About Civil Society International
Mission
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Civil Society International (CSI) assists
independent organizations working for democracy and civil society in countries
closed, or inhospitable, to these principles. We bring together in one
place information about projects worldwide committed to the keystones of civil
society: limited government, popular elections, and the rule of law; free
association and expression; regulated, but open and market-oriented economies; aid
to the poor, orphaned, elderly, sick, or disabled; and finally, civic cultures
that value pluralism and individual liberty but also respect human needs for
community and shared visions of the common good.
We assist projects overseas by
publicizing their work; helping them recruit staff, interns, or overseas
partners; and helping them identify opportunities for funding or leadership
development.
Within the U.S., we support in similar ways the work of American civic
organizations that are active on an international front, as well as those
working to defend and deepen civil society within our own democratic culture.
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Funding
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Support for the work of CSI comes from fees for services and sales of
literature, as well as from donations by individuals and foundations. To learn
more about how we have been funded, see Who Supports CSI.
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Activities
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CSI provides assistance mainly in
the form of publicity, networking, and production of educational resources. Through our
listserv
CivilSoc, for example, we inform subscribing organizations about
potential sources of funding; we assist them in the recruitment of staff or interns;
and we put them in touch with potential partners abroad. By publishing on
this website and in our
books the work
of organizations that meet one or more of the criteria above, we help these organizations
become recognized internationally. By encouraging philanthropic entities to view
their special concerns in a global context, we have contributed to a more
international perspective on charitable activity. CSI is not a foundation,
however, and we do not make grants on our own behalf to organizations or
individuals.
Regardless of where one's
interests or concerns lie--whether with human rights in China, environmental
education
in Ukraine, juvenile justice in Brazil, or public health in Zimbabwe--CSI
can furnish examples of sound organizations addressing such issues responsibly
and deserving more support, whether from domestic sources or from abroad. In special cases, we can help transfer financial assistance to projects overseas.
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Advisors
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Elena Bonner, Andrei Sakharov Foundation, Moscow
Gulnara Dzhamanova, Central Asia Development Information Network
(CASDIN), Almaty, Kazakhstan
Herbert Ellison, Jackson School of International Studies,
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Catherine Fitzpatrick, UN Representative of the International
League for Human Rights
Francis Fukuyama, School of Advanced International Studies,
Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC
Dennis McConnell, Maine Business School, Orono, ME
Michael McFaul, Associate Professor of Political Science,
Stanford University, Peter and Helen Bing Research Fellow at the Hoover
Institution, and Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
S. Frederick Starr, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, School of
Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC
Sharon Tennison, Center for Citizen Initiatives, San Francisco,
CA
Andrei and Elena Topoleva, Agentsvo Sotsialnoi Informatsii,
Moscow
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Board of Directors
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Ronald S. Bemis, Seattle, WA
Richard Greene, Seattle, WA
Bob and Maryann Ness, Seattle, WA
Vladimir Raskin, Seattle, WA
Daniel Waugh, Seattle, WA
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Executive Director
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Executive Director Holt Ruffin founded Civil Society
International in 1992. He is a graduate of Stanford University (BA, 1966) and the
Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University (MPA, 1975). Mr. Ruffin’s work
experience includes six years in the Economics/Policy Research Department of
Bank of America and in the International Division of Wells Fargo Bank in San
Francisco. Articles by Mr. Ruffin have appeared in the Seattle Times,
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Freedom Review, Money
Manager, Crisis, and other publications. Most recently, he was
lead editor or author of
The Post-Soviet
Handbook: A Guide to Grassroots Organizations (revised edition, 1999),
Civil
Society in Central Asia (1999, co-edited with Daniel Waugh), and Internet
Resources for Eurasia (2001). The Post-Soviet Handbook and Civil
Society in Central Asia were each co-published with the University of
Washington Press.
Mr. Ruffin was a short-term research fellow at the Kennan
Institute for Advanced Russian Studies at the Woodrow Wilson Center in
Washington, DC, in 2000; he also participated in a six-week seminar on the theme
of civil society, held at Boston University under the leadership of Dr. Peter
Berger in 1994.
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