Enabling and amplifying action to promote civic space and inclusive democracy
Across East and Southeast Asia, civic space is increasingly restricted by pervasive surveillance, abusive security frameworks, legal harassment targeting activists and journalists, and election manipulation. Civic space in the region is further constrained by fragmented support structures, shrinking resource pools, and critical gaps in access to sustainable security resources. These pressures particularly affect marginalized communities and grassroots civil society actors who lack access to sustainable resources, secure technologies, and digital skills.
To address these challenges, the Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) aims to support local civil society actors who are leveraging digital technologies to protect civic space and promote inclusive, participatory, rights-respecting democracy through a combination of financial and non-financial support mechanisms. As the regional implementing partner of DDI in East and Southeast Asia, Tifa Foundation will coordinate the implementation of these mechanisms, facilitate regional collaborations and strategic convenings among local civil society actors, and support collective advocacy efforts toward rights-based digital policies and regulatory frameworks that advance open civic spaces.
Locally Rooted
Globally Connected
Digitally Empowered
WHAT
WE ARE DOING
Through the Digital Democracy Initiative, the Tifa Foundation supports local civil society organizations in East and Southeast Asia to:
Expand and protect inclusive civic space using digital tools.
Strengthen organizational, digital, and comprehensive security capabilities.
Test, learn, and share innovative approaches to digital democracy.
Build coalitions and advocacy efforts that shape national, regional, and global debates on digital rights and democracy.
WE DO THIS
through three main pillars: financial support (Re-D Fund), non-financial support (Young Tech Collective), and advocacy and learning.
Re-D Fund
s (Financial Support)
The Re-D Fund is a financial support mechanism that provides microgrants to civil society groups using digital technologies to expand civic participation, advance rights-based reforms, and strengthen organizational resilience in the digital age.
Young Tech Collective
s (Non-Financial Support)
The Young Tech Collective (YTC)
is a non-financial support mechanism implemented by the Tifa Foundation under the Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) in 2026 across East and Southeast Asia.
It addresses the critical needs of civil society organizations (CSOs) that lack the resources and technical capacity for digital protection.
Re-D Fund
s (Financial Support)
The Re-D Fund is a financial support mechanism that provides microgrants to civil society groups using digital technologies to expand civic participation, advance rights-based reforms, and strengthen organizational resilience in the digital age.
The Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) Program is co-funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The European Commission
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
