Global Civil Society & Sustainable Development Lab (GCSSD)

Civil Society and Sustainability Conference

Civil Society and Sustainability Conference
June 3-5, 2024, Stanford University

Organized by Stanford’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, this conference is designed to strengthen the community of scholars developing a knowledge base to support and amplify civil society activities for sustainable development. The conference will feature both early-stage papers as well as more developed work with presenters representing a broad range of fields that include sociology, political science, business, education, public policy, public administration, and social ecology. Scholars will also have the opportunity to engage with civil society organization leaders.

Solving the world’s greatest sustainability challenges depends on active engagement by civil society actors. Nonprofits, philanthropies, and advocacy groups play an important role in shaping policy agendas on topics related to sustainable development and contribute to innovative solutions to address problems like climate change and mitigate their impact on the most vulnerable. 


We invite junior and early career scholars, e.g., advanced PhD students, post-doctoral scholars, and assistant professors, from all disciplinary backgrounds, engaged in research at the intersection of civil society and sustainability (broadly defined) to submit their papers.