Former Partners & Funders

Action Support Centre (ASC)

Action Support Centre (ASC) is the Africa regional hub of a global network of organisations and individuals committed to transforming conflict, ACTION for Conflict Transformation (ACTION). The ASC was established in 2002 on the basis of a mandate to set up a communications hub for the network members of ACTION Global. It has since transformed itself into a regional and continental base for organisations working in the fields of conflict and development. The ASC is a strong network movement that amplifies the voices of communities and links them to policy makers at different levels through a focus on; human and people’s rights, capacity building, lobbying and advocacy, people to people solidarity, development, grassroots mobilisation, building organisations and movements, facilitating dialogue, training and initiating innovative forms of organising. ACTION has regional bases in Cambodia, Philippines, Guatemala, and South Africa where the ASC is based and strategic partnerships with organisations in Asia, across Africa and the Americas, and in the European Community.

Code for Africa

Code for Africa is an impact accelerator, and a collaborative pan-African federation of civic data and civic technology organisations. We use technology and data to build digital democracies, and to empower citizens with actionable information.

Delegation of the European Union to Lesotho

Since the establishment of the European Union Delegation in the Kingdom of Lesotho in 1976, our mandate includes managing and promoting friendly relations between the EU and Lesotho through diplomacy, political and policy dialogues as well as through our cooperation programmes. Our partnership with Lesotho is broad and comprehensive with a central objective of eradicating poverty through sustainable development and fair trade. Over the years, the relations between Lesotho and the EU have evolved into a multi-facetted partnership encompassing political relations, trade and investment, academic and cultural exchanges as well as a large cooperation programme contributing to the creation of conditions for sustainable growth for all Basotho. A new cycle of cooperation with Lesotho began when the Multi-Annual Indicative Programme 2021-2027 was adopted in December 2021. It translated into additional resources for the traditional focal areas of water, energy and governance, an increased emphasis on the inclusion of civil society to promote social responsibility and participation, gender mainstreaming, and the delivery of results when possible as ‘Team Europe’, i.e. with the participation of EU member states and institutions.

Financial Services Volunteer Corps

The Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC) is a not-for-profit organization that advances economic development by strengthening financial sectors in developing countries. We believe that healthy financial systems are vital to promoting job creation, economic growth and a better quality of life.

Freedom House

Founded in 1941, Freedom House was the first American organisation to champion the advancement of freedom globally. It is an independent watchdog organisation dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world. Freedom House analyses the challenges to freedom, advocates for greater political rights and civil liberties, and supports frontline activists to defend human rights and promote democratic change. Freedom is possible only in democratic political environments where governments are accountable to their own people; the rule of law prevails; and freedoms of expression, association, and belief, as well as respect for the rights of minorities and women, are guaranteed. More than 2.5 billion people live in countries that Freedom House designates “Not Free,” more than a third of the globe’s population. Freedom House is a sub-grantee of DWF on the Southern Africa Political Parties and Dialogue Programme and the eSwatini Inclusive Policy Development and Dialogue Programme.

Hivos South Africa

Hivos is an international development organisation guided by humanist values. Together with local civil society organisations in developing countries, Hivos wants to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world. A world in which all citizens – both women and men – have equal access to opportunities and resources for development and can participate actively and equally in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future. Hivos trusts in the creativity and capacity of people. Quality, cooperation and innovation are core values in Hivos’ programme development and business philosophies. Hivos is committed to people in Africa, Asia and Latin America who are systematically blocked from rights, opportunities and resources. A lasting improvement in their situation is the ultimate measure of their work. Hivos South Africa is Democracy Works' financial administrator. Hivos South Africa is undergoing an indigenisation process and will soon be known as the Hlanganisa Institute for Development.

Kieskompas

Kieskompas is a small social enterprise that is embedded in the academic community of the Amsterdam based Vrije Universiteit (The Netherlands). The company combines a strong commitment to democracy, a passion for science and a competitive entrepreneurial strategy. Kieskompas is specialised in the development of online and offline voting advice tools, the organisation of political debates and the production of academic research and media content.

Liliesleaf Trust

Once the nerve centre of the liberation movement and a place of refuge for its leaders, today Liliesleaf is one of South Africa's foremost, award-winning heritage sites, where the journey to democracy in South Africa is honoured. As a ‘nerve centre’ of liberation activities, the meetings that took place at Liliesleaf from 1961 to July 1963, and the events that transpired after the 1963 police raid on the property, mark a seminal shift in South Africa’s liberation struggle history, and fundamentally changed the course of South African history. The Liliesleaf Museum brings to life first-hand account of the events and circumstances leading up to the infamous 1963 raid as well as insights into some of the revolutionary personalities who helped to shape South Africa’s democracy. Find Liliesleaf on TripAdvisor.

Livity Africa

Livity Africa is a youth content agency that develops platforms, campaigns,Livity ideas and social change all created for young people and driven by young people. They work with young people to develop skills in content creation, media, marketing, digital and business entrepreneurship and connect them with employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Livity creats their own platforms like Live SA where these skills and ideas come to life for a national audience of young people.

National Democratic Institute

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization that has supported democratic institutions and practices in every region of the world for more than three decades. Since its founding in 1983, NDI and its local partners have worked to establish and strengthen political and civic organizations, safeguard elections, and promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. NDI and its local partners work to promote openness and accountability in government by building political and civic organizations, safeguarding elections, and promoting citizen participation. The Institute brings together individuals and groups to share ideas, knowledge, experiences and expertise that can be adapted to the needs of individual countries. DWF and NDI collaborate on our Southern Africa Political Parties and Dialogue Programme in Malawi.

Open Society Foundation for South Africa

The Open Society Foundation for South Africa (OSF-SA) is committed to promoting the values, institutions, and practices of an open, non-racial and non-sexist, democratic, civil society. OSF-SA is part of the Open Society Foundations network which includes these other African organisations: OSISA, OSIWA, and OSIEA. OSF-SA's focus areas include the Information, Expression, and Accountability Programme, the Justice, Equality, and Rights Programme, and the Research and Advocacy Unit. OSF-SA is a donor partner of Democracy Works Foundation; of our rule of law work and of the 2019 Democracy Fellows.

OSISA

The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA)is a growing African institution committed to deepening democracy, protecting human rights and enhancing good governance in the region. OSISA’s vision is to promote and sustain the ideals, values, institutions and practices of open society, with the aim of establishing vibrant and tolerant southern African democracies in which people, free from material and other deprivation, understand their rights and responsibilities and participate actively in all spheres of life. In pursuance of this vision, OSISA’s mission is to initiate and support programmes working towards open society ideals, and to advocate for these ideals in southern Africa. This approach involves looking beyond immediate symptoms, in order to address the deeper problems – focusing on changing underlying policy, legislation and practice, rather than on short-term welfarist interventions. OSISA is a donor partner of DWF on our Monitoring Democracy Programme.

Oxfam South Africa

Oxfam South Africa leverages its local to global footprint and access to 60 years of experience working for change to advance its goals. We work at multiple levels, employing a range of strategies and combine long-term development programming with catalytic, responsive and timeous interventions. Oxfam SA believes that people are their own liberators as such they have the ability to create their own destinies. Given an enabling social, economic and political environment they can transform their societies. We believe that government must build a conducive environment through policies, laws, responsive institutions, responsible and transparent fiscal management, consultative governance processes and other measures, supporting people to self-actualise and live in a society that affirms their rights and dignity. We also believe that corporations are institutions based within communities and they operate and succeed through economic and social interaction with these communities. They therefore have an obligation to operate with transparency, uphold human rights, and contribute in building a fairer society for all. It is this multiplicity of actors, and intertwined relationships of power and interests, that Oxfam South Africa seeks to mobilise and unlock in pursuit of its Vision and Mission. Our role is to contribute to fundamental change, the search for lasting, systemic solutions to poverty, rather than dispensing charity.

Plateforme de Protection des Lanceurs d’Alerte en Afrique

Plateforme de Protection des Lanceurs d’Alerte en Afrique (PPLAAF) is a non-governmental organisation registered under Senegalese law initiated by William Bourdon, lawyer and President of the French NGO Sherpa, that is comprised of experts who will help, advise and support whistleblowers. PPLAAF provides technical, legal and media assistance to these potential whistleblowers, whether they are from Africa or the information they want to share is related to Africa. PPLAAF believes that the price of doing the right thing should not include sacrificing one’s life, freedom, family, income, job, career or health. In this capacity, PPLAAF plays the intermediary role by assembling a community of in-house and external experts to help ensure that the perils and threats usually associated with ‘blowing the whistle’ are overcome.

Social Surveys

Social Surveys Africa (SSA) is a leading specialist in social & development strategy with 32 years of supporting decision-makers in government, the private sector and civil society take better evidence-based decisions for social impact. Through our in-house capabilities in generating creative, contextually informed, methodologically appropriate primary evidence and turning this into relevant policy insights, we have had significant impacts on how key institutions think and act in relation to education, land and labour policy, health, youth employment, mining, social entrepreneurship, employee mobility and wellbeing, social cohesion and community-based protests, among others. We deliver respectful, rich and textured insights based on our understanding of the issues that impact communities and organisations. Social Surveys Africa is a 100% South African owned organisation.

Sonke Gender Justice

Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) is a multi-award winning, women’s rights organisation that is committed to feminist principles, using a rights-based and gender transformative approach to achieve human rights and gender justice. Sonke works in twenty-three countries in Africa, and with key partners globally to promote gender equality, prevent violence, advance children's rights, and reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS. We are widely recognised for the impact of our work, including, as one of many examples, our expertise in engaging men and boys for gender equality. In Africa and globally, we strive for HUMAN RIGHTS, where individuals and communities take ACTION against gender injustice and violence and seek inter-personal, community and structural ACCOUNTABILITY for long-lasting, SUSTAINABLE change. Sonke was founded by a shared understanding that violence against womxn and girls constitutes one of the gravest and most pervasive human rights violations and that it undermines South Africa’s new democracy in far-reaching ways. A further driving motivation was a belief that the gender inequalities, gender norms and power relations underpinning domestic and sexual violence are bad for womxn, but also for men. Recognizing that these norms, and the harmful perceptions of what it means to be a man or a womxn, encourage men to engage in high risk behaviors, Sonke was established with a firm conviction that men and boys had a critical contribution to make in ending violence, in transforming gender roles, and ultimately in being part of the solution to achieving gender justice. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals’ Leave No One Behind agenda, Sonke prioritizes work that improves the lives of the most marginalized populations, such as refugees and migrants, sex workers, the LGBTQI community, prisoners and ex-offenders, people living with HIV, children and youth. Many of Sonke staff are refugees and migrants from the Great Lakes region, enhancing Sonke’s staff capacity with regional expertise and cultural awareness.

South African Broadcasting Corporation

The SABC inspires change through enriching, credible, relevant and compelling content that is accessible by all. Its mission is to to educate, inform and entertain all audiences accessing SABC services. The main object of the Corporation is to supply broadcasting and information services and services that are ancillary thereto, to the general public in the Republic of South Africa and beyond its borders. The SABC hosts a dedicated page of Democracy Works’ articles on their website. Please visit this page by clicking here to view the articles the SABC has published.

Transnational Institute

The Transnational Institute (TNI) is an international research and advocacy institute committed to building a just, democratic and sustainable planet. For more than 40 years, TNI has served as a unique nexus between social movements, engaged scholars and policy makers.envisions a world of peace, equity and democracy on a sustainable planet brought about and sustained by an informed and engaged citizenry. TNI’s mission is to strengthen international social movements with rigorous research, reliable information, sound analysis and constructive proposals that advance progressive, democratic policy change and common solutions to global problems.

United States Agency for International Development

USAID leads international development and humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance and help people progress beyond assistance. USAID transforms. It transforms families, communities, and countries – so they can thrive and prosper. Whether by preventing the next global epidemic, responding to a devastating earthquake, or helping a farmer access tools to grow her business. USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID’s work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity, demonstrates American generosity, and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience. The purpose of foreign aid should be ending the need for its existence, and we provide development assistance to help partner countries on their own development journey to self-reliance – looking at ways to help lift lives, build communities, and establish self-sufficiency. USAID's efforts are both from and for the American people. USAID is a Democracy Works Foundation donor partner in our Southern Africa Political Parties and Dialogue Programme.

United States Department of State

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) champions universal values, including respect for the rule of law, democratic institutions, and human rights.  The Bureau’s work helps bolster democratic institutions, confront democratic backsliding, promote accountability, uphold internationally recognized labor standards, and advance the rights and equity of members of marginalized racial, ethnic, and religious communities, indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ persons.