The financial implications of the Covid-19 pandemic could seriously impact the long-term sustainability and permanence of civil society, especially of small, informal and grassroots groups and individuals who were already struggling to sustain their work before the crisis. This is a key finding of the recent CIVICUS alliance survey asking 127 members from 50 countries about how COVID-19 has affected their ability to organise and mobilise resources and support, as well as their relationships with donors/supporters.

This report provides insights about some of the recurrent challenges, behaviours and innovations shared by members, along with our preliminary reflections and ideas we are exploring to support civil society in these moments.

• Individual activists, community-based organisations, small and informal groups, and social enterprises highlighted that they had to stop their main income-generating activities –g. mobilising community donations, collecting membership fees, or selling goods services – due to lockdown restrictions. Many have tried to apply for emergency funding and other types of institutional support. However, most of the time they are not eligible because donors are offering this funding to their grantee partners, or they don’t have experience, knowledge and credentials to apply.

CIVICUS published two open letters to donors during the firsts months of this crisis: one in March calling for more flexibility, certainty, and stability towards grantee partners, and one in April, co-published with NEAR and the Global Fund for Community Foundations, asking donors to prioritise funding and solidarity for a lasting and stronger local civil society in the global south.

• 60% of respondents said they knew about the letters and found them useful for their work. Some reported sharing these letters with their donors and using them in negotiations.