While numerous, Moroccan Civil Society Organizations lack the ability to enact systemic change and play the role of broker between citizens and local government actors.

During the royal speech at Parliament’s opening session in October 2016, the King stressed the importance of all administrations to improve their relations with citizens to promote greater participation and consultation. In support of the Government of Morocco’s efforts to increase civic participation, USAID is providing direct grants to five Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) so that they can strengthen their capacities and become intermediary support organizations (ISOs) that help develop the skills of their entire network and effectively engage with the government on behalf of citizens. The five selected ISOs are long-standing local organizations that are embedded in their communities and work to advocate for residents’ priorities and interests.

USAID Response

USAID believes that building the capacity of locally-based service-delivery networks can result in more effective and sustainable development solutions. By tapping into its power to convene, USAID aims to bring together local resources and actors working in the field of advocacy and pilot innovative approaches and methods adapted to the context in order to strengthen targeted systems and networks. Through these direct grants, USAID will support the ISOs in promoting locally-driven development by:

• STRENGTHENING INTERNAL CAPACITIES, organizational practices, and overall skills in order to become the “go-to” center for other CSOs.
• BUILDING OTHER NGOS’ CORE SKILLS to more effectively influence public policy making and implementation.
• DEVELOPING NETWORKS among other CSOs to collectively engage in the public policy process, advocacy work, and enforcing accountability of decision-makers.

Results Achieved

• Other donors, including the European Union, are interested in executing complimentary capacity building initiatives for CSOs in Morocco using USAID’s model. ISOs are now better positioned to request grant funding from other donors.
• All 5 ISOs have improved their internal organizational capacities and have trained more than 200 partner NGOs.
• Through USAID’s capacity building, ISOs are better positioned to strengthen other CSOs and advocate for the civil society sector.
• As a result of several months of advocacy with USAID support, ISOs contributed to the 2019 budget law, which included an unprecedented provision for private businesses to donate up to 0.2 percent of their annual profit to CSOs.