1.0 About CIVICUS 

CIVICUS exists to defend people power. As a growing global alliance of over 17,000 members in over 180 countries, we work together to monitor violations of basic civic freedoms, call out the perpetrators of violations and strengthen the power of people to organise by supporting a more accountable, effective and innovative civil society. We strive to promote excluded voices, especially from the global south. 

2.0 Background 

Grassroots movements continue to defend the freedom of peaceful assembly despite escalating repression, backsliding civic space, and increasingly complex operating environments. Yet support systems often remain fragmented, transactional, and funding-driven, limiting sustained collaboration, collective learning, and cross-border solidarity. 

Through two successive WeRise cohorts, CIVICUS has supported 32 grassroots organisations and movement collectives across multiple regions through grants, innovation spaces, learning exchanges, and solidarity initiatives. As the current grant cycle concludes, CIVICUS seeks to preserve and strengthen the relationships, knowledge, and collective power cultivated through this investment by transitioning the network into a movement-owned global community. 

The vision is to establish the WeRise Global FoPA Solidarity Infrastructure, a model of movement multilateralism that transforms solidarity from a shared value into a shared capability. To guide this transition, CIVICUS will engage an independent Learning and Community Design Consultant to lead a participatory co-creation process that defines the community’s vision, governance, priorities, and long-term mechanisms for collaboration, mutual support, and collective action. 

3.0 Purpose of the Consultancy 

The purpose of this consultancy is to design and facilitate a participatory learning and co-creation process that informs the establishment of a sustainable, partners-owned WeRise Global Community. 

3.1 Objectives 

The consultancy will: 

1. Assess the current strengths, relationships, expectations, and learning needs across the WeRise network. 
2. Co-design, together with members, the future vision, value proposition, governance model, and engagement architecture for the WeRise Community. 
3. Develop recommendations for services, collaborative mechanisms, and solidarity infrastructure that enable movements to support one another beyond funding relationships. 
4. Produce a practical roadmap for launching and nurturing a sustainable, movement-owned global community. 

4.0 Scope of Work 

The consultant will be expected to undertake the following tasks. 

4.1 Community Discovery and Ecosystem Assessment: Undertake a participatory assessment of the WeRise network to understand members’ interests, relationships, strengths, aspirations, and opportunities for deeper collaboration. The consultant is expected to propose an appropriate approach for generating these insights. 

4.2 Design and Facilitate a Community Listening Process: Lead an inclusive learning and consultation process that captures diverse perspectives across the network. The methodology should foster meaningful participation, trust, and equitable representation while surfacing priorities for the future community. 

4.3Co-create the WeRise Community Model: Facilitate a collaborative process to define the community’s purpose, identity, guiding principles, governance, and ways of working. The process should strengthen member ownership and lay the foundation for a sustainable movement-led community. 

4.4 Develop the Community Value Proposition: Work with members to identify the most valuable functions, services, and collaboration opportunities that the community should offer. Recommendations should reflect members’ priorities and contribute to a vibrant ecosystem of mutual support and collective action. 

4.5 Design a Community Engagement Framework: Develop practical recommendations for sustaining active participation, collaboration, leadership, and learning across the network. The framework should promote long-term engagement and shared stewardship of the community. 

4.6 Develop an Implementation Roadmap: Prepare a strategic roadmap outlining key phases, priorities, governance considerations, and recommendations for establishing and nurturing the WeRise Community over time. 

5.0 Expected Deliverables 

5.1 Inception and Community Assessment Reports  
5.2 WeRise Community Design Framework 
5.3 Implementation Roadmap 
5.4 Final Consultancy Report 

6.0 Required Qualifications 

The consultant should demonstrate: 

• Significant experience in movement building, community organising, or network facilitation. 
• Expertise in participatory learning, facilitation and organisational learning. 
• Experience designing Communities of Practice or collaborative networks. 
• Strong understanding of social movements, civic space, and human rights ecosystems. 
• Demonstrated experience facilitating multi-country and multicultural engagements. 
• Excellent qualitative research, analysis and report-writing skills. 
• Experience applying human-centred design, systems thinking, or participatory design methodologies is highly desirable. 

7.0 How to apply 

Interested consultant(s) should submit their Expression of Interest (EOI) to the following email address: FoPA@civicus.org with the subject line: EOI – External Learning and Community Design Consultancy. The expression of interest should be received by 05 August 2026. Your application should comprise: 

• A full CV. 
• A two-page (max.) cover letter introducing him/herself/team, describing his/her/the irrelevant skills and experience, and describing his/her/their approach to this assignment with a proposal stating how it will be accomplished. 
• Proposed budget