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Civic Space

Two people wearing matching pink shirts with breast cancer awareness messages, accessorized with pearl necklaces. A mannequin in the background displays a shirt with the text “In this family nobody fights alone.”
Zell and Avis Randle are founder and co-founder of Living Brave through Breast Cancer — a nonprofit organization in Detroit, Michigan. Living Brave, which benefited from resources from the Michigan Nonprofit Relief Fund, creates a nurturing community, so cancer patients do not feel isolated throughout their journey. The National Council of Nonprofits pushed to ensure nonprofits, like Living Brave, could be eligible for American Rescue Plan funding.
Photo: Courtesy of Michigan Nonprofit Association
A person holding a microphone and speaking on stage at an event. A podium and backdrop with the text “WINGS Forum 2023” and “Nairobi, Kenya” are visible, along with chairs arranged for a panel discussion.
WINGS Executive Director Benjamin Bellegy participates in the 2023 WINGSForum in Nairobi, Kenya. Bellegy has led WINGS since 2016.
Photo: Erick Forester / WINGS

Highlights

From the start of Mott’s Civil Society program in 1992 through 2025, the Foundation made 2,170 grants totaling $270 million to protect civic space and strengthen the philanthropic sector. Adjusted for inflation, that figure would be $414 million.

With Mott’s support, infrastructure organizations have empowered hundreds of thousands of nonprofits and foundations with advocacy and capacity building, leading to better outcomes for communities across the world.

Civic space is the foundation of charitable work. It is the freedom of assembly, expression and association. It is the space in which Mott, as a private foundation, operates and the space in which all of civil society functions. And it’s the environment that helps or hinders people and nonprofits in playing a role in society’s political, economic and social development.

Kyle Caldwell headshot.
Kyle Caldwell, President and CEO, Council of Michigan Foundations — a membership organization designed to support philanthropy in Michigan. Photo: Jenifer Veloso

The Mott Foundation has supported maintaining open civic space by strengthening the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors in the United States and other parts of the world since 1975. Over the years, Mott’s approach has been to help build and maintain the advocacy groups, associations, information providers, research institutes and other organizations that make up the infrastructure needed to maintain the health of the nonprofit sector, including the policy environment in which civil society operates.

Motivated by a deep commitment to strengthening the sector, Mott helped to establish a number of key philanthropic infrastructure organizations — globally and regionally. In Michigan, Mott’s home state, we were one of the founding philanthropies behind the Council of Michigan Foundations. Established in 1975 as a membership organization, CMF has successfully united hundreds of Michigan-based foundations and corporate giving programs into one of the most connected, effective philanthropic networks in the United States.

Rob Collier headshot.
Rob Collier, former president and CEO, Council of Michigan Foundations. Photo: Jenifer Veloso

Mott also provided the initial seed funding, along with the Ford Foundation, to set up WINGS in 2000. With a current reach of over 100,000 philanthropic entities, WINGS’ greatest accomplishment has been building the world’s largest and most inclusive network of philanthropic support organizations, transforming how global giving is understood, practiced and scaled.

Mott also recognized the impact of government policy on the philanthropic sector as early as 1969, when our founder, Charles Stewart Mott, testified voluntarily at a Congressional hearing leading up to the Tax Reform Act of 1969. The Act greatly affected how U.S. foundations operate — even to this day. It also led to the understanding that the “independent sector,” or civil society, needs an organizational infrastructure to help ensure a policy environment that enables charitable work.

At the same time, the foundation focused on effective organizational practice through its Philanthropy and Volunteerism programming. This area of grantmaking later became a part of Mott’s Civil Society program, which launched in 1992.

A person wearing a green and gold patterned outfit speaking into a microphone at an event. The background features traditional African art and decorations, with an audience seated in the foreground.
The 2023 WINGSForum brought together diverse voices from global philanthropy and civil society, demonstrating how the sector is evolving from former dominance by the United States and Western Europe. Photo: Erick Forester / WINGS

The Civil Society program started in a context of optimism. The fall of communism in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe and the end of apartheid in South Africa created new opportunities in these regions to expand and embed the freedoms that enable constructive and meaningful civic engagement.

Against this backdrop of positivity, the 1990s was a time when organizations like CIVICUS, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law and the National Council of Nonprofits were formed, to name just a few longtime Mott grantees.

NCN was founded in 1990 to advance the role of nonprofits through networks and resources. It has since gone on to become the largest nonprofit network in the United States, connecting over 25,000 members, while providing sector-wide coordination and advocacy against policy threats. NCN has secured countless policy wins — from ensuring that nonprofits were eligible for American Rescue Plan funding from the $350 billion allocated for pandemic recovery to successfully defending charitable giving incentives in multiple U.S. states.

A person seated at a conference table with a microphone, in front of a nameplate that reads “Ms. Irene Petras, Legal Advisor for Africa, ICNL.” Bottles of water and a green flag are visible in the background.
ICNL’s Irene Petras, legal advisor for Africa, speaks at a session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, Gambia. ICNL is one of the leading legal resources for civil society in the world. Photo: Courtesy of ICNL

ICNL was established in 1992 to improve the legal and digital environment for civil society organizations worldwide. It has helped draft or improve laws affecting nonprofits, philanthropy and public participation in more than 100 countries, making it one of the most influential legal resources for civil society worldwide. It is often considered the legal backbone of civil society, ensuring that laws empower people to organize, speak out and make change.

A person standing against a plain light background with arms crossed, wearing a dark vest over a long-sleeved shirt and a wristwatch.
Mandeep Tiwana is the Secretary General at CIVICUS Alliance, whose goal is to strengthen civil society and citizen action and expand civic space. Photo: Courtesy of CIVICUS

CIVICUS — formerly known as the World Alliance for Citizen Participation — was founded in 1993 by a group of civil society leaders from around the world who wanted a global support network. Today, CIVICUS is regarded as the world’s most comprehensive and influential global platform for defending civic freedoms and amplifying citizen action across more than 180 countries.

Overall, since the start of the Civil Society program in 1992, Mott has made 2,170 grants totaling $270 million, or $414 million when adjusted for inflation, to support organizations like CIVICUS and ICNL, all dedicated to strengthening civic space and protecting the sector.

Unfortunately, during the last several years, the rights for which these Mott grantees fight — the freedom of assembly, expression and association — have come under attack around the world. This global shift has put civil society on the defensive, even as philanthropy expands and citizens demand greater engagement.

A group of people seated around a table during a workshop, discussing a colorful risk matrix chart. The room has banners with organizational logos, a flip chart, and tables covered with orange and white cloths.
Participants engage in risk assessment training with the Defenders Protection Initiative and the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa. Photo: Courtesy of Defenders Protection Initiative

Through our years of experience, Mott has learned that the space for civic engagement cannot be taken for granted. The Foundation has seen civic space expand in some cases, only to regress as new governments seek to consolidate power. The rise of authoritarian regimes around the world, increased abuse of laws in the name of protecting security, and the threats and opportunities presented by technology have intensified pressure on civil society. Targeted attacks that have increased criticism and mistrust of private philanthropy and democratic institutions add further strain on civil society organizations. This stark reality further highlights the need to provide civic defenders with the tools required to adapt to new threats and a changing ecosystem.

A person standing and placing sticky notes on a large poster during a workshop. Two other participants are seated at a table with laptops and name tags. Posters on the wall display categories such as “Género,” “Profesiones,” and “Incidencia.”
Mott’s support for promoting a more favorable enabling environment for civil society extends to places like Mexico. Mott has funded Centro Mexicano para la Filantropia to help safeguard and promote the right of people to participate in organized civil society. CEMEFI does this through public awareness-raising on the role and value of civil society in Mexico and through activities such as hosting regular national and regional convenings, such as the one pictured here. Photo: Courtesy of CEMEFI

Protecting civil society defenders and civic space, which allow civil society organizations to exist in the first place, has been and continues to be a cornerstone of the Mott Foundation’s work. It is one of the most fundamental and critical challenges of our time. And it will influence the extent to which action on every other social, political and environmental crisis is possible.

We fund this work because Mott is concerned with the ways in which rising authoritarianism, conflict and instability are limiting freedoms of association, assembly and expression around the world.” Ridgway White, Mott Foundation President and CEO

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