Our Impact

5500+ resources

Our research has helped develop the theoretical basis for our field and has been endorsed by the Dalai Lama, Vaclav Havel, Desmond Tutu, and other global civil society leaders.

100+ laws

We have worked with thousands of partners to successfully promote the passage of laws that strengthen civic freedoms, philanthropy, and public participation.

4000+ partners

We work alongside our partners to navigate evolving legal environments for civil society, philanthropy, and public participation, around the world.

For 30 years, we have worked closely with partners in more than 100 countries to promote civic freedoms and improve the legal environment for civil society. Here are some of our proudest accomplishments:

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Our Latest Impact Stories

American flag crocheted around a tree in a Brooklyn Park. (Photo: Andriy Prokopenko/Getty)

Firearms pose an urgent threat to the exercise of First Amendment rights of free expression and peaceful assembly in...

A young woman wearing bright green weaves a natural fiber basket in Kano, Nigeria in front of a bright yellow wall. (Photo: Nnaemeka Ugochukwu/Unsplash)

Until recently, Nigerian civil society organizations (CSOs) were grouped with casinos, real estate agents, and gemstone dealers as institutions...

Man wearing a blue turban is weaving rugs on a large traditional loom in Aswan, Egypt (Photo: Rawan Yasser/Unsplash)

Nearly every country's constitution recognizes the right to peaceful assembly. But since 2020, more than 150 governments have restricted...

Photo of multi-color fabrics taken in Saida, Lebanon. The fabrics are draped vertically, and are teal, blue, yellow, green, orange, and yellow. (Photo: Jametlene Reskp/Flora Saltzmann/Unsplash)

Women civil society advocates have long struggled against gender-specific barriers to their work. This story explores how ICNL and...

Cultura de Guatemala. A woman with long black hair leans over a large loom, weaving. There are woven items in the background like hats, blankets, and more. (Photo: Julio Reynaldo/Unsplash)

In 2022, El Salvador proposed a restrictive new law that threatened to decimate civil society. The draft law would...

Person holding cash and a cell phone (Photo: Jan Chipchase)

With support from the Ford Foundation, ICNL launched a project from February 2020 through October 2022 to address FATF...

For more stories and news about our work, visit our news page here.

Notable Memberships

One of two civil society organizations on the board of the UN Democracy Fund

Consultative status with ECOSOC

Serves on the board of InterAction and CIVICUS

From Our Partners & Supporters

“ICNL has been with us since 2012, assisting us – not leading, but helping us lead – by providing expertise. We trust them.”

—Khin Lay, director of the Women’s Triangle Association in Myanmar

“Without [ICNL’s] support, this work on civil society would have been almost impossible to deliver.”

—Fionnuala D. Ní Aoláin, UN Special Rapporteur

“ICNL’s support ensured we were able to streamline the process of importing vital medical supplies and help the most affected communities during the peak of the pandemic.”

Kanykei Sharapova, Lawyer for Elim Barsynby in Kyrgyzstan

“Thanks to support from ICNL, nonprofits were able to…engage in effective advocacy with regulators. We now have a more enabling environment for civil society to thrive.”

Oyebisi B. Oluseyi, NNNGO president and ICNL Board Member