An invisible network of ‘ecosystem catalysts’ are key agents in building stronger civil societies. Institutions are needed to support building healthy, resilient organizations at local levels, especially as the world becomes more fragmented. Funders are looking to understand more about this space; how best to use different funding partners in practice; and support their development.

Funders, often with limited in-house resources, increasingly rely on a network of intricate partnerships to bring direct funding to local actors and to particular issues. Often referred to as ‘intermediaries’ these networks can play a positive – or negative role – in the civil society ecosystem. They can either enhance civil society’s aims, or they can add an extra layer of bureaucracy and power acting as an inefficient ‘middle-man’.

Instead of intermediaries, we have chosen the phrase ‘ecosystem catalysts’ to highlight the important set of civil society actors who help to build civil society, its connections, and in particular, to help shift power and resources to local actors. This new paper from Rights CoLab provides a typology of the range of institutions working in this space and explores the functions of these ecosystem catalysts alongside the qualities they should embody in order to build a more equitable and healthier civil society system overall.

We hope it provides a useful and simple tool to deepen understanding and contribution to strategy, as well as highlighting where there may be gaps in the system. It’s an iterative work in progress, and we welcome further comments! These can be sent to deborah@rightscolab.org.

Photo by Emma Henderson on Unsplash