Hivos strengthens and resources organizations and movements with the potential to improve a broad range of human, civil, and political rights. In particular, if they are directly at risk of being targeted or if they have the potential to spark popular mobilization for a transformative progressive agenda. Hivos also uses its lengthy experience to create supportive environments for civil society organizations.
Whether our support consists of long-term capacity sharing, alliance building, or short-term emergency
funding, it can count on our decades-long track record of working closely with individuals, their projects
or organizations, and movements across the world. This lets us support both established and emerging
initiatives in or outside the mainstream, and work with creative and courageous people, to address
sensitive and under-resourced issues, often in volatile or complex environments.
We take pride in our grant-making role — key to resourcing initiatives that are under (political or
financial) pressure or struggle to access funding directly — but understand the complexities of power
dynamics that this brings. That is why participatory grant-making and people-led Communities of
Action are central to our program development.
We also understand that activism and advocacy in complex contexts might need to take place in secure
spaces and spheres. So, in addition to supporting in-person gatherings and actions when safe and
effective to do, we have co-created programs that allow people to safely meet online.
Standing with people and their movements against injustice is also the criteria we use in selecting
program partners, funders, and allies. We partner with and seek funding from and for institutions that
support power distribution at the global, national, and increasingly local level.
Lastly, we are uniquely positioned to combine the expertise of our partners with our own to contribute to
global knowledge production and advocacy on issues that affect civil society organizations and
movements. Using our experience in advocating at global fora, we amplify local voices, bring
organizations together regionally, and advocate for their solutions globally. Hivos takes a clear public
stance when civil and political rights are under attack, joining the voices of those most affected, or
taking the side of our outspoken partners. When helpful, we speak truth to power on our own.