About STGM

The Civil Society Development Center Association (STGM) was founded in 2004 by a group of thought leaders and activists who believed in the importance of civil society for the development of participatory democracy in Türkiye.

Its main purpose is to support civil society organizations—voices of citizens and fundamental actors of democracy—in becoming stronger and working more effectively. While it provides support to all structures within civil society, it gives priority to rights-based organizations. Its primary target groups are CSOs working in the fields of gender equality, child rights, human rights, youth, environment, disability rights, and cultural rights / arts and culture.

At the core of its activities lies capacity building. These efforts have taken different forms over time, ranging from non-formal education programs to providing legal assistance to organizations, from institutional mentoring to strengthening civil networks and collaborations. Policy advocacy is another key focus for STGM, both in terms of protecting freedom of association and in developing programs that empower organizations. For 20 years, STGM has also pioneered many communication initiatives in the civil sphere—not only to promote its own work, but also to enhance the visibility of CSOs.

Since 2004, STGM’s activities have been carried out primarily through projects funded by the European Union under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) and the Civil Society Facility. In addition, it works closely with public institutions responsible for civil society, especially the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and STİGM.

You can find more detailed information about STGM’s work here.