The consultant will research and produce a report (estimated 40–60 pages) examining emerging civic technologies and digital alternatives to Big Tech products that support democratic participation and strengthen civil society’s digital resilience. The research must address both external-facing civic functions and internal organisational operations, and will be grounded in CIVICUS’ three pillars of civic space innovation:

Struggle (resisting digital repression and defending fundamental freedoms),

Solidarity (enabling collective action and community-owned infrastructure), and

Deliberation (fostering inclusive participation and new civic narratives).

The assignment will be organised around five interconnected task areas:

Research Mapping and Literature Review

Review and synthesise existing literature, initiatives, and debates related to:

• Civic technologies, digital sovereignty, and platform governance
• Digital commons and community-owned infrastructure
• Alternative and open-source tools for civil society (both programmatic and operational)
• Developments emerging from the From Platforms to Commons analysis, updating and extending that evidence base

Case Study Analysis

Identify and analyse concrete examples of civic tech tools, platform alternatives, and collaborative digital infrastructures used by civil society actors. Case studies should:

• Span diverse regional contexts, with particular attention to the Global South
• Cover both external-facing tools (e.g. federated social networks, participation platforms, crisis-ready infrastructure) and internal-facing alternatives (e.g. open-source project management, secure communication, finance and admin tools)
• Address adoption barriers, governance models, sustainability, and contextual safety risks
• Reflect the CIVICUS civic space innovation framework — identifying how each case embodies participatory design, systemic impact, or community-led approaches

Synthesis of Programme and Partner Insight

Consolidate insights from CIVICUS’ own research outputs, DDI programme activities, and partner organisation experiences, including evidence regarding digital tool development, adoption and challenges.

Strategic Analysis and Recommendations

Identify strategic opportunities for civil society to strengthen digital resilience and reduce dependency on extractive digital infrastructures. Specifically:

• Analyse identified gap in existing literature (local hosting capacity, language representation, governance capacity, sustainable funding, and regional coordination) and assess how they have evolved
• Identify sustainable alternative technologies for both external civic engagement and internal organisational functions, with attention to context-appropriate adoption
• Provide actionable recommendations for how civil society organisations can build, operate, and sustainably scale alternative technology solutions
• Assess funding and governance models that could support long-term infrastructure stewardship

Report Development

Produce a well-structured, accessible research report that synthesises findings across all task areas and provides practical guidance for civil society organisations, funders, and CIVICUS partners. The report must be written for a practitioner audience and grounded in real-world examples.

• Research and produce a report (estimated 40–60 pages) examining emerging civic technologies and digital alternatives to Big Tech products that support democratic participation and strengthen civil society’s digital resilience.
• Address both external-facing civic functions and internal organisational operations.
• Review and synthesise existing literature, initiatives, and debates related to civic technologies, digital sovereignty, platform governance, digital commons, community-owned infrastructure, and alternative/open-source tools for civil society.
• Developments emerging from the From Platforms to Commons analysis, updating and extending that evidence base.
• Identify and analyse concrete examples of civic tech tools, platform alternatives, and collaborative digital infrastructures used by civil society actors.
• Case studies should span diverse regional contexts, with particular attention to the Global South.
• Case studies should cover both external-facing and internal-facing alternatives.
• Case studies should address adoption barriers, governance models, sustainability, and contextual safety risks.
• Case studies should reflect the CIVICUS civic space innovation framework.
• Consolidate insights from CIVICUS’ own research outputs, DDI programme activities, and partner organisation experiences.
• Identify strategic opportunities for civil society to strengthen digital resilience and reduce dependency on extractive digital infrastructures.
• Analyse identified gaps in existing literature and assess how they have evolved.
• Identify sustainable alternative technologies for both external civic engagement and internal organisational functions.
• Provide actionable recommendations for how civil society organisations can build, operate, and sustainably scale alternative technology solutions.
• Assess funding and governance models that could support long-term infrastructure stewardship.
• Produce a well-structured, accessible research report that synthesises findings across all task areas and provides practical guidance for civil society organisations, funders, and CIVICUS partners.

• Research and analytical skills
• Report writing skills
• Knowledge of civic technologies and digital alternatives
• Understanding of digital sovereignty and platform governance
• Familiarity with digital commons and community-owned infrastructure
• Experience with open-source tools for civil society
• Ability to conduct case study analysis
• Understanding of civil society's digital resilience needs
• Strategic thinking and recommendation development
• Excellent communication skills

• Demonstrated experience in research and report writing.
• Strong understanding of civic technologies, digital sovereignty, and alternative technology solutions.
• Familiarity with the challenges and opportunities facing civil society in the digital age.
• Experience working with or researching civil society organisations, particularly in the Global South, is an asset.
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.