What commonground initiatives does

Commonground Initiatives MTÜ is a nonprofit organisation founded in June 2024 and registered in Estonia that operates as a community-led civic engagement and democracy-strengthening entity focused on the Euro-Mediterranean region. It is run by co-founders and Managing Directors Margherita Sgorbissa (social justice and nonprofit strategy consultant) and Laura Asara (data analyst/engineer with international cooperation background), supported by a small globally distributed team of 1–10 plus roughly 15 volunteers. The organisation's core offerings are three interconnected programs: Collettivo Onda, a community revitalisation pilot in Monfalcone, Italy targeting youth, women, and migrants; MICRO*ONDE, a documented grassroots community organising framework with a published playbook for use in politically polarised contexts; and DemocraSHE, a multimedia storytelling initiative spotlighting women defending democracy. The methodology is participatory, iterative, and co-creative, blending artistic expression, experiential learning, participatory research, and nontraditional engagement formats such as AperiOnda dialogue series, book clubs, and Swap Days.

The organisation's core "technology" is the MICRO*ONDE framework itself rather than a software product, and there is no proprietary technical platform. Distribution is delivered directly through in-person gatherings in Italy and Tunisia and via a partnership-based model with We Love Kairouan for cross-border Mediterranean learning. The revenue model is nonprofit: most operational funding comes from grants (starting with the Civic Innovation Fund by THE CIVICS Innovation Hub and Robert Bosch Stiftung) and individual donations, supplemented by a growing consultancy service line that provides fundraising, strategy, and impact measurement services to other international civil society organisations. All community programs are free for participants, and the organisation functions as an ecosystem connector, capacity-building catalyst, and collective incubator for community participation practices rather than a commercial entity.

Name

commonground initiatives

Legal name

Commonground Initiatives MTÜ

Website

https://commongroundinitiatives.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Commonground Initiatives is a Estonia-registered nonprofit that co-develops community-led civic participation and democracy-strengthening programs, primarily the Collettivo Onda pilot in Monfalcone, Italy, and the MICRO*ONDE organising framework, serving youth, women, and migrants in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement and Community Development Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD), Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI)

Keywords

• Civic engagement programs
• Community organizing services
• Nonprofit consultancy
• Democracy strengthening
• Participatory frameworks

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grants and Foundation Funding: Commonground Initiatives receives grant funding from foundations and civic innovation funds. Their first grant was from the Civic Innovation Fund by THE CIVICS Innovation Hub and Robert Bosch Stiftung to support the MICRO*ONDE workshop series and community revitalisation pilot in Monfalcone. Additional European philanthropic support was received for the Collettivo Onda initiative through 2026.
2. Donations: Individual donations are solicited through the website via Wise, PayPal, and wire transfer. Donations are directed toward workshop and capacity building, outreach and awareness campaigns, local community consultations, digital tools and compliance, monitoring and evaluation, and core organisational funding.
3. Consultancy Services: Commonground Initiatives generates revenue through fundraising, strategy, and impact measurement consultancy services offered to other civil society organisations. They have partnered with four international nonprofits, including Save The Children Germany e.V., Project Tres UG, and aidóni, helping them refine funding strategies, strengthen organisational systems, and enhance capacity to communicate and measure impact.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Commonground Initiatives co-develops community-led civic participation initiatives and tools that strengthen democracy and social justice in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Its core offerings are the Collettivo Onda civic-reactivation pilot in Monfalcone, the MICRO*ONDE community organising framework, and the DemocraSHE multimedia storytelling initiative, delivered alongside paid fundraising, strategy, and impact-measurement consultancy to other civil-society organisations.

Product overview

Commonground Initiatives operates as a collective incubator offering three interconnected programs focused on community revitalization and democratic strengthening. The core offerings include Collettivo Onda (a civic reactivation pilot program in Monfalcone, Italy), MICRO*ONDE (a grassroots community organising framework/playbook), and DemocraSHE (a multimedia storytelling initiative for women in democracy). The organization functions as a nonprofit rather than a traditional software product company, focusing on participatory methodologies and capacity building rather than technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Collettivo Onda: A youth-led community revitalisation program in Monfalcone, Italy, focused on civic engagement reactivation, democratic resilience, citizen agency building, and cross-cultural solidarity.
• MICRO*ONDE
• DemocraSHE

Products and services

• Collettivo Onda A community-led civic engagement reactivation pilot in Monfalcone, Italy that mobilises young people and marginalised communities to reclaim civic life through gatherings, workshops, book clubs, swap events, and co-creation sessions, building democratic resilience, citizen agency, and cross-cultural solidarity.
• MICRO*ONDE Community Organising Framework A grassroots and participatory community organising framework — iterative, co-creative, and community-led — for community revitalisation and citizen agency building within spaces of deep polarisation and erosion of social cohesion. Includes micro-laboratori (micro-labs) exploring identity and belonging, participation and representation, equality and care, and imagination for the future, blending artistic expression, experiential learning, and co-design, supported by a published playbook.
• DemocraSHE A multimedia storytelling and advocacy initiative that spotlights women and women-led organisations actively defending and redefining democracy across the globe, with a focus on the EuroMed region.
• Fundraising, Strategy, and Impact Measurement Consultancy Professional consultancy services for international civil-society organisations covering fundraising strategy, organisational development, and impact measurement and communication. Engagements have included Save The Children Germany e.V., aidóni, Project Tres UG, and other international nonprofits.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of participants rated insights and content as very insightful; 80% rated strategy inputs as very or extremely insightful
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.

• We Love Kairouan (WLK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2025Commonground Initiatives partnered with We Love Kairouan, an independent nonprofit based in Kairouan, Tunisia (founded in 2012), to co-launch the Mutual Capacity Building Program on Youth Community Engagement Strategies. The partnership facilitates knowledge exchange, co-creation of youth participation tools, and cross-border learning between civil society organisations in challenging, under-resourced environments. Three participatory workshops were conducted covering local context mapping, youth engagement strategies, and project ideation. Both organisations gain clarity around their respective contexts and improve funding readiness through this mutual learning arrangement.
• Lista Civica e Solidale MonfalconecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollettivo Onda partnered with Lista Civica e Solidale Monfalcone, particularly its youth division spearheading the creation of the Consulta dei Giovani — an institutional body for participatory democracy. Collettivo Onda actively contributed to data collection and experience sharing during an introductory session, and the initiative was recognised as a local spark driving momentum for youth participation in Monfalcone.
• University for Third Age MonfalconekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerA new partnership with the University for Third Age in Monfalcone to expand community-led labs focused on travel literature and historical reflections on female entrepreneurship. These labs create intergenerational dialogue opportunities, opening new forms of community engagement and strengthening local alliances that support community-rooted democratic culture over time.
• People Powered (Democracy Innovation Accelerator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommonground Initiatives was selected to join the People Powered Democracy Innovation Accelerator, a global program powered by the New York-based organisation People Powered. This connects the organisation with a global community of mentors and practitioners in participatory democracy and civic innovation. The program supports the development and scaling of the Collettivo Onda local revitalisation project, providing international peer exchange, mentorship (Pier Paolo Fanesi), and a pathway to developing a Participation Playbook.
• Libreria UbikkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerLibreria Ubik, a local bookshop in Monfalcone, hosts the Correnti book club created by Collettivo Onda. The bookshop serves as the physical home for cultural programming, providing a welcoming and accessible venue for community gatherings and literary discussions. The partnership enables cultural engagement as a gateway to civic participation.
• Carso in CorsominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarso in Corso, a local cultural café in Monfalcone run by a local ambassador for democratic changes (Manlio), hosted the first social aperitivo event for Collettivo Onda. The venue provides physical space for community gatherings and dialogue, functioning as informal civic infrastructure.
• Elena CaliandrominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElena Caliandro, a literature teacher at the Scientific High School in Monfalcone, co-created the Correnti book club with Collettivo Onda. Her expertise in literature, language, and education helped shape a thoughtful and welcoming space for community dialogue through books.
• Tracciare Futuri Monfalcone FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollettivo Onda participated in the Tracciare Futuri Monfalcone festival, a local event dedicated to community participation and future-oriented dialogue. The festival provided an opportunity to present Collettivo Onda to a broad audience of local stakeholders including civic leaders, representatives of local political movements, and young councillors from Monfalcone and neighbouring towns.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Open Government Partnership (OGP): Multistakeholder initiative of 75+ countries and local governments advancing transparent, participatory, and accountable governance. Overlaps with Commonground's democracy-strengthening mission and participatory governance methodology, though at a national-government policy level.
• CIVICUS: Global civil society alliance monitoring civic space and supporting citizen-led activism across 180+ countries. Comparable in advocacy mission and democratic participation focus, but operates at much larger global advocacy scale rather than community implementation.
• International IDEA: Intergovernmental organisation supporting democratic processes and institutions globally, with thematic work on participation, civic space, and democratic resilience. Comparable mission in democratic participation, but operates at policy/electoral support scale vs. Commonground's grassroots organising approach.

Direct peers

• ECAS - European Citizen Action Service: Brussels-based nonprofit enabling citizens' participation in EU policy and democratic life, with programmes on civic engagement, voter empowerment, and citizen-led deliberation. Directly comparable mission and European scope to Commonground Initiatives.
• People Powered: Global hub for participatory democracy practitioners and the operator of the Democracy Innovation Accelerator in which Commonground Initiatives is a cohort member. Direct peer in mission (community-led participatory governance), methodology (participation playbooks), and target audience (local governments and civil society).
• Democratic Society (Demsoc): European civic participation nonprofit working with local governments and communities to design participatory processes, digital democracy, and deliberative democracy projects. Closely comparable to Commonground in mission, regional focus, and practice-based methodology.
• European Civic Forum (ECF): Pan-European network of civil society organisations defending civic space and promoting participatory democracy across the EU. Highly comparable in civic-participation focus and European geographic orientation, though operating at network rather than community-implementation level.
• THE CIVICS Innovation Hub: European innovation hub partnering with foundations (including Robert Bosch Stiftung) to strengthen civic renewal and community-led democracy. Commonground's first institutional funder and a methodological peer in the civic-innovation space.

Emerging players

• We Love Kairouan: Independent Tunisian nonprofit (founded 2012) and Commonground's mutual capacity-building partner in Kairouan. Comparable in scale, community-led methodology, and youth engagement focus, but focused on local cultural/regeneration work in a single Tunisian city.
• Participatory Budgeting Project: US nonprofit that supports communities and governments in implementing participatory budgeting and other community-led decision-making processes. Comparable in focus on participatory governance methodology and playbook/framework documentation, though focused on a specific democratic mechanism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/collettivo.onda.monfalcone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/commonground-initiatives

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about commonground initiatives