• Description: Enquiry into how civic action can drive change
  • What is good: Wide ranging inquiry including individuals and many organisations
  • HQ Location and Country: England
  • Operation locations: Results left online

Civil Society Futures was an independent inquiry that ran from 2017-2018, its subject - how English civil society can flourish in a fast changing world. The inquiry concluded in December 2018. This site with its reports and toolkit is left online as a permanent record.

How it shows

Help and Resources; the results are available through the website. This includes the Final Next Steps Report (Sept 2019), work in progress (April 2018) and Initial (2017) plus toolkits for using PACT framework (Power, Accountability, Connection and Trust). 

Characteristics

Learning system; the whole thing as an attempt to learn.

Wide involvement; the inquiry heard from 3000 people, attended 50+ conferences and events, 6 youth events, 27 community workshops in 9 different places. Researchers interviewed 50 people and had meetings with 250. 

The funding came from the Baring Foundation, Esmee Fairbairn, Barrow Cadbury, Paul Hamlyn, Lloyds Bank Foundation, City Bridge Trust, Lankelly Chase and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Research support was also provided by NCVO.