The Civil Society Innovation Fund Ethiopia

The Civil Society Innovation Fund (CSIF) is an initiative to support civil society in Ethiopia, funded by funded by the French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement, AFD), The Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ethiopia).

Our aim is to support new and emerging CSOs, building a vibrant and resilient civil society community in Ethiopia that protects civic space, advances human rights, peace, democracy and gender equality, promotes inclusive and accountable governance, and ensures all voices are heard and rights upheld.

Our mission is to strengthen the role, capacity, and influence of civil society organisations (CSOs) as key actors in promoting democratic governance, peace, human rights, gender equality, media freedom, and broader social transformation in Ethiopia. We are working to strengthen civil society organisations, enhancing their capacity to, hold state power accountable, support democratization and peacebuilding, and work together to advance the implementation of Ethiopia’s civil society proclamation. Improving how human rights, media, peacebuilding, democratization, and gender is approached at a government level.

Background to CSIF

CSIF was launched in 2019 as a programme funded exclusively by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). Over time, it has grown into a multi-donor platform with The Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ethiopia) joining the initiative. The first phase, CSIF I (May 2022–June 2025), operated with a €3 million budget and supported 15 civil society organizations (CSOs) working in peacebuilding, gender equality, human rights, civic space, and media. Building on these achievements, CSIF II (May 2025–April 2028) began with €4.5 million in AFD funding, expanding support to 22 CSOs and focusing on scaling innovations, extending reach, and strengthening organizational capacity. As CSIF transitions into a fully-fledged multi-donor program, additional contributions from the Embassy of Ireland and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ethiopia will raise the total budget to approximately €10 million. This expansion will enable CSIF to support up to 40 CSOs nationwide, significantly enhancing its impact and reach.

The transformation of CSIF into a multi-donor platform reflects a shared commitment among international partners to strengthen Ethiopia’s civil society sector through coordinated resources, collective expertise, and harmonized support mechanisms. This collaboration positions CSIF to maximize its impact and foster systemic, sustainable change at scale.

Objectives of CSIF

Output 1: Provides innovative, flexible and context specific capacity strengthening support and funding for new and emerging CSOs working on media, gender and human rights to enable them to join the civil society sector and be able to identify pressing societal issues and design and effectively manage projects on these issues.

Output 2: Supports innovative advocacy and dialogue initiatives and learning and engagement platforms among CSOs and between CSOs and government actors on issues that matter to citizens and CSOs (such as civic space, human rights, inclusive governance, and the democratization process).
Output 3: Diverse new and emerging CSOs will be better able to deliver effective projects that respond to the concerns and priorities of the people and communities they represent, and will have a stronger representation and role in influencing state and other decision-makers at different levels (local, regional, national) for an improved civic space, inclusive democracies, good governance and protection of human rights.

Output 4: The learning and innovation generated through CSIF will be widely shared and contribute to a more ‘nurturing’ civic space where more, new, innovative actors and activists can emerge and grow and where there is a stronger culture of dialogue and debate on issues that matter most to citizens and CSOs.

CSIF Ethiopia Management and Coordination

Funded by the French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement, AFD), The Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ethiopia, and managed by the partners AGAR in Ethiopia and MannionDaniels.

Funded by:

AGAR Development Partners Consulting (AGAR) - AGAR Development Partners P.L.C (AGAR) emerged from Civil Society Support Programme (CSSP) in Ethiopia. CSSP was one of the biggest civil society capacity development programmes in Ethiopia, and perhaps in Africa, with a funding value of more than €35 million. It was a multi donor funded programme managed by British Council from 2011 to 2017. AGAR is founded by the capacity development team of CSSP who have provided a range of capacity development services for more than 500 CSOs in Ethiopia. AGAR established as a social enterprise firm to provide similar capacity development services to a range of development actors. Apart from Ethiopia, the team of AGAR has also an international exposure in delivering project and financial management trainings, organisational capacity assessments, coaching and mentoring in other African countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia.

MannionDaniels is a global development consultancy and fund manager with operational bases in the United Kingdom, Kenya, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Somalia. Our mission is to work for an equitable, inclusive and sustainable world. We find creative solutions to complex issues in health, social justice and social development. Through our work we aim to support the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people living in fragile and conflict-affected states.

We work in an agile and innovative way in response to rapidly changing challenges. We establish relationships with government, communities and organisations in developing countries in order to deliver effective systems and services for those who need them most, and we are a certified B Corp who practices business as a force for social and environmental good.