Dear readers,
The TAI Weekly is taking a break for the holidays and will be back in your inbox on January 13th, but we have a ton of content to leave you with, including the latest civic space monitoring data, tax justice developments, the latest IMF governance diagnostic and funder prognostications for future democracy support. Plus the latest jobs and calls for proposals.
But we start with fiscal accountability, where there is exciting momentum. The World Bank is picking up on the need for a “fiscal accountability ecosystem” approach, and, in his latest blog, Warren Krafchik, leading the ecosystems project hosted at TAI, explains clearly why citizen engagement is not a nice to have, but a strategic necessity in fiscal processes today. These points resonate with discussions at the OECD’s recent Africa Philanthropy Day themed around domestic resource mobilization (DRM) with TAI as one of the supporting partners. Priscilla Boiardi headlines that DRM is about “trust and accountability, not just financial systems,” and that “philanthropy must move from the margins to the center” on DRM support.
Happy reading and happy holidays!
TAI team
What's New
Transparency International U.S. has a new report documenting systemic conflicts of interest in the voluntary carbon market. The analysis reveals how governance deficiencies at standard-setting agencies may be contributing to the underperformance of accredited climate mitigation projects, raising critical questions about the integrity of carbon offset systems.
The CIVICUS Monitor has issued a stark warning about the state of civic space in Europe, downgrading France, Germany, and Italy from "Narrowed" to "Obstructed" in its annual People Power Under Attack report. Three additional countries—Serbia, Georgia, and Switzerland—were also downgraded, signaling that civic space across Europe is in rapid decline.
Writing in Techlawtopia, Amlan Mohanty describes India’s new national AI governance guidelines as a “third way” focused on adoption, capacity building, and inclusive development rather than strict regulation. Mohanty notes that stronger transparency rules, binding standards, and a dedicated digital regulator will be needed. India will host the AI Impact Summit in February, and Jayant Sinha is already thinking how global AI governance built on common principles could be developed there.
Mainstream media largely missed a historic COP30 outcome: the adoption of the Belém Gender Action Plan (BGAP). This nine-year roadmap (2026–2034), built on 24 years of work under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, recognizes the central role of women environmental defenders and firmly embeds gender equality in the climate agenda, ensuring real benefits for women and girls disproportionately affected by climate impacts.
Last week we mentioned Wilfred Mwamba’s prescription for governance in a new development paradigm, and now Stefan Kossoff, Head of Governance at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office shares his 5 takeaways from their future of governance convening, including a reminder that it is sometimes as much applying what we have already learned as finding “new” solutions.
OnThinkTanks' State of the Sector 2025 report identifies trust as a defining currency for think tanks operating in increasingly polarized environments. As political polarization rises, funding shifts, and the value of evidence itself becomes disputed, trust shapes who is heard and whose analysis is taken seriously. The organization's 2026 conference in May will focus specifically on this critical theme.
Accountability Lab Pakistan has analyzed the International Monetary Fund Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment Report for the country, and lays out what the findings mean for people and public institutions, and the implications for future accountability and governance.
The European Parliament has adopted its position on a new system to calculate corporate taxable income across the European Union more fairly. The proposal includes a "significant economic presence" clause aimed at preventing companies from avoiding taxes by booking income in low-tax jurisdictions, addressing a longstanding challenge in international tax justice.
Metropolitan Group, in partnership with Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) and UPenn's DevLab, has launched the "Pro-Democracy Narrative Playbook," which offers strategic communications guidance for those working to strengthen democratic systems and counter authoritarian narratives.
The Guardian has gathered perspectives from critics living under authoritarian regimes about what they wish they'd known sooner, including reflections from TAI member partner experts who shared hard-earned lessons about resistance, resilience, and the defense of democratic values.
Jennifer Sellitti, Public Defender of the US state of New Jersey, says AI can improve fairness when paired with strong safeguards, secure systems, and professional oversight. She outlines New Jersey’s three-part strategy — state-built AI tools, agency-specific legal applications, and statewide standards on transparency, bias, and forensic reliability — while stressing that human judgment and client-centered practice must remain central.
Freedom House's latest survey examines the critical relationship between judicial independence and democratic survival, arguing that freedom cannot survive without courts that operate free from political interference and uphold the rule of law.
From Our Members
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS: Has released their final “Ideas Letter” edition of the year, featuring historical sociologist Dylan Riley's thought-provoking essay questioning whether Hannah Arendt's “The Origins of Totalitarianism” is the right intellectual guide for understanding today's global challenges. Riley explores whether Antonio Gramsci might offer greater insight, ultimately arguing for a focus on politics and understanding the damaged connections between public and private spheres.
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION: President John Palfrey joins Deepak Bhargava, Joe Goldman, and other leading voices in Chronicle of Philanthropy's 2026 predictions on democracy, offering perspectives on the challenges and opportunities ahead for democratic institutions and philanthropic support.
PACKARD FOUNDATION: Mouna Ben Garga, TAI Steeirng Committee member, draws our attention to the dangerous “exploitable phase” right before harder repression. This is the stage when “when civic space is still technically open but already vulnerable because the people inside it are tired, divided, or withdrawing.” Silence at that moment can have heavy costs.
ESSENTIAL LISTENING
The latest episode of Democracy Hub’s Anti-Authoritarian Podcast Series focuses on "Defending Democratic Institutions from Within," exploring strategies for protecting democratic norms and institutions from internal threats.
TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS
The Collaborative Effect, led by Vital Impact, Redstone Strategy Group, and Philanthropy Together with Hewlett Foundation support, offers the most comprehensive analysis of grantee experiences with mid-sized collaborative funds in the U.S. The study highlights how collaboratives build trust, shift power, and deliver outsized impact. A webinar recording is available for those wanting a deeper look.
A new report by the Pro-Democracy Campaign, the Organizing Lab, and the Democracy & Power in Action Fund makes a strong case for supporting grassroots organizing. Analyzing 2024 data from groups that made over 5 million voter contacts, the study confirms what organizers have long known: personal connection, listening, and local engagement are key to activating millions of disengaged Americans.
Florencia Guerzowich argues that the future of governance support depends on what funders choose to see. She calls for a rebalancing away from technocratic prescriptions toward supporting the connective, coalition-building work that keeps societies stitched together, emphasizing the importance of relationships and networks in effective governance.
For decades, philanthropy has debated its norms and impact without a unifying narrative. A new film series addresses this gap by highlighting leaders who are rethinking the field through candid, story-driven conversations about race, power, accountability, and impact, offering fresh perspectives on the evolution of philanthropic practice.
ESSENTIAL READING
A new RUSI/SOC ACE report shows how police and military institutions in many countries are entangled in organized crime, undermining state legitimacy and public security while serving political and security elites. It examines reform efforts in Colombia, Georgia, and South Africa to identify the organizational, governance, and political conditions that helped curb security sector involvement in organized crime.
Focused Topic of the Week
Contradictions and Clarity: Anti-Corruption at Year's End
As the anti-corruption community gathers in Qatar this week for the latest UN Convention Against Corruption’s Conference on State Parties(CoSP), Bulgaria is just the latest proof that anger at corruption is the biggest driver of regime change. Gen Z led protests have toppled the government. Might that create a little more political will for negotiations in Qatar? Over 500 signatories are calling for a more fit for purpose independent review mechanism for tracking country compliance to the convention. (See the UNCAC Coalition advocacy toolkit).
Just in time for the CoSP, the UK government has published its Anti-Corruption Strategy 2025 with 123 commitments, and confirmed that it will host an Illicit Finance Summit in June 2026, focusing on Russian conflict gold, kleptocratic property holdings, and crypto-assets exploited by criminal networks.
The Strategy arrives at a moment when Britain scored its lowest ever ranking—20th—on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. The strategy targets over £100 billion laundered annually through UK channels and will consolidate oversight of professional enablers under a single regulator. Transparency International UK notes the strategy fails to address political integrity, with Britain still lacking donation caps that might insulate democracy from the influence of concentrated wealth. The question hovering over these 123 commitments is whether political will can sustain them through a five-year implementation cycle, or whether they will join the long list of strategies that look impressive at launch but fade in practice.
The American picture offers a starker contradiction. Mention of corruption was omitted entirely from its new National Security Strategy. Congress previously passed the Combating Global Corruption Act, requiring the State Department to evaluate foreign governments' anti-corruption efforts, with the first assessments due this month. Yet this mandate arrives precisely as the Trump administration dismantles domestic safeguards. In February 2025, Trump ordered a 180-day pause on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, claiming it impedes American competitiveness. The subsequent Justice Department guidelines reframe anti-corruption enforcement as a tool for advancing US business interests in strategic sectors rather than a universal principle. This represents a fundamental reconceptualization of corruption itself, from something inherently harmful to democratic governance and fair markets, to something tolerable when it serves defined national interests. How does the United States credibly evaluate others while openly instrumentalizing enforcement at home? Schuyler Miller's analysis acknowledges this changed terrain—civil society must now advance anti-corruption objectives within a framework that views corruption instrumentally rather than principally.
If anti-corruption becomes just another lever in geopolitical competition rather than a shared commitment to fair dealing, what happens to the communities and individuals for whom corruption isn't an abstraction but a daily obstacle to justice, opportunity, and dignity?
JOBS
Multiple openings - Hewlett Foundation
Multiple openings - MacArthur Foundation
Multiple Openings - Ford Foundation
Multiple Openings - Gates Foundation
Multiple Openings - Social Action, Development Cooperation, Culture, Disability, and Health Sectors in Spain
Various Opportunities - Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Multiple Openings - Philanthropy Together
Multiple Openings - National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
Global Transparency Senior Director - Oceana. Deadline: January 2, 2026.
CALLS
Two ScaleDem open calls are now live through 31 March 2026, offering eligible organizations across Europe and beyond funding, mentorship and peer learning to scale democratic innovations. The Piloting Programme supports bold new ideas with up to €100,000, and the Twinning Programme offers up to €65,500 for mentor–mentee communities adapting proven approaches.
Knight Center For Journalism: Free, on-demand online course on "A better way to cover civic life through listening" for journalists in all regions, offered by the Solutions Journalism Network.
Tinker Foundation 2026 Institutional Grants are open! Supporting Latin American civil society advancing Democratic Governance and Education. Grants up to $500K (multi-year possible), preference for regional organizations. Deadline: January 7, 2026.
Keseb’s Democracy Innovation Lab is backing early-stage ideas that reimagine the foundations of democracy. Its first iLab will support 10 community-building initiatives that strengthen inclusion and cross-group belonging. Nominate a Project Lead by January 16, 2026 (11:59 PM ET) or submit a pitch by February 2, 2026 (11:59 PM ET).
The call for workshop proposals for the 2026 International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) is now open. Under the theme "Igniting the Power of Integrity," the conference will take place in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, from December 1-4, 2026. Professionals, civil society groups, activists, journalists, academics, and practitioners worldwide are invited to submit proposals by February 23, 2026.
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative is accepting proposals for partner sessions at its Global Conference set for June 24-25 in the Philippines. Deadline is January 30, 2026.
CALENDAR
OECD speaker Series from October to December 2025, as speakers explore fresh approaches to engaging the public on the major fiscal challenges facing OECD countries.
Admin Data for Tax Justice: Global Launch of a New Initiative Advancing the Use of Administrative Data for Tax Research, Webinar, December 15, 2025, 16:00 CET
Access to Information (ATI) Network: Celebrating Wins, Sharing Lessons, Shaping What's Next. December 17, 2025 | 3:00-4:00 PM GMT+1.
Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), Doha, Qatar. December 14-19, 2025.
Reclaim the Economy Week. 26 January - 1 February 2026.
Not If, But How: Climate, Movements, and Transformative Change. January 27, February 3, 10, and 17, 2026.
People Powered 2026 Convening - A global gathering on participatory democracy. Nairobi, Kenya. March 2–5, 2026.
2026 Global Philanthropy Leadership Summit. March 18-20, 2026 | San Francisco, CA.
2026 OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum (GACIF). March 23-27, 2026 | Paris, France.
Igniting Hope: The Inaugural Ottawa Civic Space Summit. Registration closes April 10, 2026. Event from April 21-23, 2026.
Othering & Belonging Conference, Louisville, Kentucky, March 31-April 1, 2026.
Rabat, Morocco: On Think Tanks Conference, focusing on "Think Tanks and Trust." 19–21 May 2026.
WINGSForum 2026 in Montreal under the theme "ACT – Activate, Collaborate, Transcend." Save the date, more details to follow in early 2026. September 28-30, 2026.
International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. December 1-4, 2026.
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