Funding the Future of Digital Rights and Civil Society

NEWS

As geopolitical tensions reshape the digital world, civil society groups are facing new threats. One major issue: how to stay financially independent.

The latest Digital Dialogue webinar explored this challenge. The series is hosted by the International Civil Society Centre (Berlin) and the Civic Tech Innovation Network (Johannesburg). RNW Media has had the pleasure of co-organising recent sessions.

Watch the previous session

About the session

Building on insights from a previous session on geopolitics and digital space, this discussion examined how alliances between right-wing political actors and Big Tech are strategically undermining the independence of digital rights organisations and civil society platforms. Tactics such as financial blacklisting, funding cuts and corporate consolidation are not just curtailing freedom – they’re eroding the financial lifelines that allow advocacy efforts to thrive.

Panelists from across the globe shared local perspectives and strategies. Abdalghani Alhassani (Tech4Peace, Iraq), Nina Weingrill (Journalism Support Fund, Brazil), Natasha Felizi (Instituto Serrapilheira, Brazil), and our Partnership Coordinator Louise Alves discussed the realities of funding constraints and the urgent need for diversified, resilient financial models.

Embracing radical collaboration

Louise Alves talked about rethinking existing funding models. Drawing from experiences at RNW Media, she encourages organisations to be more creative in their collaborations. “Traditional grantmaking models are really not built for this moment,” said Alves. Instead, she invites organisations to think of blended funding models – from crowdfunding, selling tools and services to moving outside of the grant structures at impact investment. “We have to think of radical collaboration. There is no room for competition. […] If we collaborate and we share the resources and the infracture to survive those cuts, that’s the way forward.” highlighting RNW Media’s approach to partnerships that centre community needs and long-term resilience.

The session is part of the 2025 Digital Dialogue series theme: The New Digital Normal, which seeks to chart paths forward for civil society in an increasingly fragmented digital environment. As digital governance becomes a key arena for power struggles, the need for independent, sustainable and rights-based digital ecosystems has never been clearer.

Want to attend the next Digital Dialogue? Don’t miss out – the next hour-long session takes place online on 5 June, starting at 16:00 CEST.