April 2026: New job opportunities, new cohorts, new research — and our biggest convening yet.
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We're hiring: Program Manager, Europe & Program Associate
We're looking for two new teammates to help strengthen participatory democracy in Europe and around the world.
The Program Manager, Europe will lead the delivery of programs through Nets4Dem, a major EU-funded consortium working across 38 countries to build more participatory institutions. This role is based remotely in Europe, with applications from Ireland strongly encouraged. Salary: €60,000–€70,000.
The Program Associate will help design trainings, tools, and learning resources that support changemakers putting participation into practice — from citizen assemblies to participatory budgeting and beyond. This role is open to applicants worldwide. Salary: $60,000–$74,000 USD.
Both roles close May 29, 2026.
Know someone who'd be great? Please share this with them.
68 democracy reformers join the latest People Powered Accelerators and Mentorship programs
From regenerative agriculture assemblies in Brazil and India to youth-led democratic innovation across Europe, 68 policymakers and civil society leaders just joined the latest Accelerator and Mentorship cohorts. This round spans three programs — the Climate Democracy Accelerator, Democratic Innovations Accelerator, and Rising Stars Mentorship — with participants using citizens' assemblies, participatory budgeting, legislative theatre, and more to build lasting democratic infrastructure in their communities.
What we did at the People Powered 2026 Convening
Last month, 200 democracy leaders and organizations from around the world came together in Nairobi for five days of learning, strategizing, and building participatory solutions to global challenges. From site visits to local democracy programs, to workshops on democracy narratives and inclusive design, our biggest convening yet showed that the future of democracy is participatory, and we're building it together.
New Research: How to Talk About Democracy
People believe in democracy, but trust in how it works is at a record low. In that gap, authoritarian leaders are winning with simple, emotionally resonant stories. A new research brief from the Democracy Narratives Alliance maps the five dominant narratives shaping how people think about democracy and offers practical strategies for rebuilding support. Drawing on over 150 studies and real-world examples from Ghana to Ireland, this is essential reading for anyone working to strengthen democratic participation.
Meet our new Climate Democracy Coordinator, Valery Molay!
From co-designing Ireland's first Citizens' Assembly for children and young people to managing climate justice grants across Europe, Valery Molay has spent her career bridging the gap between communities and the systems meant to represent them. Now she's leading the People Powered Climate Democracy Accelerator: the largest global program supporting community-led climate decision-making in over 33 countries. We sat down with her to talk about what drives her, what she's learning from the newest accelerator cohort, and why democracy might be the most underrated tool in the climate fight.
Podcast — Dramatic Democracy: How Legislative Theatre Transforms Confrontation
What if the best way to tackle tough political issues wasn't a meeting — but a play? Climate Democracy Accelerator graduate Nyasha Mpahlo used legislative theatre in Zimbabwe to turn confrontation into dialogue. Listen on Spotify.
April 23–24; May 19; June 11: Global Democracy Coalition Regional Forums 2026 – Americas; Europe; Asia-Pacific (Asunción; Prague; Seoul)
April 23: Doing Democracy – Participatory Democracy in Times of Disinformation
May 5: Nets4Dem Conference: Local action, European impact. Strengthening democratic resilience (Brussels, Belgium)
September 21-23: International Observatory on Participatory Democracy Conference (Krakow, Poland)
October 7-10: Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy(Gaborone, Botswana)
The Alberta Narratives Project: This resource provides practical guidance for climate and energy communicators, showcasing a community-based initiative in Alberta, Canada on just transitions that reflect the needs of Albertans depending on the fossil fuel industry for employment.
Climate communication: Egypt, Tunisia, Mauritania: This resource advises local climate advocates on how to effectively engage audiences on climate change based on a series of narrative workshops with 248 participants across Egypt, Tunisia and Mauritania.
Kit.Decide: Create your own campaign: This handbook provides guidance on designing and running an effective campaign to communicate ideas or proposals.
EU CERV – Citizens' Engagement and Participation: The European Commission has published a new call under the CERV program for projects on citizens' engagement and participation. Grants start at EUR 75,000 (April 29)
CIVICUS Digital Action Lab: Up to $20,000 for civil society organizations to design, test, and scale digital solutions that strengthen civic space, inclusive democracy, and citizen engagement. (April 30)
Trust Africa – West Africa Democracy Fund: Project grants of $50,000–$500,000 for organizations based in or running programs in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, or Togo. (April 30)
Guangzhou Award for Urban Innovation: A recognition award jointly run by the City of Guangzhou, UCLG, and METROPOLIS, open to cities and local governments worldwide with innovative urban initiatives. Winners receive $20,000, a trophy, and a platform for international peer learning. (April 30)
National Endowment for Democracy: Grants to advance democratic goals and strengthen democratic institutions (June 2)
European Endowment for Democracy: Funding for local democracy organizations in the Eastern Partnership, Middle East and North Africa, the Western Balkans and Turkey. (Rolling deadline)
Apply + share the job call in your network
Meet the 68 democracy reformers we’re supporting
Use new research on democracy narratives