Civil Society
Civil Society
Communities are stronger when everyone has a voice.
Rather than allowing differences to divide us, together, we can find new solutions through diverse perspectives.
The Aga Khan Foundation is committed to building robust, pluralistic civil societies.
We facilitate community service organizations, inclusive civic groups and farming cooperatives. We help people build the tools to form critical support systems, and see a vibrant future take root.
AKF has worked with over 34,000 civil society organizations across 14 countries, benefiting more than 1.6 million people.
To reach even farther, AKF has partnered with like-minded organizations to develop a strategy for growing a more inclusive world. Learn more about our vision for pluralism in this animated video.
And as part of that strategy, AKF and our partners created a place to share the tools we have developed through our work around the world.
Learn about this new platform called Spark, and how it’s ‘sparking’ new futures everywhere!
Then help us sow the seeds of success, together.
Spark
Space for practice, action, research, and knowledge
Spark is a space for civil society and independent media learning, resource exchange, practice, preparation for action, research, and knowledge mobilization.
Spark aims to improve the accessibility of quality digital and non-digital learning content for civil society and media actors to encourage and support self-guided learning. Resources hosted on Spark have been created, tested, and adapted by local, regional, and global civil society and independent media actors. These include resources developed by AKF in our local work—resources that can now serve learners and communities around the world. Additionally, Spark is built on a Learning Management System (LMS) gifted to CSM-STAND by the Aga Khan Foundation—building on our experience developing The Learning Hub.
Be a part of our work!
Your donations support our initiatives across sectors and around the world.
Effective and efficient civil society organizations have been a hallmark of successful societies, whether it is in the form of farmer’s federations, arts clubs, or other non-governmental organizations. However, in many societies, they are seen as a threat. Over the span of two years, 64 laws, regulations, and other initiatives that put restrictions on civil society were adopted and put into force.
The Aga Khan Foundation therefore seeks to encourage positive developments in civil society. It sees a robust, efficient civil society – increasingly funded by indigenous sources – as a key driver of the overall quality of life, both in developing and developed countries.
Our goals
Enhanced capacities for collective action
Partnering with a variety of groups and strengthening capacity through training
Strengthened values-based societies
that work together for the common good
Enhanced transparency and accountability
Giving increased public confidence and trust in civil society groups
Improved services, resources, and economic assets
that can sustain themselves beyond the life of development program funding
Our impact
people reached by AKF-supported civil society organizations
civil society organizations strengthened and supported by AKF worldwide
of AKF’s work to foster the growth of transparent, democratically elected village organizations in Central and South Asia
