Skip to main content
Challenging inequality

Civic Engagement and Government

Around the world, billions of people are excluded from full participation in the political, economic, and cultural systems that shape their lives. When so many lack access to engage with their government and influence the decisions that affect their lives, policies fail to address their needs, favoring instead those with power and resources and deepening inequality.

Governments have the potential to remedy or reinforce inequality. History makes clear that people—when they have the ability to organize, speak up, and engage—have the potential to hold their leaders and institutions accountable, pushing them to fulfill their promise to serve the common good.

In the United States, we believe that meaningful civic engagement is an antidote to inequality, with rich potential to empower underrepresented and marginalized communities that have too often been silenced. Across the globe, we work to protect and help civic spaces thrive to ensure all people have the opportunity to raise their voices, influence decisions, and hold governments to account.

More from Civic Engagement and Government

A collage of images depicting a gathering of people, some with disabilities, in a glass lined room at the Ford Foundation.
Equals Change Blog
A collage of historical and recent photographs of Judy Heumann and Katherine Perez at work. Judy has short brown hair, red glasses, and sits in a wheelchair. Katherin has shoulder length brown hair and black glasses.
Equals Change Blog
Stand Up for the Count logo
Equals Change Blog
The Dayak people of Setulang use drones to map out their territories and deforestation. Photo Credit: Joel Redman / If Not Us Then Who?
Equals Change Blog
American flags are displayed outside an American Legion Post on Election Day. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Equals Change Blog
A visitor to the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute uses an augmented reality headset.
Equals Change Blog
Protesting students broke through the gates of parliament during protests against a proposed hike in tuition fees (Photo by Nardus Engelbrecht/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Equals Change Blog
Indigenous Guard members at the Association of Indigenous Cabildos in the North of Cauca, Colombia. October 12, 2017. Dredit: Patricia Rincon / Ford Foundation.
Equals Change Blog
In The Headlines
News
Rescue teams during the aftermath of the earthquake in Mexico City. (Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Equals Change Blog
Michael Wimberley, founder of the volunteer organization "Friends of Detroit" working in garden (Photo by James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images)
Equals Change Blog

Program staff in Civic Engagement and Government

Program Officer, Mexico and Central America
Mexico City, Mexico
Director, Middle East and North Africa
Cairo, Egypt
Program Officer, Civic Engagement and Government
New York, USA
Program Associate, Civic Engagement and Government, International Program
Mexico City, Mexico
International Program Director, Civic Engagement and Government; Director, Mexico and Central America
Mexico City, Mexico
Grants Manager, Civic Engagement and Government
New York, USA
Director, Eastern Africa
Nairobi, Kenya
Senior Grants Manager, Civic Engagement and Government
New York, USA
Director, Civic Engagement and Government
New York, USA
Director, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Program Officer, Civic Engagement and Government
New York, USA
Senior Program Officer, Civic Engagement and Government
New York, USA

In the United States, a history of systemic inequities has led to a democracy that does not accurately represent modern America. Many communities—people of color, women, immigrants, people with disabilities, youth, and the LGBTQ+ community—have been denied equal voice and access to fully participate in democracy at all levels. As a result, their voices are too often silenced in conversations about government, from its spending to policymaking. We work to ensure all people have the opportunity to shape and influence the systems and policies that affect their lives.

The Challenge

America has long struggled to fully live up to the promise of democracy. Trust in the government’s value and impact has eroded with the reversal of protections including the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, ongoing partisan gerrymandering, and eroding the ability of government to conduct a fair, accurate, and complete census.

Today’s situation is dire: new forms of voter suppression such as strict voter ID laws, roll purging, and polling site closures have emerged in dozens of states to deter civic engagement. As a result, only 53 percent of eligible voters were able to cast a ballot in 2018, with communities of color disproportionately silenced. Across race, class, generation, and geography, everyday people lack access and opportunities to engage with government in a way that translates into political influence and a role in shaping a more just future.

The Opportunity

America’s political systems were originally designed to exclude, but today it is impossible to ignore historically marginalized communities. Shifting demographics coupled with revived energy from movements such as the Dreamers, Black Lives Matter, and the disability community have brought these injustices to the forefront. We’re witnessing a new political awakening, fueled by digital organizing and a rise of intersectional, multi-issue coalitions, and compounded by unprecedented health and economic crises. But many of our current structures for civic engagement don’t encourage robust, diverse participation—in fact, they prevent specific communities from engaging with government.

The country’s institutions and policies need reimagining. By centering historically marginalized people in reform efforts, we can realize a truly inclusive civic culture that represents the will of all people. By increasing opportunities for diverse communities to lead and participate in civic affairs, we have an opportunity to achieve a more just society.

Our work is designed to build strong institutions and networks that serve those on the margins and elevate the next generation of advocates and leaders across civil society and within government to champion a fairer, more inclusive civic life.

Our Aim and Approach

Our work puts the people systematically excluded from government participation at the center of efforts to reform and protect democratic processes. We support a mix of grassroots, policy, and advocacy organizations led by people of color, women, immigrants, people with disabilities, youth, and the LGBTQ+ community. By targeting communities that have been traditionally silenced, we can ensure every voice is heard.

We work with these communities to create more opportunities for civic leadership and participation. We focus on both the formal ways in which people are seen and heard—specifically a fair, accurate census and the right to vote—and the informal ways people can exercise civic leadership and collective power every day in pursuit of social justice. We concentrate on four integrated areas:

Building bridges between grassroots organizations and policy and legal advocates

By creating a united front, these key players will become more effective in tackling critical issues such as protecting voter rights and ensuring a fair, accurate census with transparent, community-driven redistricting processes.

Strengthening the power of grassroots organizations and organizing networks

We work to ensure these important players are elevated as leaders and issue advocates, to drive policy change at the state and national levels while remaining accountable to the diverse communities they serve.

Developing the next generation of civic leaders

We support the growth of historically marginalized people, in particular young people and emerging leaders, to develop their capacities and help them build the networks to sustain their development.

Fostering coordination

We improve collaboration between philanthropy and organizations focused on civic engagement, so they have the support and opportunities they need to secure equal participation for all voices for a more effective democracy.

Our Impact

Our goal is to increase the representation, both formally and informally, of historically marginalized and disenfranchised communities in the democratic process to build a better America. We work toward three outcomes:

Essential reforms that lead to a more effective democracy

Historically excluded communities will have stronger voter protections, be more accurately represented in the census and at the polls, and wield more political power because of fairer redistricting.

Increased participation and leadership

Grassroots organizations will have a stronger, engaged membership base, and more civil society and government leaders will come from historically excluded communities.

A government reflective of America

Government, at all levels, will include members of historically excluded populations in leadership roles and embrace more community involvement in decision-making.

Portfolio Snapshot

ANNUAL BUDGET

$23 million

BUILD budget

$90 million

BUILD grantees

30

Where this work is happening

Number of Grantees

174

Grantee Snapshot

Protecting the polls in Texas

We fund the Texas Civil Rights Project to provide legal guidance and representation to a network of grassroots and civic engagement organizations. For 2020, it developed a robust voter protection program, recruiting and training attorneys and poll watchers from across the state to identify and respond to problems at the polls. When COVID-19 hit, the project was poised to respond quickly, outlining key steps Texas must take and launching a new coalition to demand action. When the state hesitated, the project sued on behalf of allied community organizations and won a temporary injunction, allowing all voters to vote by mail during the pandemic.

Civic space is essential for people to be able to raise their voices and influence decisions that affect them—especially for people and communities who have been underrepresented or marginalized. A healthy and robust civic space is made possible by protecting and supporting the institutions and conditions that allow people to speak up about important issues and pressure governments and the private sector to better serve the people. Our international work on civic engagement and government is dedicated to protecting and expanding civic space around the globe.

The Challenge

Billions of people are disempowered by the corrosive effects of inequality. Inequality means that these people are excluded from full participation in the political, economic, and cultural systems that shape their lives. One way in which governments preclude participation, thus stifling access to important avenues for change, is by imposing restrictions on civic space, undermining essential rights and freedoms, and undercutting the legitimacy of civil society.

Governments in the Global South often argue that when civil society advocates for greater transparency, accountability, and participation, they are pushing a “foreign” agenda that contrasts with the countries’ values. This marginalization of civil society has led to increased attacks on social justice leaders. Around the globe, 304 leaders were killed in 2019—the majority of whom were defending environmental and indigenous peoples’ rights.

The Opportunity

From Lebanon to Venezuela, civil society has continued to stand strong, taking to the streets to voice their concerns, pushing back against restrictive regulations, advocating in the digital space, and playing a key role in the search for solutions to complex problems. The crackdown on civic space and people organizing to demand change is getting global attention, and new efforts to counter this trend are emerging. We step into the field benefitting from the experience of seasoned actors but recognizing that this work requires sustained energy, fresh resources, and additional convening power.

Globally and locally, we see an opportunity to increase alignment by bringing critical players together, building strategic connections, and strengthening the connective tissue between civil society, government, and the private sector to increase civic engagement. Our global and programmatic footprint gives us the opportunity to build the resilience of key organizations and, in doing so, protect civil society and social justice leaders increasingly under attack.

Our Aim and Approach

Our aim is to increase and improve civic space by countering negative trends and promoting a positive, tangible understanding of its role. We focus on region-specific issues of inequality—corruption in East Africa, social protection in the Middle East and North Africa, farmers’ livelihoods in India, violence in Brazil, and impunity for human rights violations in Mexico—that we believe can galvanize the public and powerfully illustrate the importance of a strong civil society and civic space to drive change and safeguard freedoms. We focus on:

Building a united front to protect civic space

We work to increase coordination among international, national, and regional organizations to promote an agenda focused on the protection and expansion of civic space.

Protecting civic space through advocacy

We support advocacy with regional and global bodies to create and strengthen laws and conventions that safeguard and expand civic space and increase adoption and application.

Shaping positive narratives

We support strategic communications and artistic initiatives that are writing powerful new narratives about the relevance and importance of civic space, civil society, and the participation of citizens.

Lifting up issues of inequality

We focus on the most pressing issues in our regions to hold governments accountable—with a robust civil society and civic space.

Our Impact

Our aim is to position both civic space and civil society as essential components of healthy, well governed countries and societies. We work toward four outcomes:

The value of civic space and civil society will be lifted up

There will be a shift in how civic space and civil society are seen on a regional, national, and international level, so their value and relevance are recognized.

Governments that restrict civic space will be held accountable

New actors, laws, and tactics will be put in place at every level to exert pressure on governments to preserve civic spaces.

Attacks against social justice leaders will decrease

By improving the resilience of organizations and increasing the political and reputational costs of such attacks, they will be reduced in key regions and countries.

Civil society will have more synergy and collective strategy

Civil society actors across sectors, issues, and geographies will work together and learn from each other to protect and expand civic space.

Portfolio Snapshot

ANNUAL BUDGET

$31 million

BUILD budget

$78 million

BUILD GRANTEES

51

Where this work is happening

Number of Grantees

205

Grantee Snapshot

Protecting civic space with the law

The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, one of our BUILD grantees, is the leading authority for careful analysis and close monitoring of trends around civic space in more than 100 countries. The center plays a critical role in strengthening the legal environment so it is conducive to civil society, philanthropy, and citizen participation. Working hand in hand with local partners, it provides detailed research into the legal developments that impact civic space. Our partnership is fundamental to bolstering collective capacities to enhance the space for people to influence decisions that affect them, as well as develop innovative strategies for strategic collaboration among organizations.