About Civil Society Fund

The Civil Society Fund (formerly known as the Small Grants Program) is managed out of approximately 70 countries with upwards of 400 grants being awarded annually.  A grant - averaging $4,000 - provides seed funding for innovative activities that enable citizens’ groups to initiate activities that enhance and influence development outcomes.  The program also emphasizes activities that strengthen partnerships with the public and the private sectors, as well as with other civil society organizations.

In FY08 the Civil Society Fund (CSF) will begin to manage a $3 million dollar grants portfolio of the Global Public-Private Partnership (GPP) and Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) for Youth Investment.  This collaboration offers further prominence and broadened programmatic scope to the global efforts of the CSF in support of civic engagement and youth investment.

Grounded in the country in which it operates, the CSF is sensitive and flexible in its approach to civic engagement efforts at varying local contexts.  For example, in Cambodia, a post-conflict country with a high illiteracy rate, concepts of civic engagement, social accountability and governance need to be built gradually from increasing awareness on citizens’ rights, legal procedures, and gender participation.  CSF grants also works in countries like Laos where civil society is still nascent or in other countries where there are restrictions for civil society.

The experiences of the CSF over the years indicate that, by funding activities that are proposed directly by CSOs, the following outcomes can be expected: (i) enhanced awareness among citizens of their rights and responsibilities, leading to inclusion in the development process of otherwise marginalized voices; (ii) increased knowledge sharing and networking among civil society and development partners (social capital); and, (iii) for the Bank, improved understanding of civic engagement and empowerment and the most effective approaches to supporting civic engagement in unique country contexts at the local level.