Community-led groups drive response, resistance, and long-term change in the face of conflict, repression, and surveillance. With access to the systems, tools, and resources they choose and build, they can sustain that leadership, expand their impact, and shape their future.

Collaborative Futures help make this possible by:

  • Strengthening digital resilience and connectivity

  • Advancing civic tech and systems

  • Developing collaborative data for action

  • Amplifying narrative power

Collaborative Futures is the innovation hub for Gisa Group, an independent non-profit grounded in Sudan that defends civic space under pressure.

Gisa partners with communities to support the struggle for a democratic and peaceful society by building civil society across three main pillars of impact: Community-Led Access to Justice ,a Free Media and powerful Civic Action and Mutual Aid.

Guiding Principals: 

  1. Start with what exists: We build on trusted tools, local practices, and community priorities, not assumptions. Our role is to strengthen what is already working, making it more resilient in the face of shutdowns, surveillance, or displacement.

  2. Listen before designing: We begin with deep listening and participatory research to understand needs and recognize strengths. Every solution reflects lived experience from the start.

  3. Build what matters most: With local partners, we develop practical tools including secure communication systems, collective data platforms, and digital infrastructure for mutual aid. The work is led by those who use and sustain it.

  4. Support what lasts: We help ideas grow, adapt, or close with intention. After one to two years, we support transitions to local ownership or thoughtful wind-down.

  5. Connect across contexts: We link partners across regions to share strategies and build a broader ecosystem of solidarity. These connections are essential to defending civic space and digital rights.