Rethinking civic space in an age of intersectional crises

The 2020s will be a decade of transition. How will these changes impact civic space?

Civic space | Funders' Initiative for Civil Society

Authors Ben Hayes and Poonam Joshi summarise the key findings of the FICS 2019 strategic review, which sought to elaborate a strategic framework through which independent funders could respond more effectively to the phenomenon of closing civic space through collaborative and targeted interventions.

This paper incorporates preliminary thoughts on the Covid-19 crisis alongside more developed ‘futures thinking’ about climate and technological change. It makes the case that – as funders who invest in progressive causes and movements – we must find new ways to expand the space for civic participation.

This is the first of a series of recommendations FICS will publish for funders on how to disrupt and reform the drivers of closing civic space.

Publication date: May 2020