Community – led Pooled Fund Consultant – Terms of Reference
About us
CIVICUS is a growing global alliance of more than 15,000 members in 175 countries. We work together to expand civic and democratic space. We strive to promote excluded voices, particularly from the global south.
Our Strategic Plan is built on the assumption that we are stronger when we work together. Expanding civic and democratic space requires a collective effort where our members and allies design and test sustainable solutions and deliver impact at scale.
To make this happen, CIVICUS works on five core objectives:
- Generate timely knowledge and analyses on civil society actions in relation to civic and democratic space
- Coordinate targeted advocacy to defend and expand civic and democratic space
- Contribute to stronger emergency and sustained support ecosystems for activists and organisations at risk
- Strengthen public discourse on civic space and reinforce civil society narratives
- Build counter power with the most affected groups and their movement
Background and Context
In an era of increasing funding disruptions to civil society and exacerbated threats to civic space—from donor budget cuts in Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden to the USAID shutdown—there is an urgent need to rethink how we fund and sustain civil society and citizen action.
In response to these funding disruptions, CIVICUS convened the Global Solutions Lab (GSL) in Bangkok which brought together civil society actors from the Local Leadership Lab (LLL), Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI), Innovation Awards, VUKA! Youth Action Lab, and Innovation for Change (I4C), together with bilateral donors and community philanthropy actors, for three days of strategy, reflection, and co-creation.
Our goal was to provide a vital space to define how we guide transition, ensuring that local actors play a central role in decision-making and implementation.
Together, participants co-created three prototypes:
- Community-led Pooled Fund Model: Centering governance, fundraising, and grantmaking within grassroots communities themselves, with compliance delegated locally, flexible funding structures, and safeguards to balance trust and accountability.
- Civil Society-Donor Dialogues: A multi-stakeholder platform to foster values-based collaboration and shape shared approaches to funding civil society.
- Coalition Hub: A coordination mechanism to bridge capacity gaps and improve access to both financial and non-financial resources for CSOs.
Now we are looking for expert support to refine these prototypes.
Guiding Statement:
Grassroots organizations are critical drivers of community development, social justice, and local empowerment, yet they often struggle to secure sustainable funding in an evolving resourcing landscape. Traditional funding models tend to favor established organizations with strong networks and reputations, leaving smaller, community-led groups with limited access to resources. To address these challenges, there is a need to explore and map innovative funding mechanisms—such as Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), digital wallets, blockchain-powered payment systems, decentralized peer-to-peer economies, and smart contracts—that could better support civil society actors. Equally important is identifying gaps and limitations in current approaches relative to the needs of grassroots organizations, assessing potential operational and financial risks associated with pooled funding models, and developing strategies to mitigate these risks. Engaging relevant stakeholders, including grantmakers and finance professionals, will be essential to inform operational oversight and ensure that funding approaches are both effective and sustainable for the communities they aim to serve.
Scope:
To develop the basis of a community-led pooled funding model that holistically and innovatively supports grassroots organizations by transitioning from project to strategic, long-term funding, thereby enabling organizational growth and sustainability. The model will prioritize organizations with wider community reach that are often underserved by traditional funding mechanisms, addressing access disparities exacerbated by competitive funding environments and evolving funding trends. The approach will foster inclusivity, innovation, foster organizational resilience, and align with shifting priorities toward sustained community impact and systemic change.
Considerations for Development:
Equity & Inclusion: Ensure the model promotes equitable access for smaller and marginalized grassroots groups.
Sustainability: Focus on long-term funding to enable strategic planning and organizational growth.
Community Reach: Prioritize organizations with proven community impact and broad local engagement.
Flexibility & Adaptability: Design funding criteria that accommodate diverse organizational needs and evolving contexts.
Capacity Building: Incorporate support for organizational strengthening alongside funding.
Alignment with Trends: Stay responsive to shifts toward strategic investment, impact measurement, and systemic change.
Objectives of the Consultancy
Primary Objectives:
To map existing innovative funding mechanisms, models, and approaches supporting civil society (e.g. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, digital wallets, blockchain-powered payment system, decentralized P2P economies, smart contracts)
To identify gaps and challenges in current approaches relative to the needs of civil society and grassroots actors.
To assess potential operational risks associated with establishing a pooled funding model.
To develop strategies and frameworks to mitigate identified risks. To consult with relevant stakeholders, including grantmakers and finance professionals, to inform operational oversight.
Item 1: Field Analysis
Mapping Existing Mechanisms:
Conduct comprehensive research to identify current funding models, pooled funds, and support mechanisms available for grassroots organizations at local, national, regional and global levels.
Gap Analysis:
Identify key gaps in the approaches mapped in relation to the needs of civil society and grassroots actors.
Documentation:
Produce a detailed report summarizing current models, their strengths, limitations, and areas needing improvement.
Item 2: Operational Aspects
Risk Assessment:
Identify potential operational, financial, legal, and contextual risks associated with establishing and managing the pooled funding model.
Strategy Development:
Collaborate with stakeholders to explore risk mitigation strategies, including governance structures, financial controls, accountability mechanisms, and compliance measures.
Operational Framework:
Develop a draft operational oversight framework, incorporating best practices, stakeholder input, and contextual considerations, to guide fund governance, management, disbursement, monitoring, and evaluation.
Stakeholder Engagement:
Conduct consultations with grantmakers, innovation and finance experts, legal advisors, and other relevant stakeholders to validate findings and refine operational strategies.
Deliverables
Inception Report :
A brief plan outlining methodology, key activities, and timelines (due within 1 week of contract start).
Mapping and Research Report:
A comprehensive document detailing existing mechanisms, models, and identified gaps (due by September 30, 2025).
Operational Risks and Strategies Report:
Develop a draft operational oversight framework, incorporating best practices, stakeholder input, and contextual considerations, to guide fund governance, management, disbursement, monitoring, and evaluation (due by 7 October 2025).
Presentation:
A summary presentation of findings and recommendations for members (due by October 15th, 2025).
Experience:
Required
- Proven experience in grant-making, funding mechanisms, and financial management within civil society contexts.
- Strong analytical skills with demonstrated ability to conduct mapping, gap analysis, and risk assessments.
- Experience working with civil society organisations and activists, particularly those belonging to traditionally excluded or marginalised communities.
- Knowledge of thematic areas such as organizational development, social justice, innovation, and sustainability is desirable.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and report-writing skills.
- Working with diverse cultures.
Preferred knowledge, prior experience and time-zone availability
- Knowledge of global civil society infrastructure needs and funding landscapes.
- Availability for team’s meetings between 1 PM– 6 PM Johannesburg time zone
Expected workdays and timeframe
Estimated 5 – 7 workdays between 15 September 2025 to 31 October 2025.
Budget
Please provide a financial proposal which includes human resources and any material cost likely to be incurred, with an accompanying budget narrative.
Application process
Please include the following elements in your proposal and submit to [email protected] by 8 September 2025 with the subject line Community-led Pooled Fund Consultant
- Introduction: Introducing the consultant(s) and motivation/interest in applying for this opportunity.
- Approach: This should include your methodology – responding in more detail to the information set out in the ToR. Please be specific in how your methodology will meet the rationale/purpose of this consultancy, including a high-level workplan. Include how you will measure the success of the expected deliverables.
- Experience and examples/references: Include your CV, relevant experience and capabilities to deliver this consultancy and at least 2 examples and testimonials of similar projects is required. If applying as a team, please identify the specific roles and responsibilities of each member.
- Budget: This should include all costs associated with implementation of the project including major line items such as daily fees and travel. All financial information must be expressed in United States Dollars, unless the applicant is based in South Africa, in which case rates should be included in both South African Rand (ZAR) and USD.
Please ensure all of the above elements are included in one PDF document proposal, whilst keeping it to a maximum of 10 pages (CVs may be included in an annex to the proposal and will not count against the page limit).
Applicants based or operating in Global South or belonging to traditionally excluded communities are strongly encouraged to apply.