CIVICUS Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToR)
Overview:
Civil society’s ability to organise, advocate, and protect civic space is increasingly shaped by digital infrastructure it does not control. Commercial platforms, concentrated cloud services, and extractive data models expose civil society actors – particularly those in restrictive contexts – to surveillance, censorship, and sudden disruption. Building on CIVICUS’ previous work From Platforms to Commons, a field guide mapping participatory, decentralised, and community-owned digital infrastructure alternatives for civil society, prepared by Human Future Agency for the CIVICUS Coalition Hub in 2025, this assignment sets out to advance that research into actionable guidance: mapping the emerging ecosystem of civic technologies and digital alternatives that strengthen democratic participation, reduce dependency on Big Tech, and enhance civil society’s long-term digital resilience.
The research will be conducted by an experienced consultant and will cover both external-facing civic functions — organising, mobilising, and public communication — and the internal operational tools civil society organisations rely on daily. Grounded in CIVICUS’ civic space innovation framework, the work is understood not as a technical audit but as a collective inquiry into how digital infrastructure can serve as a site of Struggle, Solidarity, and Deliberation — strengthening the conditions under which people can freely associate, assemble, and express themselves.
| Location: | Remote (Open) | Globally |
| Duration: | 4–5 Months | 2026 |
| Application Deadline: | 26 April 2026 |
About CIVICUS
CIVICUS is a global alliance of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and protecting and expanding civic space worldwide. Through research, advocacy, mobilisation and public engagement, CIVICUS works to expose threats to civic freedoms, influence policy and practice, and support collective civil society responses across diverse contexts.
About the Digital Democracy Initiative
The Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) is a programme that emerged from Denmark’s Tech for Democracy initiative in response to the shrinking democratic and civic space. Its objective is “to promote and protect local inclusive democratic space in the digital era.” The initiative is implemented by a consortium of partners comprising Access Now, CIVICUS, Digital Defenders Partnership, Global Focus, European Partnership for Democracy, Fondo de Mujeres del Sur, Witness, and IWGIA. The Digital Democracy Initiative, Enable & Amplify Project, led by CIVICUS in partnership with Global Focus, aims to see that inclusive democracy and civic space are expanded and protected through the improved use of digital technology for civic engagement. Its target groups are local civil society actors operating in restrictive contexts in the global south.
Background & Rationale
Civil society in 2025 operates in an environment shaped by political turbulence, economic uncertainty and rapid technological change. According to the CIVICUS Monitor, only around 3% of the global population lives in countries classified as having open civic space, while more than 80% live in contexts that are obstructed, repressed or completely closed. Digital infrastructure has become central to how civil society organises, communicates and advocates — yet most organisations depend heavily on commercial platforms and cloud services whose governance and algorithms are outside their control.
The CIVICUS Coalition Hub’s 2025 report From Platforms to Commons: A Field Guide to Participatory, Decentralised and Community-Owned Infrastructure (prepared by Human Future Agency) documents this challenge in depth and maps a wide range of emerging alternatives — from federated social infrastructure and community data ecosystems to crisis-ready offline tools and collective governance models. This existing body of research provides the analytical foundation for the present assignment.
The combination of platform dependence, information disorder, climate risk and geopolitical fragmentation creates a strategic challenge that affects civil society’s external-facing work (organising, campaigning, mobilising) as well as its internal operations (programme delivery, communications, finance and administration). Traditional tools and assumptions are no longer sufficient.
This assignment builds directly on previously produced research and insights generated through programme activities, consolidating learnings and findings toward actionable, context-specific guidance. It is grounded in CIVICUS’ approach to civic space innovation — which frames innovation not as a technical exercise but as a collective, systems-level, and rights-based practice anchored in the principles of Struggle, Solidarity, and Deliberation.
Scope of work
The consultant will research and produce a report (estimated 40–60 pages) examining emerging civic technologies and digital alternatives to Big Tech products that support democratic participation and strengthen civil society’s digital resilience. The research must address both external-facing civic functions and internal organisational operations, and will be grounded in CIVICUS’ three pillars of civic space innovation:
- Struggle (resisting digital repression and defending fundamental freedoms),
- Solidarity (enabling collective action and community-owned infrastructure), and
- Deliberation (fostering inclusive participation and new civic narratives).
The assignment will be organised around five interconnected task areas:
1. Research Mapping and Literature Review
Review and synthesise existing literature, initiatives, and debates related to:
- Civic technologies, digital sovereignty, and platform governance
- Digital commons and community-owned infrastructure
- Alternative and open-source tools for civil society (both programmatic and operational)
- Developments emerging from the From Platforms to Commons analysis, updating and extending that evidence base
2. Case Study Analysis
Identify and analyse concrete examples of civic tech tools, platform alternatives, and collaborative digital infrastructures used by civil society actors. Case studies should:
- Span diverse regional contexts, with particular attention to the Global South
- Cover both external-facing tools (e.g. federated social networks, participation platforms, crisis-ready infrastructure) and internal-facing alternatives (e.g. open-source project management, secure communication, finance and admin tools)
- Address adoption barriers, governance models, sustainability, and contextual safety risks
- Reflect the CIVICUS civic space innovation framework — identifying how each case embodies participatory design, systemic impact, or community-led approaches
3. Synthesis of Programme and Partner Insight
Consolidate insights from CIVICUS’ own research outputs, DDI programme activities, and partner organisation experiences, including evidence regarding digital tool development, adoption and challenges.
4. Strategic Analysis and Recommendations
Identify strategic opportunities for civil society to strengthen digital resilience and reduce dependency on extractive digital infrastructures. Specifically:
- Analyse identified gap in existing literature (local hosting capacity, language representation, governance capacity, sustainable funding, and regional coordination) and assess how they have evolved
- Identify sustainable alternative technologies for both external civic engagement and internal organisational functions, with attention to context-appropriate adoption
- Provide actionable recommendations for how civil society organisations can build, operate, and sustainably scale alternative technology solutions
- Assess funding and governance models that could support long-term infrastructure stewardship
5. Report Development
Produce a well-structured, accessible research report that synthesises findings across all task areas and provides practical guidance for civil society organisations, funders, and CIVICUS partners. The report must be written for a practitioner audience and grounded in real-world examples.
Deliverables
| Deliverable | Description |
| Inception Note | A concise document (max 5 pages) presenting the consultant’s interpretation of the scope, proposed methodology, research questions, outline structure for the final report, and a work plan with milestones. |
| Research Mapping Brief | An annotated overview (approx. 10–15 pages) of key literature, notable initiatives, and selected case study candidates. This document should update and extend the From Platforms to Commons landscape — flagging developments since that report and identifying areas requiring deeper investigation. Coverage should include both external civic tech and internal organisational tools. |
| Draft Report | A full draft report (estimated 40–60 pages) for internal CIVICUS review. The report should include: executive summary; contextual analysis; thematic sections on key mechanisms and tools (both external and internal facing); regional perspectives; strategic recommendations aligned to the CIVICUS civic space innovation framework; and practical guidance for practitioners. Tables, case study boxes, and a glossary are expected. |
| Final Report | Revised publication incorporating CIVICUS feedback on the draft. The final report should be publication-ready and formatted for dissemination to civil society audiences, donors, and partners. |
| Presentation | A concise presentation (slide deck, max 20 slides) of key findings and recommendations for CIVICUS DDI partners, and relevant external stakeholders. The presentation should be accessible to non-specialist audiences and highlight practical implications. |
Reporting and Coordination
The consultant will report to the DDI Project Learning & Communications Officer and the DDI Programme Coordinator, and will coordinate with CIVICUS research, campaigns, and civic tech teams where relevant.
Required Qualifications
Applicants should demonstrate:
- Experience researching technology governance, digital democracy, or civic space
- Understanding of civic tech ecosystems, platform governance, or digital commons
- Strong analytical and research writing skills
- Experience working with international civil society organisations, particularly in Global South contexts
Application Requirements
Applicants should submit:
- Technical proposal (max 5 pages) outlining approach and methodology
- Financial proposal
- CV(s) of consultant or team members
- Two relevant research or writing samples
Applications should be submitted to digitaldemocracy@civicus.org by 21st April 2026