Partnerships for Integrity was born from an evidence-based belief that we need to do democracy differently.
Beacuse democracy is a living operating system that belongs to us.
Democracy is both a governing system and a culture.
When democracies fail, it is people who suffer. Conversely, only people can keep democracy alive, because accountability is strongest when it is collective. In countries everywhere, democratic belief, behavior, and systems are under hybrid attack. The threat may differ in type or degree (and be internal, external, or both), but the ingredients are the same—discord, polarization, corruption, lawfare, institutional capture, digital intrusion, and the dissolution of truth. The resulting paralysis, apathy, or radicalization is the point, because passive or divided democracies are easier to destroy. Democracy is both a governing system and a culture; countering hybrid threats demands nurturing democratic values, cultivating behaviors that sustain democracy, and defending its bedrock laws and institutions. Some of this work is highly technical, some of it is inspirational; all of it depends on partnership and connection. We know this because we have done it. Side by side with governments, legislatures, institutions, and communities - strengthening democracy from the inside out.
Why Now?
We are in an era of geopolitical stress and existential threats to democracy. This moment calls for cooperation, reflection, and resolve, and an acknowledgment of development system failings. No more assuming that certain democracies are ‘graduated’ and immune from threats. No more cookie-cutter technical assistance or bureaucratic systems of partnership. This moment is not about protecting what exists—it is about collaborating across borders, rethinking approaches, and building resilient democracies that benefit all people in current and future generations.
Why Partner With Us?
We are choosing to partner differently
We founded Partnerships for Integrity (P4I) with a clear principle: collaboration over competition. We recognize the wisdom, expertise, and experience of our partners, and these partnerships are built on trust and shared purpose. Guided by integrity, we focus on building lasting, equal partnerships from the grassroots to the highest levels of government so that governance and culture can develop in tandem. We paint by hand, not by stencil, to produce real democratic change that can be measured and sustained.
We bring specific expertise and wide networks
We draw on decades of technical support worldwide, backed by a trusted global network of diverse partners. We have helped shape the laws that govern elections and the operations that deliver them. We have helped local and national institutions develop strategies, implement integrity systems, and integrate technology. We have connected civil society with institutions and created the muscle memory to ensure this connection endures. What we don’t bring is a quick fix or a checklist: our expertise is used to inform, to encourage, to provide options and examples, and to spark the ‘reimagining of democracy’ that we talk about.