This cluster focuses on efforts to secure and enhance legal and policy frameworks that safeguard fundamental civic freedoms, such as expression, assembly, and association, while also promoting democratic innovation in governance. It supports research to understand the legal landscape, advocacy campaigns to promote reforms, and platforms for policy dialogue among stakeholders. Activities aim to create an enabling environment where civic freedoms are actively protected and advanced through evidence-based interventions, including fostering new participatory and inclusive governance models that deepen citizen engagement and improve democratic decision-making.
Activities include, but are not limited to, legal research, policy research, advocacy campaigns, policy dialogue forums, government transparency monitoring, human rights monitoring and documentation.
This area focuses on empowering marginalized communities, such as women, youth, gender minorities, ethnic minorities, and informal grassroots organizations, to participate actively in civic and political processes, including fostering new participatory and inclusive governance models that deepen citizen engagement and improve democratic decision-making.
Activities include, but are not limited to, capacity building tailored to these groups, creating inclusive platforms for dialogue and leadership, and ensuring digital tools and spaces are accessible, safe, and effective for their engagement.
This cluster is oriented toward empowering civil society actors to increase their visibility, engage effectively with the public and policymakers, and drive regional/global discourse. The focus is on capacity building of individuals and groups, convening coalitions for collective action, and raising public awareness through education and campaigns.
Activities include, but are not limited to, capacity-building workshops, coalition-building convenings, public engagement campaigns, civic and political education, and regional/global advocacy.
This cluster emphasizes building the holistic resilience of civil society actors by addressing multiple dimensions of risk, including psychosocial, legal, financial, and digital threats. It supports the development of resources and capacities to withstand and recover from digital attacks and threats, as well as strengthening the foundations of civil society organizations so that they can have a long-term and sustainable impact. This approach acknowledges that sustainable civic engagement requires holistic support systems.
Activities include, but are not limited to, capacity-building, resource development for psychosocial, legal, and digital resilience, research and monitoring on digital threats and attacks, and internal policies and procedures development.
This cluster aims to broaden and diversify the resource base of civil society groups to ensure long-term sustainability. It supports efforts in fundraising skills development, piloting innovative income-generating activities, shared infrastructure establishment, and advancement of civic technology. The goal is to reduce dependency on traditional funding and strengthen the financial independence and operational effectiveness of civil society actors.
Activities include, but are not limited to, research and advocacy for funding diversification, training in fundraising skills, piloting income-generating initiatives, shared infrastructure, and civic tech development.
