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IGNITE CSOs

Improving governance, networking and inclusivity for civil society organisations in Trinidad and Tobago

Duration: Nov 2023- July 2026

EU Contribution: EUR 300,000 Co financing EUR 56,580

Location: Trinidad and Tobago

Implementing partner: The Cropper Foundation (TCF), in partnership with Veni Apwann

Overview

IGNITE CSOs seeks to enhance the capacities, policy engagement opportunities and legislative environment for civil society organisations in Trinidad and Tobago, towards a more inclusive, participatory, empowered and independent civil society. The project responds to an international shift in state oversight of CSOs, driven in this case by FATF, which has raised donor expectations on institutional and staff competencies. Historically, considerable time and resources have gone into building CSO skills, yet in under-resourced environments organisations often lack the regulatory, infrastructural, financial, human or mental capacity to make full use of those enhanced capabilities. This distinction between capability and capacity is central to the project, particularly where institutions are weak or under-resourced.

The Action addresses three overarching constraints: inadequate CSO-specific legislation and the resulting consequences of bank de-risking and reduced CSO legitimacy; the absence of national CSO competency standards and accredited credentials that are co-designed by CSOs and trusted by external actors; and the lack of a dedicated digital support ecosystem accessible to all CSOs. In mitigating these, the project removes legislative barriers to legitimate participation in national development, builds operational capacity holistically, and adopts innovative and inclusive digital tools.

Pathways

  • Pathway 1 — Enhancing the legal and fiscal enabling environment: led by The Cropper Foundation, this pathway reduces regulatory impediments to CSOs, focusing on revising the Non-Profit Organisations Act (2019) and mitigating bank de-risking. It establishes an expert CSO FATF working group to contribute to amended legislation, and a CSO-led multi-sectoral working group, informed by a policy paper on CSOs' experiences of bank de-risking, to formulate an action plan connecting banking institutions to CSOs.
  • Pathway 2 — Sustainable and recognised capacity building: managed by Veni Apwann, this pathway develops nationally recognised accountability frameworks and micro-credential programmes co-designed by CSOs and national expert associations. Frameworks are published on the CSO Go platform, micro-credentials are delivered in a digital, on-demand format with a nationally recognised certificate on completion, and a need-based scholarship programme supports full uptake.
  • Pathway 3 — Building a distributed value network for CSO resources: led by The Cropper Foundation, this pathway develops a digital, distributed ecosystem connecting CSOs to national resource nodes offering free digital tools and dedicated support clinics. Following a landscape assessment, the CSO Go platform becomes a one-stop point for short-term operational support, complemented by physical support clinics hosted with action associates COSTAATT and the Alliance of Rural Communities.

Expected Objectives and Results

Objective: To enhance the capacities, policy engagement opportunities and legislative environment for civil society organisations, towards a more inclusive, participatory, empowered and independent civil society in Trinidad and Tobago.

Key outcomes:

  • CSOs operate in a regulatory environment that enables ease of operation and financial inclusion;
  • CSOs have access to nationally recognised and ongoing capacity-building training on key operational areas;
  • CSOs have access to a sustainable and distributed network of resources, expertise and support.