‘Frozen Funds, Unfrozen Purpose’ is a special podcast series, developed by Forus as part of the EU SEE programme.
The US funding freeze has emerged as a major shock to civil society organisations (CSOs) worldwide. This decision comes in the context of a general decline in development aid. The EU SEE consortium carried out a survey on the impact of the US funding freeze on civil society organisations (CSOs) in over 50 countries. According to the data, reducing foreign aid funding has become an opportunity to further limit civic space. CSOs are increasingly facing public attacks fuelled by misinformation and negative narratives, along with restrictive regulatory frameworks and heightened scrutiny. 67% of surveyed CSOs by EU SEE are directly affected, with 40% of them losing 25-50% of their budgets, forcing them to reduce programs, cut staff or close operations.
To keep this important conversation going, the EU SEE consortium organised a webinar on May 7 and has developed this podcast series to share the findings from our recent survey, exchange perspectives, and explore alternative strategies to support CSOs in navigating these challenging times.
- Arjun Bhattarai, NGO Federation of Nepal about how civil society adapting, organizing, and reimagining its future, even amid enabling environment restrictions and unpredictable donor landscapes.
- Chiara Consentino, IPPF Europe, about what support and solidarity can look like in the current context.
- Deborah Doane, Rights Colab, about how to transform the donor landscape for justice.
- Oyebisi Oluseyi, Nigeria Network of NGOs, about how the funding freeze is affecting Nigeria’s enabling environment for civil society and what it means for the future of development and civic spaces.
