Stylised illustration of the map of North America.

Our mission

Designing
for Legitimacy

We advance a democratic culture that is inclusive, responsive, deliberative, and holds government accountable in between elections.

We work to strengthen the deliberative community, advocate and raise awareness, provide technical guidance and build capacity, develop independent case studies and best practices through a rigorous learning series.

How we work

Our international network and study of what’s worked elsewhere helps us respond to local values and goals. We help you navigate trade-offs without reinventing the wheel, saving time.
We do not implement citizens’ assemblies and focus instead on macro-level process design, emphasizing quality, feasibility and policy impact. In this role we are impartial, trusted partners for governments and implementers alike as these processes reach new communities
We offer rigorous but realistic standards in design. No process is perfect, and our standards allow teams to achieve a strong process while minimizing risk to impact and your budget.
Citizens’ Assembly can accelerate a broader rethink of your public engagement and collaborative governance. Thoughtful strategy, well-organized
We study and learn from each process to assess quality, measure impact, and keep our offerings state-of-the-art.
FIDE’s advice is tailored to you. Designing for legitimacy means listening and adapting to everyone's priorities, communication preferences, and expectations. Your community, your process. We study and learn from each process to assess quality, measure impact, and keep our offerings state-of-the-art.