Civil Society

We strengthen civil society organizations to elevate citizen voices while increasing accountability and effectiveness of public institutions. Our approach focuses on supporting partners to deliver tangible benefits to the people they serve.

Since 1994, we have supported civil society leaders and strengthened CSOs throughout Eurasia, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Our Work Includes:

Strengthening organizations

Promote financial viability
Improve services for stakeholders
Grow constituencies for change
Increase operational excellence

Increasing accountability

Model transparency
Demand responsiveness
Make data-informed decisions
Connect constituents & policymakers

Promoting justice & inclusion

Engage the marginalized
Elevate social justice in policy
Safeguard rights
Promote equitable decision-making

Our Reach

We supported 500 institutions last year.

Our Impact

93% of local leaders reported creating positive change after participating in the United Community program.

Featured Solutions

Reducing corruption: Returning stolen assets to communities and strengthening local organizations.
Stopping misinformation: Empowering people to recognize manipulative information.
Building social trust: Promoting dialogue to uncover solutions for shared challenges.

Articles & Op-Eds

"Coronavirus and Ebola: Hard Lessons, Prudently Applied" (Jill Miller)
“Rethinking the Ebola Response: How Liberians Helped Themselves” (Colby Pacheco)
“Who Is Really Putting Nepal Back Together?” (Kristin M. Lord)

Resources & Impact

Evaluation

Returning Stolen Assets: BOTA Foundation Final Report

Case Study

Achieving Self-Sustaining Development in Rural Communities: A Case Study of the READ Model in Nepal

Guide

IREX's Guide to Organizational Performance Improvement

Featured Projects

Project

USAID Takamol – Jordan Gender Program

Project

Ukraine National Identity through Youth (UNITY)

Project

Civil Society and Media Leadership Program in Liberia (CSML)

People

Evan Tracz
Director, Communities and Governance
Francesca Ciriaci-Sawalha
Country Director for Middle East and Northern Africa
Mehri Druckman
Country Director for Ukraine/Senior Advisor to Global Programs
Dara Lipton
Deputy Director, Communities and Governance Practice; Project Director, Comunitatea Mea
Sheila Scott
Senior Technical Advisor II - Center for Applied Learning and Impact