A citizen-led campaign defending Spain’s public healthcare system gathered 100,000 signatures and reached the Spanish parliament in less than five weeks, thanks to Movements, a civic tech platform that this week closed €390,000 ($454,000) in pre-seed financing.
Movement’s Francisco Polo, who previously led Change.org Spain, is seeking to give grassroots campaigns access to organizing tools and strategic support typically reserved for large institutions. The platform bundles campaign organizing, communications, management and other tools for organizers, NGOs and community leaders.
More than 117,000 users have joined since launch, creating nearly 400 campaigns. The funding will support the company’s expansion into the US.
“We are building the global infrastructure for anyone to start, scale and sustain their cause,” Polo said. “Our goal is to become the world’s leading citizen empowerment platform and define a new category, the ’cause economy.'” It raised the funding from a number of angel investors.
Civic tech
Active campaigns on Movements include Signos que cambian el mundo, a sign language legislation drive launched by deaf activist Marcos Lechet that has supporters in the US, Argentina and Costa Rica. Nobel Peace Prize winner Carlos Umaña is using the platform to press the Spanish government to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Separately, impact investors are beginning to test whether democratic participation can attract outcomes-linked capital. In Colombia, Innpactia is structuring Fondo para la Democracia, a proposed $10 million vehicle with Corporacion Inversor aimed at strengthening democratic institutions.
The pilot fund will invest in three areas: electoral integrity, independent media sustainability and civic agency. Payments will be tied to national indicators tracked over four to six years.
