Civic Engagement and Government - Ford Foundation

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Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice
Around the world, billions of people are excluded from full participation in the political, economic, and cultural systems that shape their lives. When so many lack access to engage with their government and influence the decisions that affect their lives, policies fail to address their needs, favoring instead those with power and resources and deepening inequality.
Governments have the potential to remedy or reinforce inequality. History makes clear that people—when they have the ability to organize, speak up, and engage—have the potential to hold their leaders and institutions accountable, pushing them to fulfill their promise to serve the common good.
We believe that meaningful, non-partisan civic engagement is an antidote to inequality, with rich potential to empower underrepresented and marginalized communities that have too often been excluded. Across the globe, we work to protect and help civic spaces thrive to ensure all people have the opportunity to raise their voices, influence decisions, and hold governments to account.
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