eric Colombel, who serves as Treasurer. The foundation is distinct from the Open Society Foundations, where Andrea Soros Colombel sits on the Global Board, maintaining a separate grantmaking focus on Tibetan communities. Trace Foundation deploys capital exclusively through programmatic grantmaking across four main areas: higher education scholarships for Tibetan students, Tibetan language and literature publishing, cultural documentation and preservation, and educational talk series. The foundation's archival work includes building the Tibetan Audio-Visual Collection and the Transcending Tibet Collection, both housed in New York. The geographic focus spans Tibetan communities in Tibet, India, Nepal, and Bhutan (public record). The foundation operates from real estate holdings in New York City and does not disclose total assets or grantmaking volume publicly. Adjacent family philanthropic vehicles include the Fourdoves Foundation and Tsadra Foundation, the latter co-founded by Eric Colombel and focused on Tibetan Buddhist translation. Andrea Soros Colombel also serves as an Advisor to Scenic Hudson, an Advisory Board Member for Bard MBA in Sustainability, and a Board Member of the French American School of New York. Trace Foundation's structural differentiator is its singular thematic focus within a family known for broad, systemic philanthropy through Open Society Foundations. While George Soros built a global grantmaking network spanning human rights and democratic governance, Colombel concentrated on one cultural preservation effort — creating a foundation that functions as a specialized cultural institution rather than a diversified endowment.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1993
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Andrea Soros Colombel
President
Eric Colombel
Treasurer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs Trace Foundation, and how is it connected to the Soros family?
Andrea Soros Colombel, daughter of George Soros, founded Trace Foundation in 1993 and serves as its President. Her husband Eric Colombel serves as Treasurer. Colombel also sits on the Global Board of the Open Society Foundations, the larger philanthropic network founded by her father, but the two organizations operate independently with distinct missions (public record).
What does Trace Foundation actually fund?
The foundation makes grants in four program areas: higher education scholarships for Tibetan students, Tibetan language and literature publishing, cultural documentation and preservation, and educational programming including talk series. It also maintains archival collections — the Tibetan Audio-Visual Collection and the Transcending Tibet Collection — housed in New York (public record).
Does Trace Foundation make program-related investments or only grants?
Based on its public activities and IRS filings, Trace Foundation operates exclusively as a grantmaking entity focused on charitable programming. It does not appear to make program-related investments, direct venture investments, or market-rate return-seeking allocations alongside its grantmaking. The foundation's capital tools appear limited to traditional foundation grants and direct charitable activities (public record).
How is Trace Foundation different from Open Society Foundations?
Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, is a global network making roughly $1.5 billion annually in grants across human rights, public health, education, and democratic governance. Trace Foundation has a single narrow mandate: Tibetan cultural preservation. Andrea Soros Colombel bridges both organizations as Trace Foundation's President and a Global Board member of Open Society Foundations (per Open Society Foundations, 2023).
What is Trace Foundation's geographic scope?
The foundation's Tibetan cultural programming spans communities in Tibet proper, as well as Tibetan diaspora communities in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The foundation itself operates exclusively from New York and maintains no disclosed field offices abroad, delivering programming primarily through partnerships with local cultural and educational institutions (public record).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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