Civix21 exists because genuinely agnostic, evidence-based civic analysis is rare and valuable. We are open to partnerships with foundations, research institutions, and organisations that share that conviction — on terms that preserve what makes the work worth supporting.
The Trustgap dataset — 90 countries, scored across eight sub-indicators drawing on 14 primary sources — takes significant time to produce, maintain, and update. The Local Council Monitor applies the same rigour to 318 English councils using statutory data that must be collected, verified, and scored against fixed benchmarks. None of this happens automatically.
The public versions of both datasets are free to access. That is a deliberate choice. The value of independent civic measurement depends in part on it being genuinely accessible — to journalists, researchers, policymakers, civil society, and citizens who cannot pay for it. Paywalling the core data would undermine the mission.
Sustaining that model — free public data, rigorous methodology, genuine independence — requires either commercial revenue from commissioned reports, or the support of organisations that see value in the work existing at all. Ideally both.
"A post-truth world does not suffer from a shortage of opinion. It suffers from a shortage of independently produced, methodologically transparent evidence that can be cited, challenged, and built on. That is what Civix21 is trying to produce."Civix21 — About
We are transparent about this because ambiguity about funder influence is itself a trust problem.
These are not negotiating positions. They are structural requirements. A funder that adjusts what we find has not supported independent analysis — they have commissioned a report that says what they wanted it to say. That product exists. Civix21 is not it.
We are not seeking donors who want to fund generic good works. We are looking for partners who see specific value in this specific kind of work.
Organisations funding work on democratic backsliding, institutional legitimacy, civic participation, or the information environment. The Trustgap dataset provides an independently scored, annually updatable evidence base that is directly relevant to these programme areas — and that funders in this space can cite without owning.
Relevant scope: national Trust Gap data · Quadrant migration risk · Authoritarian context analysis
Academic and policy research institutions that need civic health data but lack the capacity or mandate to build a scoring framework themselves. Civix21 can provide scored data, methodology documentation suitable for citation, and — where appropriate — co-publication credit for work that advances the framework.
Relevant scope: full dataset access · Methodology peer review · Custom country or indicator extensions
Combined authorities, county councils, or representative bodies — the LGA, SIGOMA, County Councils Network — that want independent performance benchmarking for their constituent or peer authorities. The Local Council Monitor already scores 318 councils. A commissioning body could fund quarterly updates, extended coverage, or the relational pillar development.
Relevant scope: LCM quarterly updates · Regional briefings · Relational pillar development
Publishers or broadcasters that want to use independently scored civic data in their coverage — particularly around elections, governance stories, and international comparisons. Data licensing, co-publication, and exclusive early access to dataset updates are all options.
Relevant scope: data licensing · Election coverage briefings · Exclusive dataset windows
NGOs and multilateral organisations operating in countries where understanding the Trust Gap — the distance between institutional capacity and citizen legitimacy — is directly relevant to programme design and evaluation. Civix21 data covers 90 countries including the BRICS+, ASEAN, GCC, Latin American, and African groups.
Relevant scope: country reports · Custom geographic extensions · Programme geography analysis
Some of the most valuable supporters of independent analysis are individuals — researchers, policy professionals, engaged citizens — who simply want this kind of work to exist and be publicly available. If that is you, the most direct way to support Civix21 is a Substack subscription, which funds the essay series and the thought leadership that makes the data accessible.
Subscribe on SubstackWe are flexible about structure. What matters is that the terms preserve independence and are transparent — both to us and, where appropriate, to the public.
A defined funding commitment for a specific programme of work — annual dataset updates, Tier 2 development, LCM quarterly cadence. Output and milestones agreed in advance. Funder acknowledged publicly unless anonymity is preferred.
The funder receives early or exclusive access to dataset updates, or commissions extensions to the public dataset that are then co-published. Research institution co-authorship available where the partner has contributed substantively to methodology or coverage.
The funder commissions a custom dataset — additional countries, a sub-national extension, a sector-specific adaptation — which may be kept internal for a defined period before being added to the public framework. Scored and documented to the same standard.
A contribution to the general operating costs of maintaining and developing the framework — with no strings attached to specific outputs. The most flexible form of support, and the one that most clearly signals trust in the independence of the work. Acknowledged publicly unless the funder prefers anonymity.
There is no standard application process. Tell us who you are, what draws you to this work, and what kind of partnership you have in mind. We will respond directly.