Welcome to the May edition of our newsletter.
The launch of our 2025 Annual Report brings into sharp focus the changes that have unfolded in Europe in the past 12 months.
There is far less denial now about the threats facing our democratic institutions, civil society and independent media, which continue to grow.
Yet, despite these challenges, our partners have demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout 2025.
Solidarity is the building block for their achievements.
Through sharing knowledge, mutual support, communities of practice, strategising and working together, we know we’re not alone, and we can overcome what might appear insurmountable odds.
From the Irish organisations (the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), Uplift, Hope and Courage Collective) uniting to push for big tech companies to turn off social media recommender algorithms by default; to the French civil society groups mobilising to protect the pillars of their country’s democracy (VoxPublic and Le Fonds pour une Presse Libre); and the Hungarian civil society groups who laid the groundwork in 2025 for a clean election in their country in 2026 (the Civil College Foundation).
Urgency
Collaboration is a form of democratic resilience, and Civitates, uniquely, brings together organisations working in different spheres – independent media, tech & democracy and civic space – as a way of generating fresh ideas, creativity and synergies.
Yet the scale of the democratic challenges Europe faces requires even greater urgency, imagination and coordination. Defending democracy can no longer be seen as a niche issue for a handful of specialist funders: it should underpin every area of philanthropic work.
As the stories in our Annual Report show, our grantee partners lack nothing in courage or skill. But they, and all those working to protect democracy in Europe, need greater support.
We are proud to work with them.
In solidarity,
ELISA PETER
Director, Civitates
Civitates’ 2025 Annual Report reveals how our partners from more than 20 countries are responding to threats to democracy with resilience, innovation and collaboration.
As democratic pressures intensified across Europe in 2025, one message became increasingly clear: no organisation, sector or country can defend democracy alone.
The Civitates 2025 Annual Report reflects on a year marked by growing urgency, but also by collective action and renewed solidarity. From independent media investigations and resistance to authoritarian tactics, to efforts to hold Big Tech accountable and strengthen civic space, the report shares stories, perspectives and lessons from partners working across Europe to defend and renew democratic life.
Download and read our annual report here.
How Hungary’s independent media beat the ‘Propaganda Machine’
Viktor Orbán’s domination of Hungary’s traditional media landscape was near total. But the country’s independent media outlets still managed to hold his government to account, and produce groundbreaking investigations in trying circumstances. András Pethő of Civitates’ partner Direkt36 explains how they did it.
Divergente win again
Following their recent King of Spain Journalism Award for their Arsonist Country podcast, independent Portuguese media outlet Divergente has won more recognition for their exceptional reporting: this time from the Portuguese Statistical Society for The non-voter time-bomb, a joint data-driven investigation into voter abstention across the EU.
Romanian Democracy: heavy pressure and glimmers of hope
The Romanian Coalition NGOs for the Citizens has launched its annual assessment of democracy, the rule of law, and civil rights in Romania, developed by CeRe: The Resource Centre for Public Participation, the Centre for Public Innovation, and ActiveWatch, with contributions from ApTI – Association for Technology and Internet, Expert Forum, and Greenpeace Romania.
Legal guarantees needed to restore Hungary’s democracy
Civil society played a crucial role in ensuring Hungary’s free and fair elections in April. But the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE), the Clean Voting (Tiszta Szavazás) Coalition, and various international election observer groups are now calling for a legally regulated civil election observation system, in line with international standards and Hungary’s OSCE commitments.
80+ NGOs and experts demand action on Telegram
Following AI Forensics’ recent revelations of widespread abuse networks on Telegram, NGOs and experts working on gender and tech-based violence wrote an open letter to the European Commission calling for it to clarify Telegram’s legal status (and designate it a Very Large Online Platform); and ban ‘nudifying’ bots on the platform.
Snapchat falls short of DSA requirements
AI Forensics’ flash report found that Snapchat’s advertising transparency tools fell far short of requirements for very large online platforms under the DSA. However, after a collaborative session with Snapchat’s engineering team, one of the three issues identified has been resolved. The finding was covered by the media.
Reprieve for Austrian anti-racism group
#aufstehn helped bring together a coalition to ensure the immediate survival of ZARA (Zivilcourage und Antirassismus), an indispensable resource for people experiencing racism, discrimination and hate in Austria. A powerful collective campaign led to two ministers committing funding for at least this year after earlier cuts had been announced.
Plaudits for Fundación Maldita.es
Fundación Maldita.es’ collaborative digital platform Buloteca was judged the best project countering disinformation in Europe by the World Association of News Publishers. They also won the Best Innovation in Newsroom Transformation award at the Global Media Awards, and the Spanish Red Cross’ Gold Medal, recognising their “commitment to humanitarian values”.
Inside Europol’s shadow IT system
A major cross-border investigation by grantee partners Solomon, and FADA Collective (Giacomo Zandonini), as well as Correctiv (Germany), Domani (Italy), and Computer Weekly (UK), has revealed Europol’s parallel ‘shadow’ data system that processed vast amounts of sensitive personal data for years beyond its lawful scope.
Lithuanian PM stripped of immunity
A series of investigations by Civitates’ grantee partner, Siena (and broadcaster Laisvės TV) into Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas’ finances led to mass protests and his resignation. Now Lithuanian lawmakers have voted to lift the former PM’s parliamentary immunity, clearing the way for him to be indicted for allegedly holding wealth of questionable origin.
Taking a stand: Bulgarian Pride
Throughout June, Coalition RavniBG are organising festivals, screenings, discussions, performances, workshops, and community initiatives to celebrate LGBTI+ Pride and inclusivity in a society where LGBTI+ people face significant challenges.
Civitates at Philea Forum 2026
‘Philanthropy for People and Planet’ was the theme of this year’s Philea Forum in Copenhagen (May 18-21). There was a recognition that democracy underpins climate action: democratic leaders are more likely to enact policies responding to their population’s needs and take a progressive stance on environmental protection. The importance of funders aligning on strategy was highlighted, with Civitates cited as a successful example of how pooled funds facilitate collaboration among funders.
Among other key themes were: closing civic space and foreign agent laws; how the climate agenda is set far away from those most affected; how Indigenous communities receive a fraction of philanthropic donations and why this top-down approach must change; the use of AI in grant-making, and the need to develop thoughtful processes for using it in philanthropy; communications lessons for pro-democracy campaigners from the climate movement, specifically how public awareness doesn’t always equate to support – with concrete action resonating more than stoking fears.
4-6/06/26 – PublicSpaces Conference — Technology for Democracy
Location: Amsterdam
PublicSpaces and Waag Futurelab bring together technologists, policymakers, cultural actors and practitioners to explore how digital public space can be grounded in democratic values. The programme focuses on digital autonomy, public AI and the future of social platforms. The European Cultural Foundation (a Civitates foundation partner) is a co-organiser. More information can be found here.
17-19/06/26 – GlobalFact 2026 — World Fact-Checking Summit
Location: Vilnius, Lithuania
The world’s fact-checking journalists will convene in Vilnius for the 13th annual GlobalFact conference. Since 2014, more than 4,300 people have attended GlobalFact in cities around the world. This year’s keynote speakers include Nina Jankowicz, Jane Lytvynenko, and Peter Erdélyi (of Direkt36). More information can be found here.
24-27/09/26 – Breakwater Festival: Word & solidarity
Location: European Solidarity Centre, Gdańsk
Investigative and high-quality journalism in practice: a three-day gathering of reporters, editors and media innovators. This is the first festival uniting journalists from Poland, the Nordics and Central and Eastern Europe. More information here.
Calls:
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- Call for Project Proposal Greece / Cyprus. The Bodossaki Foundation along with the NGO Support Centre (Cyprus) and The Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights, has an open call for CSOs in Greece and Cyprus for project proposals for funding under the ‘Voicing Opposition to domestic, sexual, cyber violence & harmful practices’ (VOICES) programme, which is co-funded by the EU under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV-2025-DAPHNE) programme. Applications close July 1. More details here.
- Call for proposals to support the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (CERV-2026-CHAR-LITI). This EU call is to support actions that strengthen the monitoring of civic space and the protection and resilience of CSOs and human rights defenders working to uphold EU values. Deadline 15 September. More details here.
- Individual Care grants / Project grants / Collaboration grants call. Culture Helps Solidarity / Культура допомагає: Солідарність is a Creative Europe–funded project running from October 2025 until March 2028 that empowers Ukrainian arts and cultural professionals to sustain creativity, resilience, and community connection during and after the war. Multiple rounds follow across different formats. More details on the latest round of calls here.
Jobs & Opportunities:
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- Civic tech UK-Portugal exchange programme. Applications are open for a Civic Tech Exchange Programme (July 6 – 8) bringing together professionals from the UK and Portugal working at the intersection of democracy, citizenship and technology. Organised by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Foundation’s UK Branch in partnership with Nesta, eligible participants include Portuguese researchers, civil society organisations, technologists, civic innovators, public institutions, journalists, philanthropic actors and private organisations. More details here.
- Communications Officer, Europe. The Open Society Foundations (OSF) is seeking a Communications Officer to serve as a senior strategic leader of external communications across Europe, with a mandate that extends globally as needed. The location is London. Applications close May 31. More details here.
- Senior Finance Manager – Network of European Foundations (NEF). NEF is seeking an experienced Senior Finance Manager to take ownership of its financial operations. Interviews will take place in Brussels. Applications close June 19. More details here.
- EU DisinfoLab internships. EU DisinfoLab is seeking Communication and community Interns to support its outreach and help strengthen its network. It is also seeking Policy and Advocacy Interns to support its work tracking and responding to EU policy developments in the fight against disinformation. Based in Brussels. More details here.
We Recommend:
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- Common Ground ECF’s 2026 annual magazine. European Cultural Foundation’s annual magazine, Common Ground, is available for free download. This edition contains reflections on community, what it means to be European, the role of arts and culture within society, as well as an exploration of democracy in all its nuances and frailties.
- Amnesty International’s annual report, The State of the World’s Human Rights. Amnesty International’s 2026 annual report highlights how states have undermined the international rules-based system, hindering the resolution of problems that affect the lives of millions.
- Orban’s media empire crumbles after Hungary election defeat. Reuters reports on how the media empire built by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government is swiftly unravelling following April’s election.
- Open Knowledge in the Age of Extractive Digital Ecosystem. Camille Françoise (Wikimedia France) and Michele Failla (Wikimedia Europe), examine extractive pressures on digital knowledge commons through the case of Wikipedia. Originally published in Policy Report on Open Internet.
