We know the world we envision will not happen on its own. It will take the active participation of governments, world leaders, civil society, the private sector, and most importantly, ordinary citizens like you, to make it a reality. That's why we endeavor to create meaningful platforms of cross-cultural engagement and collaboration that spur dialogue, innovation, and enduring friendship.
The Open Hands Initiative (OHI) is a US-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving people-to-people understanding and friendship throughout the world. Our goal is to highlight the common humanity that is shared by all people and all cultures from around the word. We believe that we all have much to share and learn from one another. OHI is independent and nonpartisan, and was established in 2009 by our founders Tracy and Jay Snyder.
OHI is committed to fostering dialogue and goodwill globally. Although based in the United States, we draw our support from citizens of countries from around the world, and are committed to enlisting the support and involvement of organizations and individuals who share our vision.
Since its inception, OHI has sponsored exchanges and projects in Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Myanmar, Colombia, South Asia, and Lebanon. For the better half of a decade, we have brought together global leaders, renowned educators, issue experts, accomplished business executives, government officials, and extraordinary young professionals and students to collaborate and share in knowledge on how we can create a more peaceful and prosperous world for everyone. Through our educational and cultural exchanges, we are creating more inclusive narratives of the world around us—expanding worldviews, dispelling misconceptions, and fostering international friendship. Our innovative partnerships with diverse sets of leaders ensure that we are making connections and drawing support and insight from all sectors of society to amplify our impact.
Our work centers on building people-to-people relationships between emerging young leaders from the United States and those of other countries. Our work takes place in the spheres of everyday life: health, culture, arts, education, business, and media.
We actively seek partners - individuals and organizations - from around the world in order to advance our common goals. Feel free to contact us by mail, phone or email to find out more about getting involved. Please note that we do not accept unsolicited funding requests or grant proposals.
1350 Ave. of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
+1-917-544-7260
info (at) openhandsinitiative (dot) org
