A world in crisis needs a functioning civil society. But today, three out of four people live under authoritarian regimes that are determined to stifle civil society – and even those in liberal democracies are witnessing alarming efforts to dismantle the sector. What is philanthropy's responsibility to preserve civil society? What should the sector do?

A panel of experts joined Alliance magazine and specialist Dutch philanthropy publication Wereld van Filantropie (World of Philanthropy) to explore how philanthropy should operate and intervene in a world hostile toward civil society.

Questions about philanthropy's responsibility to preserve civil society included:

  • How can philanthropy intervene before civil society gets to a crisis state? What are effective preventative measures it can fund?
  • Are funders being flexible enough in this moment of upheaval for international aid and civil society?
  • What can countries with a civil society sector in crisis learn from one another?

Speakers about philanthropy's responsibility to preserve civil society included:

  • Margit van Wessel, Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands
  • Glen Galaich, Stupski Foundation, United States
  • Maria Eduarda, Igarapé Institute, Brazil

Highlights from the Event Regarding Philanthropy's Responsibility to Preserve Civil Society

Margit: It’s been a massive shock to civil society what’s been happening on the front of funding as much as the restriction of civic space, or attempts to restrict civic space. A big move [in the Netherlands] was the coming together of a government led by the radical right-wing party, and a coalition government was put together last summer with that party in the lead as the largest one. That created a lot of space for their agenda, which has been the construction of an opposition between international solidarity and national interest. Therefore, a lot of the things they have been pushing for have been based on this opposition. This included anything with regard to multilateral interactions and engagements, refugees, the support of Ukraine, as much as development aid.

The construction they have been pushing all the time has been that any money that goes abroad is money stolen from our population. Because we give money to refugees or development, our people cannot pay rent, cannot pay their groceries, do not have hot meals at weekends; constant insinuations. Also, insinuations that doing away with international development will solve the problems of Dutch people who are in difficult economic positions. That has created an atmosphere in the Netherlands, or at least in government circles, that cutting down on international development was the way to go.

Read the full article about philanthropy and civil society by Natasha Chávez at Alliance Magazine.