Enabling Environment for Civil Society

Establish legal and regulatory frameworks that protect the freedom of association and assembly and that promote an enabling environment that protects and promotes civil society and citizen participation.

This includes but is not limited to ensuring that legal frameworks enable CSOs to form and operate freely, promoting the sustainability of the CSO sector (e.g., philanthropy and tax concessions for CSOs, access to resources, volunteering), and supporting public participation around changes to legal frameworks and their implementation (e.g., public hearings, instructional seminars, and conferences).

This aspect also includes strengthening advocacy, networks, grassroots coalitions, and public support for reforms related to the enabling environment for civil society.

This does not include funding for activities carried out by civil society related to Rule of Law, Human Rights, or Political Competition, which are captured by areas DR.1.2 Culture of Lawfulness, DR.1.5 Fairness and Access to Justice, and DR.3.3 Political Parties.Strengthen the organizational capacity of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for policy analysis and oversight, advocacy, coalition-building, internal governance, membership representation and services, and providing sustainable services that consistently meet the needs, priorities, and expectations of their constituents and communities.

Areas of capacity development may include, but are not limited to, technical expertise (e.g., democracy, legal reform, standards of care); CSO self-regulation (e.g., establishing CSO Codes of Conduct); organizational capacity (e.g., strategic planning, financial management and accountability, public relations and outreach, revenue generation, accountable fundraising, constituency relations, member services, relationship management, learning and adaptation); and advocacy training.Support activities that advance citizen engagement to hold governments accountable and to participate actively in economic, political, go