European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting

What European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting does

The European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting (ECNL) is a non-profit foundation (Stichting) headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, focused on law and policy affecting civil society. The organization conducts legal research, policy analysis, and advocacy to protect civic space and democratic participation, engaging with EU institutions, UN bodies, the Council of Europe, OSCE, OECD, and FATF. Its work spans four focus areas — Climate Activism, Just Societies, Participatory Democracies, and Digital Spaces — plus dedicated programs including MACS (Monitoring Action for Civic Space) and the Global CFT Expert Hub. ECNL is led by Executive Director Katerina Hadzi-Miceva Evans (in role since 2012) and governed by a Supervisory Council chaired by Pia Tornikoski.

ECNL's product portfolio centers on proprietary digital tools and policy frameworks. These include the Global Nonprofits Guide (covering nonprofit law in 50+ jurisdictions), CSO Meter (assessment tool for Eastern Partnership countries), MACS Early Warning and Alert System (monitoring civic space across 7 EU member states), the ECNL Learning Center (online learning platform), the Framework for Meaningful Engagement for AI governance (co-developed with SocietyInside, with version 2.0 released October 2025), the Fundraising Principles (co-developed with ICNL Alliance, April 2020), and the Strategic Guide for CSOs on the Move. Notable recent activity includes pilots of FME with Discord and the City of Amsterdam, submissions to the UN Human Rights Committee on General Comment No. 38, and engagement with the EU AI Act Advisory Forum and the ITU AI for Good Global Commission.

ECNL operates a grant-funded non-profit business model with no commercial pricing — all publications, tools, and resources are freely available. Revenue is sourced from foundation grants (Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Mott Foundation, Oak Foundation, Omidyar Network, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Packard Foundation), government and bilateral funding (European Union, USAID, Sida), and network/coalition funding (Civitates, European AI & Society Fund). Distribution is through direct policy engagement, free online resources, capacity-building programs, and coalition work with peers including EDRI, ICNL Alliance, Global Network Initiative, CASE, the Global NPO Coalition on FATF, and the Open Government Partnership.

Name

European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting

Legal name

European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting

Website

https://ecnl.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ECNL is a The Hague-based non-profit foundation that conducts legal research, policy analysis, and advocacy to protect civic space and democratic participation, serving civil society organizations, governments, and international bodies across Europe and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Society Policy Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Public Administration (92), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150)

akta.pro primary industry

Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compliance, Policy Management, Audits & Incident Response (Education) (EDAFALAL), Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH)

Keywords

• Civil society law
• Civic space protection
• Nonprofit legal research
• Policy advocacy services
• AI governance frameworks

Headquarters

HQ city

The Hague

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: ECNL receives support from private foundations including Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Mott Foundation, Oak Foundation, Omidyar Network, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Packard Foundation, and others
2. Government/Bilateral Funding: Support from government agencies including European Union, USAID, Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency), and German missions in the US
3. Network/Coalition Funding: Support from networks including Network of European Foundations, Civitates, and European AI & Society Fund

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ECNL conducts legal research, policy analysis, and advocacy to protect and expand civic space and democratic participation. It develops and disseminates research tools, online learning platforms, and policy frameworks that enable civil society organizations, governments, and international bodies to navigate nonprofit laws, monitor civic space restrictions, and engage in governance of AI and other emerging technologies.

Product overview

ECNL offers a portfolio of research tools, online platforms, and policy frameworks focused on protecting civic space and civil society rights. The core products include the Global Nonprofits Guide (an online tool for navigating nonprofit laws worldwide), CSO Meter (an assessment tool for civil society environments in Eastern Partnership countries), and the ECNL Learning Center (an online educational platform). ECNL also provides specialized frameworks including the Framework for Meaningful Engagement for AI governance, Fundraising Principles for nonprofit regulation, and a Strategic Guide for CSOs on the Move. These products serve civil society organizations, policymakers, and advocates working on civic freedoms, digital rights, and democratic participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECNL Learning Center: Online learning platform providing educational resources on civil society law and policy.
• CSO Meter
• Global Nonprofits Guide
• Global CFT Expert Hub
• LEAD Initiative
• MACS
• Framework for Meaningful Engagement (FME)
• Fundraising Principles

Products and services

• Global Nonprofits Guide

Quantifiable outcome

• Global Nonprofits Guide covers 50+ jurisdictions on nonprofit law
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL works closely with ICNL Alliance to improve the legal environment for civil society, philanthropy, and public participation around the world. They jointly developed the Fundraising Principles and collaborate on research and advocacy efforts.
• European Digital Rights (EDRi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL is a member of EDRi, a network of civil liberties organizations working on digital rights across Europe. ECNL collaborated with EDRi on EU AI Act advocacy proposals.
• Global Network Initiative (GNI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL is a member of GNI, which brings together companies, civil society organizations, investors, and academics to protect and advance freedom of expression and privacy in the information and communications technology sector.
• SocietyInsidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL co-developed the Framework for Meaningful Engagement with SocietyInside, a framework for meaningfully engaging civil society and affected communities in AI development.
• CSO Coalition on Human Rights and CounterterrorismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL serves on the Steering Committee of this coalition working on human rights and counterterrorism issues, collaborating with Article 19, Human Rights Watch, Privacy International, and ICNL.
• Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL is a member of CASE, a coalition working to end Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) in Europe.
• Global NPO Coalition on FATFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL is a core group member of the Global NPO Coalition on FATF, working on protecting civil society from overly restrictive AML/CFT frameworks.
• Open Government Partnership (OGP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL team members participate in the Steering Committee of OGP, contributing to open government and civic participation standards globally.
• DiscordmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL partnered with Discord to pilot the Framework for Meaningful Engagement, examining how Discord's Safety ML team develops models for content flagging, user education and moderation with focus on teen safety.
• City of AmsterdammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL partnered with Amsterdam to pilot the Framework for Meaningful Engagement on 'scan bikes,' an image recognition service that integrated citizen feedback into design and development.
• Stop Killer RobotscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL collaborates with Stop Killer Robots on advocacy regarding AI systems for military and national security purposes, jointly authoring blogs on regulatory gaps in EU AI Act.
• D-HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL partners with D-Hub on the Uniting for Change initiative to strengthen civil society resilience against restrictive practices.
• CSO Meter (co-organiser)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL co-organises CSO Meter, a tool for assessing and advocating for improved civil society environment in Eastern Partnership countries.
• Global CFT Expert Hub (co-organiser)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL co-organises the Global CFT Expert Hub, working to reclaim civic freedoms from the security paradigm and address AML/CFT impacts on civil society.
• LEAD Initiative (co-organiser)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECNL co-organises the LEAD Initiative for Environmental Defenders, supporting environmental human rights defenders globally.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Tax Justice Network: Independent international network focused on tax havens, financial transparency, and illicit financial flows. Adjacent peer given ECNL's work on AML/CFT impacts on civil society, though with a different primary mission.

Emerging players

• Access Now: Global digital rights organization with significant overlap on AI governance, civic space, and EU policy advocacy. Comparable in mission and policy engagement style, though larger and more operations-focused.

Direct peers

• International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL): Global leader in civil society law and policy that co-developed the Fundraising Principles with ECNL and is part of the ICNL Alliance. ICNL is the most direct peer, operating the same niche globally while ECNL focuses on Europe and Eastern Partnership.
• European Digital Rights (EDRi): European network of digital rights civil society organizations that ECNL is a member of. ECNL and EDRi jointly advocated on the EU AI Act; comparable in digital rights and civic freedoms focus.
• ARTICLE 19: International freedom of expression organization working on civic space, digital rights, and legal frameworks. Direct peer on rights-based policy advocacy and a fellow member of the CSO Coalition on Human Rights and Counterterrorism.
• International Center for Not-for-Profit Law Alliance (ICNL Alliance): Network of civil society law specialists that includes ECNL as a core member. Directly comparable thematic and operational focus on legal environment for civil society worldwide.
• CIVICUS: Global civil society alliance that publishes the Civic Space Monitor and annual 'State of Civil Society' report. Directly comparable in mission (monitoring and defending civic space) and operates at global scale versus ECNL's regional focus.

Regional players

• Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberty): European network focused on civil liberties and civic space protections. Comparable in geographic scope and EU-level policy advocacy, with stronger focus on fundamental rights litigation.

Broad incumbents

• Open Government Partnership (OGP): Multilateral initiative where ECNL team members sit on the Steering Committee. Comparable in advancing open government and civic participation standards, though OGP is a broader, government-led initiative.
• World Movement for Democracy: Global network of democracy practitioners and activists. Comparable in promoting democratic participation and civic space, though broader in thematic scope and global rather than European in focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@europeancenterfornot-for-p1243
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-center-for-not-for-profit-law

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting