Nov 2022-Feb 2025 USAID/Civil Society in Action (CSA)

The Civil Society in Action (CSA) program strategically strengthened Armenia’s civil society sector by enhancing organizations’ financial viability, capacity, and policy influence.

CSA supported civil society organizations (CSOs) to transition from donor dependency to diversified, locally sourced funding, improving their credibility and long-term sustainability. The program bolstered 10 national and 20 community-based organizations’ effectiveness in advocacy, service delivery, policy reform, and government oversight, ensuring they addressed local needs with tangible results.

By fostering structured dialogue between civil society and the government, CSA enhanced CSOs’ ability to influence legislation and monitor policy implementation. The program ensured that Armenian CSOs played a central role in public consultations and development initiatives.

Key results as of February 2025 (Note: this project has been terminated due to the global termination of USAID projects)

Capacity building of 25 CSOs
10 training courses for partner CSOs
43 grants totaling $660,000
410 CSO activists participated in community development initiatives
22 organizations improved their knowledge and skills in fundraising

Studies/research:

Challenges and Approaches of State Support for Non-commercial Organizations in the Context of Tax Policy, 2024
Recognition of a Social Enterprise through Legal Labeling, 2023
Assessment of Financial Support to CSOs by Private Sector, 2023
Analysis of the Public Council’s Adjunct to Ministries, 2023

Tools

Organizational Capacity Development Assessment Tool
Organizational Performance Index (OPI) and Financial Sustainability Diagnostic (FSD) tools
Organizational Development Reference Manual, 2023

Funding: USAID

Implementation: Counterpart international, the Urban Foundation

Beneficiaries: CSOs in Armenia, civic groups