Our last newsletter was in June, and after a long summer hiatus it’s good to welcome readers back with a renewed sense of energy and hope.
My optimism comes from the collective strategising and illuminating conversations I’ve had with many of you throughout the year.
A central theme which emerged from them is the urgent need to take a longer view of the challenges Europe’s democracies face; to not be totally consumed by our daily struggles.
This is easier said than done in times of deepening division, shrinking civic space, digital disruption, geopolitical tension and war, and as swathes of our electorates abandon faith in democratic institutions.
Yet while the threats we face are immediate and pressing, we will not be able to create healthier, more robust democracies if all we do is respond to them. We must also extend our horizons, challenge ourselves and our approaches, and imagine how the future can be different.
This is the thinking which underpins our foresight initiative #DemocracyFutures.
A compelling story
A central tenet of this initiative is that democracy needs to be able to tell a compelling story. To do so, it must reflect peoples’ hopes and aspirations, connect with their everyday realities, and give them credible reasons to embrace it.
Maria Guerra Arias, our Impact & Learning Manager, expands on these themes in this month’s feature article.
#DemocracyFutures was borne out of a collective process, and the insights of civil society, independent media, philanthropy, and others on the frontlines of protecting democracy across Europe. We are therefore asking the Civitates’ community to engage with the initiative, to challenge our orthodoxies and assumptions, and contribute your perspectives – which will shape our direction of travel.
Europe’s democratic future is still to be determined. Together we can help shape it.
In solidarity,
ELISA PETER
Director, Civitates
Across Europe, trust in democracy is faltering, while civil society and independent media are under growing pressure to respond to one crisis after another. But is defending the democratic systems we have enough? What would it take to build a democracy that speaks more convincingly to people’s lives, hopes and aspirations?
In our latest article, Maria Guerra Arias, Civitates’ Impact & Learning Manager, reflects on insights from the first Civitates Forum and introduces #DemocracyFutures – a new initiative asking how today’s choices can shape tomorrow’s democracy. Arguing that Europe’s democratic future is not yet written, Maria asks how democratic actors can move beyond reacting to immediate threats, embrace new ideas and alliances, and offer people a vision of democracy they can believe in.
Civitates Forum Report
What happens when you bring together a unique community with first-hand experience of defending democracy to collectively imagine how to work better together, and imagine what the future holds?
Our report captures the insights, challenges and emerging strategies from the first-ever Civitates Forum.Read more here.
Reimagining the internet as a public space
The public appetite for loosening big tech’s huge sway over our lives is growing. Dutch coalition PublicSpaces is showing how it can be done.Download and read our annual report here.
Hungarian civil society navigates new political reality
Civil society is continuing to play a crucial role in Hungary’s re-democratisation. Throughout October, the Civil College Foundation (CKA) is organising ‘a month of participation’ offering local communities practical tools to have a say in decisions affecting them. CKA will help local groups organise their own events, as well as create opportunities to present initiatives at their nationally visible programmes. This follows the practical online workshops that CKA hosted in mid-September. Registration and details here.
Petition starters boost their media skills
Austrian campaigning CSO #aufstehn recently hosted an online media training for petition starters. It explored how working with the media can support campaigns, and included tips on how to approach journalists, and the benefits and limits of engaging with the media.
French Trusted Flaggers: ‘Strengthen our status for us to be effective’
Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), Trusted Flaggers detect illegal content online and notify platforms. Now seven of the nine organisations awarded trusted flagger status by ARCOM, the French regulatory authority, have proposed ways to strengthen their status. The organisations, including Civitates’ partner Point de Contact, made specific calls to the European Commission and ARCOM, including for harmonised procedures, and creating a dedicated European fund for trusted flaggers, to ensure their work is sustainable and independent.
Fembloc launches digital gender-based violence training courses
Fembloc, the Catalonia-based a feminist project supporting gender-based violence victims, has launched the second edition of its training courses on digital gender-based violence, aimed at professionals working in violence prevention and response services. They also contributed to a recent discussion on algorithmic justice, focusing on the rights of people affected by automated decision-making systems.
Pod črto publish new investigations; launch new podcast season
To mark its 12th anniversary, and as part of its annual #SupportPodCrto campaign, Slovenian independent investigative media outlet Pod črto is publishing a new investigative series which they’ve been working on throughout 2026 (on access to healthcare, intimate violence and road safety). They are also launching a new podcast series, available here.
“Freedom of information: six months to avoid sinking”
On September 29 Fonds pour une Presse Libre (FPL), the French coalition supporting press pluralism and independent journalism, held a public meeting to help chart a course for reclaiming the right to speak and to know: “The issue of information—its quality, diversity, independence, and the impartiality of public service broadcasting—is central to this presidential campaign,” they said.
“Towards a Society of the Commons”
Wikimedia Europe has co-authored a White Paper with its member Wikimedia France, setting out 28 recommendations to safeguard open, democratically governed digital infrastructure against the risks of generative AI and platform concentration. It was launched this summer in Paris, before an audience of elected officials, government representatives, community members, and representatives of the Wikimedia Foundation and UNESCO.
Media partners gather in Gdansk to strengthen resilience
Civitates and Reference Circle, the circle of European independent media, brought together grantees and members respectively for an enlightening gathering on September 24 in Gdansk.
Eszter Szücs and Maria Guerra Arias joined 38 participants exploring organisational resilience (where participants discussed governance arrangements, sustainable leadership and team welfare), financial resilience (participants shared details of their funding challenges and how to overcome them), and on developing AI guidelines for newsrooms.
The majority of participants then went on to the first Breakwater Festival, attended by journalists from Poland, the Nordics and Central and Eastern Europe.
Civitates’ team take stock
The Civitates team met in person in Berlin for their annual strategy meeting. It was a moment to take stock of Europe’s shifting democratic landscape, with key elections in many member states coming up, as well as an opportunity to define Civitates’ 2027 workplan, and examine how to best deploy resources.
Civitates also welcomed back from maternity leave Monika Ramos as Programme and Grant officer and Elea Cogoluenhes to the her new job as Engagement and Communications Officer.
Elea will continue to develop the connective tissue between our grantees and foundation partners, sharpening our communications, and helping Civitates grow as a learning platform for democracy across Europe.
A new narrative for democracy
On September 21 Civitates co-hosted a webinar with Busara and Liberties on narrative change around democracy. The Democracy Narratives Alliance report argues that this change requires coordination and shared infrastructure across organisations and funders.
Anti-democratic forces are highly effective at coordinating networks and spreading shared narratives, while pro-democracy actors have struggled to do so. One way to rectify this is for advocacy NGOs to communicate the concrete benefits and services they provide, as the public support for NGOs delivering tangible services is clear.
7, 14, 21 & 28/10/26 – La Uni Climática (The Climate University)
Location: Online
Climática hosts the seventh edition of its live online Climate University on every Wednesday through October. Under the theme, Against Eco-Anxiety: A Practical Guide to the Eco-Social Transition, the event will feature four masterclasses, six workshops, and a cultural dialogue. Participants include Yayo Herrero, Lucía Martínez (‘Tell Me What You Eat’), Javier Fesser, and many more. Language: Spanish. Register here.
Also available as an on-demand recording.
14/10/26 – Civil Society Co-designing Quality: Building Resilience in a Challenging Environment
Location: KBR – Royal Library of Belgium, Kunstberg/Mont des Arts 28, B-1000 Brussel/Bruxelles.
Civil Society Europe and the CoQuality Network bring together CSOs from across Europe for a conference on building resilience in the third sector. It will build on the findings of an EU level study conducted by the CoQuality network, as well as evidence from practices across Europe. Register here. Draft agenda here.
Week of 19/10/26 – Public Launch | Civitates Future of Democracy in Europe Report
Location: Online
Over the past year Civitates asked civil society leaders, journalists, digital rights experts and funders across Europe what comes next for democracy: what is worth defending, what needs rethinking, and what the field expects of those who fund it. Our new report brings those conversations together. Join us to hear more about why we need a vision for democracy that speaks to people and what it means for civil society, philanthropy and policy-makers. Register here.
Calls:
-
- Open calls in the Culture Helps Solidarity programme. The European Culture Foundation’s Culture Helps Solidarity project is co-funded by the European Union, and runs from October 2025 until March 2028. It empowers Ukrainian arts and cultural professionals both in Ukraine and the diaspora to sustain creativity, resilience, and community connections during and after the war. The programme currently has an open Collaboration Grant call. The deadline is November 10 and more information is here. The deadline for the Project Grant call is October 6, more information is here.
- ICNL call for proposals: Defending Digital Rights and Civic Space Online. The International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) is offering grants of up to $23,000 (USD) to support organisations working to protect fundamental freedoms in the digital realm. They’re seeking proposals focused on issues including AI governance, surveillance and privacy, data protection, freedom of expression, and access and inclusion online. Among other areas. Deadline: October 9, 2026. Details are here.
Jobs & Opportunities:
-
- Head of Philanthropy at Limelight Foundation. Limelight Foundation, a Civitates funding partner and one of Europe’s leading journalism funds, is hiring a Head of Philanthropy to grow its funder network as it sets out to mobilise €150 million for independent journalism over the next decade. Amsterdam-based (hybrid). Apply by 11 October. Details here.
- Volunteers wanted to fight cyberviolence in France. Point de Contact is seeking volunteers to train so that they can heighten awareness of the huge harm that the growth in cyberviolence (harassment, child sexual abuse material, hate speech, scams, and more) is causing. These volunteers will help spread Point de Contact’s message, and champion its work to a wider audience. Details here.
We Recommend:
-
- From Pressure to Purpose: A Pathway for the Democracy, Rights, and Governance Community. The Carter Centre’s report, released in July, makes a clarion call for a shift in approach from those working in democracy, human rights, and governance. Using fresh case studies and research it argues that navigating this moment requires shifting weight toward civil society resilience, redistributing power and resources away from centralised and compliance-heavy models, while anchoring democratic legitimacy in lived experience.
- Defending Human Rights Defenders. Guidance and best practices for National Human Rights Institutions. ENNHRI, the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions, has launched its updated resource on Human Rights Defenders (HRDs). The resource is a living tool for National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and others, which outlines the diverse ways that NHRIs promote, protect and support other rights defenders, as well as relevant international and regional standards.
- Civic Space Tracker. Democracy depends on a vibrant civic space. But across the EU, the freedoms that allow people and organisations to speak out, organise and hold power to account are under increasing pressure. That’s why Liberties has launched a new Civic Space Tracker, a unique tool for monitoring legal threats to civic space across the European Union.
- Resisting restrictive laws: A practical guide for democracy defenders. In recent years there’s been a global trend for countries to adopt laws restricting the work of civil society organisations (CSOs), social movements and independent media, endangering fundamental freedom. This detailed new guide by the European Centre for Not-for-Profit Law (ENCL) offers a practical guide for navigating these challenges.
- Trends in the Information Environment: 2026 Expert Survey Results. The International Panel on the Information Environment’s (IPIE’s) fourth annual expert survey included 470 experts studying the information environment across 71 countries. Among other findings the report shows that pessimism is at its highest level yet, while the experts agree that a healthy information environment most needs accurate information and a diversity of voices.
- 404: Safety not found. Digital transnational repression against civil society in exile in Central and Eastern Europe. ARTICLE 19, which defends freedom of expression and access to information across Europe and Central Asia, has just launched a new report exploring digital transnational repression against civil society in exile, specifically those operating in a Belarusian and Russian language environment.
