Civitates

Civitates is a joint philanthropic fund that supports independent media serving the public good and civil society organizations across Europe.

A vibrant civil society and an independent press are cornerstones of open democracies. Yet both are under pressure in many parts of Europe, as political polarization increases, civic space shrinks, and disinformation spreads.

Civitates was founded in 2018 as a response to these developments and the rise of authoritarian leaders elected on populist agendas.
Since then, our joint fund has supported more than 50 organizations in 18 European countries with a total of 13 million euros — and the amount continues to grow — in defense of the foundations of democracy.

The complexity of strengthening independent media and civil society, and of shaping a digital sphere that supports healthy democracies, goes far beyond what any single organization can achieve. That is why a range of foundations operate under the Civitates umbrella, united by a common goal: to defend democracy in Europe.

The fund focuses on three areas: Civic Power, Tech & Democracy, and Media.

Fritt Ord was one of the founding partners of Civitates.

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Civitates' Tech & Democracy open call

6. mars 2025

Civitates – The European Democracy Fund is a pooled philanthropic fund that was set up in 2018 for the sole purpose of addressing democratic decline and closing civic space in Europe. The case for confronting these threats is growing increasingly urgent. Fritt Ord Foundation is one of the initiators and partners of Civitates.

Civitates has launched its Tech and Democracy open call to support organisations working to ensure safer, more inclusive online spaces (social media platforms, search engines etc.) by improving the enforcement of EU tech regulations at the national level.

This open call offers a unique opportunity to strengthen civil society’s role in holding the tech sector accountable, with a focus on key EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act, GDPR, AI Act or the European Media Freedom Act to name a few.

Diskuterte Ukrainas kreative motstand

15. desember 2022

Hvordan kan journalister, forfattere og kunstnere arbeidere under en brutal overfallskrig? Ukrainske journalister og kulturprofiler var samlet i Oslo i desember for å diskutere spørsmålet.

Civitates grant: The real story behind the anti-migration noise in Italy

21. mars 2019

As the European Union heads into a pivotal election year, sixteen philanthropic foundations including Fritt Ord have come together to form Civitates. Civitates is a consortium that provides funding for civil society actors to come together and revitalise public discourse. In the coming weeks we’ll be sharing the stories of some of our grant recipients.

Civitates grant: Boosting civil society in Poland

13. mars 2019

As the European Union heads into a pivotal election year, sixteen philanthropic foundations including Fritt Ord have come together to form Civitates. Civitates is a consortium that provides funding for civil society actors to come together and revitalise public discourse. In the coming weeks we’ll be sharing the stories of some of our grant recipients.

Sixteen European philanthropy organisations join forces to create Civitates

8. mars 2019

Press release, Brussels 28 February 2019

Call for Proposals: “Improving the Digital Information Ecosystem”

30. november 2018

Civitates is a new philanthropic initiative of 16 foundations committed to upholding democratic values in Europe. The deadline for the first call for proposals is 30 November 2018.