The foundation's mission is to support the development of an open, democratic society in Poland along with other Central and East European countries.
It was established by an American philanthropist of Hungarian extraction, George Soros, and Polish democratic opposition leaders of the 1980s.
Early on, the Batory Foundation invested in the preparation of cadres for the market economy and democratic system taking roots in Poland by funding hundreds of scholarships and travel grants for economists, bankers, physicians, teachers, and local government activists.
These reform-related initiatives eventually gave rise to the Institute of Public Affairs, a major think-tank in Warsaw, which the foundation helped to establish in 1995.
Members include: Jan Krzysztof Bielecki – economist, former Prime Minister of Poland, at present Chairman of the Partners Board at EY Poland; Bogdan Borusewicz – historian, vice-Marshal of the Senate; Agnieszka Holland – director, screenwriter, President of Polish Film Academy; Olga Krzyżanowska – MD, physician; Helena Łuczywo – editor, co-founder of Agora SA; Andrzej Olechowski – economist, Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the City Handlowy Bank, former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prof. Andrzej Rapaczyński – lawyer, Columbia University, USA; Henryk Woźniakowski – President of Znak Publishers Among members of the Council there were also the late: Jerzy Turowicz (Chair of the Council, 1991–1999), Anna Radziwiłł (Chair of the Council, 1999–2009), Prof. Bronisław Geremek, Prof. Leszek Kołakowski, Prof. Krzysztof Michalski and Prof. Fr.