Dear readers,
Several TAI members have been in New York the past few days for the Commission on the Status of Women meetings and side events. However, far fewer are in attendance than in the past - see our Focused Topic for more on why and some fascinating new analysis on the intersections of women’s and economic rights. For regular content on such issues make sure to sign up to the newsletter of the TAI-hosted Collaborative for a Gender Just Economy learning community. The latest issue went out last week.
Plus, we have our usual roundup of news, research, events and jobs - everything from the architecture of digital repression to new pro-democracy investments to career opportunities at TAI members.
Happy reading!
TAI team
What's New
The World Inequality Report 2026, produced by researchers affiliated with the World Inequality Lab, finds that global inequality in access to human capital remains far greater than commonly assumed. The report calls for renewed international cooperation to address these divides through progressive taxation, investment in human capabilities, climate accountability, and more inclusive political institutions.
A new report, “The Architecture of Digital Repression”, reveals how internet service providers (ISPs) function as a critical, yet often overlooked, instrument of state repression. Case studies in Myanmar, China, and Russia illustrate how governments leverage ISPs to surveil and silence civil society, offering an important reminder that digital infrastructure is never politically neutral.
Zainab Malik and Adna Karamehic-Oates argue that people-centred justice is a foundation of open government. They suggest that when justice is accessible, fair, and designed around real needs, it turns transparency, participation, and accountability into something people actually experience, building trust.
A new independent assessment of Nigeria's Host Community Development Trusts, institutions created under the Petroleum Industry Act to channel oil revenues into community development — has revealed significant governance weaknesses and persistent gender imbalance. The findings raise important questions about whether resource wealth is being managed transparently and in ways that genuinely serve affected communities.
Elsa Ozmen asks why philanthropy and civil society so often address the threat of illiberalism in separate conversations, and argues that this fragmentation is itself a strategic vulnerability. Ozmen makes the case for greater coordination and shared analysis across these communities as democratic backsliding accelerates globally.
Sarah Yerkes, writing for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, examines how tightening civil society restrictions in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia are limiting the work of climate-focused organisations. She showcases the risks of shrinking civic space just when stronger public engagement is needed to confront the climate crisis.
Latindadd warns that a new wave of fiscal austerity across Latin America is disproportionately affecting those least able to bear the costs. “Cuts That Cost Rights” ( Recortes que cuestan derechos) examines policies in Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, and El Salvador, arguing that austerity is a political choice that sidelines social investment and deepens inequality.
The CIVICUS 2026 State of Civil Society Report finds that despite mounting repression, a new generation of activists is pushing back. Civil society advocacy, evidence gathering, and litigation continue to secure important victories, underscoring the enduring power of collective action.
Campaign for Nature and Conservation International has launched a Nature Finance Tracker using data obtained through Freedom of Information requests covering 2021–2025. It provides the first comprehensive public analysis of UK international nature finance spending, and makes those commitments visible, understandable, and accountable for the first time.
The European Center for Not-for-Profit Law revisits the Tbilisi Principles, which outline how governments, financial institutions, donors, and civil society can keep funding channels open during humanitarian crises. As civil society organizations are often first responders in emergencies, ensuring they can operate without financial barriers is increasingly urgent, particularly in the Middle East and beyond.
ESSENTIAL READING:
Practitioners, funders, and advocates (including TAI) recently gathered in Nairobi for the People Powered convening exploring how democratic narratives can be strengthened across different contexts. Read more about the outcomes and reflections from the meeting.
From Our Members
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS: Executive Director Binaifer Nowrojee discusses the organization’s commitment to supporting those defending human rights, strengthening democracy, and keeping societies open, amid growing concerns about the erosion of democratic practice worldwide. In parallel, Pedro Vieira Abramovay reflects on how Donald Trump’s approach to international relations has exposed the fragility of the current world order, and argues that this moment calls for rethinking multilateralism on more durable terms.
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION: Has announced a $100 million grant commitment to support organizations working to protect democracy in the United States. The funding will back nonpartisan groups defending fair and safe elections, civic freedoms, and the rule of law. As President John Palfrey notes, democracy depends on people being informed, engaged, and confident that their voices matter.
FORD FOUNDATION: Shares Janai Nelson of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on the ongoing fight for voting rights in the U.S., noting the group’s role in landmark cases and the continued need for legal advocacy to protect an inclusive democracy.
TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS
Alianza funds (Alianza Fondos del Sur) reflects on how Global South funders are adapting to support community-led action amid volatility. “Navigating Change” shares lessons from funds sustaining grassroots efforts through legitimacy, collaboration, and flexibility.
Four years ago, amid a global health crisis and widespread mobilisation for racial and social justice, foundations' human rights funding reached a record $5.7 billion. A new report from the Human Rights Funders Network examines that surge in giving and asks what it can tell us about the philanthropic responses needed today.
As climate investing grows, credible ways to measure impact remain scarce. The Climate Impact Investing IMM Playbook, from Climate SMILE and Prime Coalition, offers practical guidance for measuring and managing climate-focused impact.
Elemental has partnered with the Philanthropisms podcast to explore narratives shaping the philanthropic sector and share insights for funders seeking transformative opportunities. Episodes cover topics from legacy and presumed expertise to individualism and scarcity.
ESSENTIAL READING:
A new book in Spanish, Crisis of Legislative Power and Autocratisation: Mexico in Comparative Perspective, by Issa Luna Pla and Khemvirg Puente Martínez, examines patterns of political power concentration that weaken democratic institutions. Using Mexico as a central case and drawing comparisons with Latin America and Europe, it explores executive–legislative tensions and the strategies used to control parliaments, while pointing to reforms that can strengthen democratic resilience.
Focused Topic of the Week
Beyond Numbers: The Unfinished Work of Women's Political Equality
Three decades after the Beijing Platform for Action set ambitious targets for women's political participation, a new report from Club de Madrid and the European Democracy Hub reveals that numerical progress has not translated into genuine power. "Beyond Beijing: Rethinking Women's Political Participation" documents a persistent gap between growing representation and real decision-making influence. This finding resonates strongly with TAI's publication by Trimita Chakma, which equally urges a shift away from counting seats toward strategies that foster women's substantive political leadership. Together, these analyses make clear that the metrics used to measure progress must themselves be challenged if meaningful change is to follow. Of course, it doesn’t help that only 2% of philanthropic dollars reach women and girls, and a tiny fraction of that goes to supporting women’s political leadership. “Global Power Still Belongs to Men” explores why funding focuses on services over power and what it would take to shift the balance.
This rethinking of what counts as progress extends well beyond formal political institutions. Marina Durano and Sophia Murphy, writing for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, demonstrate how feminist economics and agroecology can converge to build food systems that are both ecologically resilient and gender-just. Central to their argument is the recognition that unpaid care work — long rendered invisible in policy frameworks — must be placed at the heart of food governance. Their call for care-centred policies reflects a broader intellectual current: that structural inequalities are reproduced not only in parliaments and boardrooms, but in the daily, unremunerated labour that sustains communities and ecosystems alike.
That structural reproduction is examined with particular clarity by Gavaza Maluleke in the first report from African Futures Lab's Unfinished Freedom project. Maluleke traces how colonial systems of gendered governance continue to shape institutions across African and European contexts, arguing that surface-level reforms cannot dismantle hierarchies whose roots run so deep. The report calls for systemic transformation grounded in African feminist thought and community-based accountability — a framework that refuses to treat women's leadership as an add-on to existing structures, but insists instead on reimagining those structures from within.
The obstruction of that work is not always subtle. This year, numerous feminists, activists, and thinkers were prevented from attending the Commission on the Status of Women meetings in New York due to restrictive visa requirements. The NAWI Afrifem Collective has argued that these barriers are not accidental — they are part of the very structures that advocates are working to dismantle. Their reflections serve as a frank reminder that the struggle for gender equality plays out not only in policy documents and institutional reforms, but at borders, in bureaucratic denials, and in the everyday silencing of the voices most needed in global conversations.
Taken together, these publications make a compelling case that gender equality in political life is not a destination marked by a percentage, but an ongoing, structural, and collective project.
JOBS
Multiple openings - Hewlett Foundation
Multiple openings - MacArthur Foundation
Multiple Openings - Hilton Foundation
Multiple Openings - Gates Foundation
Multiple Openings - Transparency International
Multiple Openings - Social Action, Development Cooperation, Culture, Disability, and Health Sectors in Spain
Multiple Openings - National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
Multiple Openings - UNCAC Coalition
Practice Lead Governance and Politics Centre of Expertise - Westminster Foundation for Democracy
Director of Global Affairs - Sequoia Climate Foundation
Project Evaluation Consultant on Global Tax Justice - Global Alliance for Tax Justice. Deadline: March 23, 2026.
Director of Partnerships and Strategic Communications for Africa - Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). Deadline: March 24, 2026.
Programme Manager, Democracy Collaborations - Philea. Deadline: March 28, 2026.
Chief of Staff - Luminate. Deadline: April 03, 2026.
CALLS
EDGE Funders' Global Engagement Lab is a 9-month program for progressive funders seeking systemic change and personal growth, with cohort learning and in-person retreats. Applications open March 2026; costs USD 4,000–7,000, with discounts for EDGE members.
The European Endowment for Democracy provides rolling funding for local democracy organizations in the Eastern Partnership, Middle East and North Africa, and Western Balkans & Turkey.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) invites NGOs to complete an online survey informing recommendations on creating and maintaining a safe and enabling environment for civil society. Available in English, French, and Spanish. Deadline extended: 20 March 2026, 18:00 CET.
EU Grants and Fundraising Trainings, Brussels Academy. Intensive sessions designed to equip participants with a solid understanding of EU funding mechanisms and practical, hands-on experience in writing competitive project proposals. March 26-27, 2026.
La Sobremesa announces its Curso de Sostenibilidad Financiera for civil society organisations in Latin America, a practical space to design a financial sustainability plan step by step. (In Spanish.) Deadline: 27 March 2026.
Two ScaleDem open calls are now live through 31 March 2026, offering eligible organizations across Europe and beyond funding, mentorship and peer learning to scale democratic innovations. The Piloting Programme supports bold new ideas with up to €100,000, and the Twinning Programme offers up to €65,500 for mentor–mentee communities adapting proven approaches.
The Open Government Partnership Transparency Fellowship is a fully-funded, five-day immersive experience for mid- to senior-level professionals in government, civil society or media from Georgia, Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine. It will take place 13-17 July 2026 in Lithuania and Latvia. Deadline: 31 March 2026.
The National Endowment for Democracy offers grants to advance democratic goals and strengthen democratic institutions. Deadline: June 6, 2026.
Thousand Currents will host its first Academy in the Global South this August in Brazil, focused on internationalism and global solidarity, including immersive engagement with social movements shaping transformative change. August 2-7, 2026 | São Paulo, Brazil.
CALENDAR
EU Tax Symposium 2026 on "The future of taxation: inequality and growth in the global economy" (Brussels). March 16-17.
2026 Global Philanthropy Leadership Summit. March 18-20, 2026 | San Francisco, CA.
Report Launch: Freedom in the World 2026, Freedom House, March 19 | 10:30 AM ET.
Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters (32nd session, UN HQ NYC). March 23-26.
2026 OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum (GACIF). March 23-27, 2026 | Paris, France.
Democracy Narratives: What works—and what doesn’t. March 24, 2026. Time: 9–10:30 am ET / 2–3:30 pm UTC.
Philanthropy in Europe: Mapping Research and Data on Donations by Households, Bequests, Corporations, Foundations and Charity Lotteries in Europe, presented by Barry Hoolwerf and Johan Vamstad. ERNOP Webinar. March 24, 2026, 3:00–4:00 PM CET.
Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy - Virtual book launch with Vu Le from Nonprofit AF, celebrating the vital nonprofit sector. February 25, 2026 | 10:00 AM PST / 1:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM GMT.
Special Meeting of ECOSOC on International Cooperation in Tax Matters (UN HQ NYC). March 27.
Virtual Women's Momentum Assembly for a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout. Interpretation available in Spanish, Portuguese, French and English. Tuesday, 31 March, 1:00-5:00 PM EDT.
Igniting Hope: The Inaugural Ottawa Civic Space Summit. Registration closes April 10, 2026. Event from April 21-23, 2026.
Ottawa Civic Space Summit. Registration closes April 10, 2026. April 21–23.
First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, coordinating governments to institutionalise global cooperation for a managed, equitable phaseout. 28-29 April.
Othering & Belonging Conference, Louisville, Kentucky, March 31-April 1, 2026.
UNESCO World Press Freedom Day 2026, Lusaka, Zambia. May 4-5.
RightsCon 2026, Lusaka, Zambia. May 5-8.
Rabat, Morocco: On Think Tanks Conference, focusing on "Think Tanks and Trust." 19–21 May 2026.
WINGSForum 2026 in Montreal under the theme "ACT – Activate, Collaborate, Transcend." Save the date, more details to follow in early 2026. September 28-30, 2026.
International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. December 1-4, 2026.
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