New deadlines for you, 70 new accelerator teams, membership perks!
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We have important updates for you this June!
70 new changemakers join the People Powered Accelerators. The largest cohort yet, working on climate, youth, gender, and more.
Deadlines extended for the Accelerators and Rising Stars Mentorship: apply by July 6.
Mentorship is transforming participation in Georgia and Berlin.
Membership perks this month include matched contributions and a chance for a global spotlight.
New tools and resources from our members on citizens’ assemblies, youth budgeting, decolonizing democracy, and more!
Meet the 70 new changemakers in the People Powered Accelerators
Seventy teams of government and community changemakers from around the world are joining the 2025 People Powered Accelerators, the largest cohort to date.
Over the next six months, they’ll learn to launch, improve, or scale participatory programs, with the support of our expert members and resources. From climate action to youth and gender inclusion, democratic innovation to mainstreaming participation, they’re shifting power to people around the world. Some examples:
Pune, India: advancing regenerative farming through a citizens’ assembly
Zapopan, Mexico: children shaping urban climate policy
Budapest, Hungary: residents deciding district spending through participatory budgeting
Kakamega, Kenya: gender forums tackling the impact of mining
Want to join the next cohort? Apply now: deadline extended!
Attention: Policymakers, civil servants, and civil society organizations! There’s still time to apply for this round of opportunities to receive support from People Powered. We know writing a strong application takes time, so we’ve extended the deadline to July 6!
Opportunities include:
Democratic Innovations Accelerator (DIA): Support for bringing youth participation to policymaking and governance
Inclusive Democracy Accelerator (IDA): Support for improving participatory programs by engaging youth, women, and displaced people.
Rising Stars Mentorship: 1-on-1 coaching to solve specific problems in running participatory programs, through focused mentorship sessions.
Learn how Mentorship is Powering Local Innovation in Georgia and Berlin
What do a Citizens’ Assembly on stray animals in the city of Ozurgeti, Georgia, and a gamified digital participation platform for youth in Berlin have in common? Both are standout examples of how mentees from the Rising Stars Mentorship Program, supported by Nets4Dem, are harnessing the power of participatory democracy in Europe and transforming ambitious ideas into real community impact.
Become a Member: Special perks this month!
People Powered’s 200-strong global community is open to new members! Join a growing network of organizations and individuals advancing participatory, deliberative, and direct democracy, and take advantage of two special offers this month:
🎉 Get promoted: We’ll randomly select three new members who join in June to receive a global promotion spotlight. We’ll profile your work and share it across our channels, just like we did for Meri Harutyunyan (Armenia) and Janaagraha (India).
💸 Boost your impact: Membership fees are optional, but any contribution you make this month will be matched 4-to-1 by a generous donor. A $100 contribution becomes $500. All funds go into a shared pool, which members allocate to address their top needs.
Ready to grow with us?
P.S. Learn more about our largest online event this year so far with members, where they learned best practices on inclusion and mainstreaming participation!
👀 We spotted our members self-organizing a People Powered meet-up during the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy conference, and we hosted an exchange between Indian and Brazilian members in São Paulo.
Ciudadanía Inteligente has launched a platform to monitor legislation and strengthen political advocacy, called Transparentes.cl in Chile!
Blair Glencorse of Accountability Lab was interviewed on their research on the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, speaking on the impact of USAID’s closure, and what it reveals about financial vulnerabilities across the sector.
Iswe is featured in dialogue sessions on Citizens’ Assemblies with other experts from all over the world.
UNDP is leading a 3-part webinar series on civic engagement in the digital age. The first session, co-organized with People Powered, explored how AI is transforming the civic tech landscape and its implications for meaningful public participation.
OECD released a new paper, “Tackling civic participation challenges with emerging technologies: Beyond the hype”.
The Asia Centre is organizing the International Conference on AI and Governance in Asia, which will be held from 21 to 22 August in Bangkok. Online registrations are now open.
July 8–12: Caux Democracy Forum (Switzerland)
July 27–31: Democratic Innovations in Latin America (Online and Brazil)
August 21–22: International Conference on AI and Governance in Asia (Thailand)
September 30–October 3: Athens Democracy Forum (Greece)
October 7-9: Open Government Partnership Global Summit (Spain)
October 15–16: 2025 Democracy R&D Conference: Democracy at a Crossroads (Belgium)
November 5–7: World Forum for Democracy 2025 (France)
This month, the Resource Center highlights resources made by People Powered members: participatory democracy thought leaders around the globe.
Organizing a democratic lottery: This guide from FIDE details the process for organizing the sortition process of a citizens’ assembly.
Participatory budgeting in school and youth settings: This briefing paper from Shared Future (United Kingdom) lists some case studies of youth participatory budgeting in the United States and United Kingdom, with summarized evidence and outcomes.
Strengthening citizen participation in global governance: This research paper from Iswe and partners argues the case for greater citizen participation around the world, proposing recommendations for the Summit of the Future.
Decolonizing deliberative democracy: This article proposes a six-step framework for deconstructing deliberative democratic processes from their colonial roots and reproduced injustices, and suggests ways to rebuild these types of programs with a decolonizing mindset at its heart.
Bujaru Citizens' Assembly: This video from Delibera Brasil, presents the case study of the Bujaru Citizens’ Assembly on building a sustainable bioeconomy.
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)
Open Government Partnership – Helen Darbishire Fund: Grants for civil society organizations advancing open government reforms in OGP countries. (Apply by July 6)
Election Civic Tech Fund: Democratize access to digital tools to strengthen electoral transparency and civic engagement. (Apply by July 10)
European Commission: Pacific Islands - Promoting democratic participation and accountability and supporting youth (Concept note by July 29)
Karibu Foundation - Africa Grantmaking Program: African-led initiatives that strengthen the collective struggle for systemic justice (Apply by August 6)
