ECNL is very grateful to the Ford Foundation for the support to advance its programmatic and organisational strategy thorough the 5-year Building Institutions and Networks (BUILD) grant. The BUILD grants support human rights and social justice organisations around the world in establishing a sturdy foundation for their work and becoming more resilient.
Creating a democratic and sustainable space for civic action requires concerted, creative, multi-stakeholder effort. We strongly believe that this effort must be led by empowered groups of activists, who are supported by policy frameworks with human rights at their core.
The generous support from the Ford Foundation will allow us to advance our ongoing analytical work and joint action around securitisation, emergency powers, climate responses and technologies. We will work to further develop our legal expertise, test new approaches to defend and open civic spaces, create innovative tools for policy and law reforms, and increase outreach to marginalised and vulnerable groups. We will keep engaging with governments and diverse multi-stakeholder bodies to ensure their policies address civic space priorities and they include civil society in ongoing policy discussions. The grant will also enable us to enhance our internal systems, and help ECNL and our partners thrive.
ECNL has been the grantee of the Ford Foundation since 2020. This support has allowed us to make significant impact and open spaces for civil society participation in multilateral policies around emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and counter-terrorism. We have developed advocacy strategies and worked with partners to successfully push back against restrictions, as well as create good practices. ECNL looks forward to building on this momentum and making an even greater difference in protecting and expanding our spaces for civic action with the help of the new BUILD grant.