Civic Futures is an activist group based in the United Kingdom which opposes limitations on the use of public spaces for protests and other political activity. The group claims that authorities in Great Britain and elsewhere are increasingly limiting the ability of non-governmental organizations (NGO) to use public spaces, and that these restrictions disproportionately affect environmentalist and other left-of-center causes. ¹

Civic Futures was founded in 2021 with initial support from two British philanthropic organizations: the Funders’ Initiative for Civil Society, backed by the American Jewish World Service and the Open Society Foundations, and the Fund for Global Human Rights, backed by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Both organizations have also received funding from the Ford Foundation, one of the largest grantmaking institutions in the United States and a major force in left-of-center politics. ² The two parent groups were connected since before the launch of Civic Futures: Funders’ Initiative director Poonam Joshi was previously the director of the other group’s European office. ^{3 4}

Parent Organizations

Civic Futures was co-founded by the Funders’ Initiative for Civil Society and the Fund for Global Human Rights. ⁵ Both organizations include preserving access to public spaces for left-wing protest movements as a grantmaking priority. ⁶

Funders’ Initiative for Civil Society

Funders’ Initiative for Civil Society exists primarily to advance policies which make it easier for left-of-center activist groups to demonstrate and otherwise exercise political power. The group started out as a donor collective, but since 2020 it has transformed into a think tank. ⁷

The group’s director is Poonam Joshi, a London-based career activist who previously worked for the United Kingdom branch of Amnesty International. He was also the director of the European office at the Fund for Global Human Rights, which went on to become one of Civic Futures’ parent organizations. ^{8 9}

Fund for Global Human Rights

Fund for Global Human Rights also includes access to public spaces by left-of-center activists as a top priority, but also pushes other issues such as environmentalism, opening international borders to migrants, and normalizing same-sex relationships and transgender lifestyles. ¹⁰ The fund claims to have provided grants totaling more than $124 million to over 900 activist causes in at least 50 countries. ¹¹

The group’s president and chief executive officer is Gabriela Bucher, a British career activist who previously worked for Oxfam International, a global charity which backs environmentalism, wealth redistribution, and increased immigration in the United States through Oxfam America. Bucher has also participated in sessions of the World Economic Forum, an influential and controversial collective of top business and political leaders that has been criticized for its calls to implement its agenda worldwide through top-down government and corporate action. ¹²

Activities

Since its launch, Civic Futures has published reports drawing attention to and criticizing perceived obstacles to protest activity in the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Nigeria, Kenya, and elsewhere. The group has also analyzed the overall societal impact of national security policies implemented in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, though it mainly frames restrictions and surveillance as a problem for left-of-center activist causes. ¹³

Leadership

The primary representatives for Civic Futures are Funders’ Initiative for Civil Society director Poonam Joshi and Fund for Global Human Rights program manager James Savage. ¹⁴

Financials

The parent groups of Civic Futures have received funding from organizations such as the American Jewish World Service, the Open Society Foundations, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. ¹⁵

1. ^[1]“About.” Civic Futures. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://civic-futures.org/about/
2.  “About.” Civic Futures. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://civic-futures.org/about/
3. Poonam Joshi. LinkedIn. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://uk.linkedin.com/in/poonam-joshi-b9ba9717
4. “About.” Civic Futures. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://civic-futures.org/about/
5. “About.” Civic Futures. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://civic-futures.org/about/
6. “What is FICS?” Funders Initiative for Civil Society. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://www.fundersinitiativeforcivilsociety.org/what-is-fics/
7. “What is FICS?” Funders Initiative for Civil Society. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://www.fundersinitiativeforcivilsociety.org/what-is-fics/
8. Poonam Joshi. LinkedIn. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://uk.linkedin.com/in/poonam-joshi-b9ba9717
9. “About.” Civic Futures. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://civic-futures.org/about/
10. “What We Do.” The Fund for Global Human Rights. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://globalhumanrights.org/what-we-do/
11. The Fund for Global Human Rights. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://globalhumanrights.org/
12. “Gabriela Bucher.” The Fund for Global Human Rights. Accessed September 12, 2023.https://globalhumanrights.org/who-we-are/our-leadership/#gallery-1
13. “Trends & Analysis.” Civic Futures. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://civic-futures.org/trends-and-analysis/
14. “What funders need to know about civic space in 2023.” Civic Futures. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://civic-futures.org/what-funders-need-to-know-about-civic-space-in-2023/
15. ^[1]“About.” Civic Futures. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://civic-futures.org/about/