Arquivo da tag: Brazilian Philanthropy Forum

Intertwining lives. Weaving the future.

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By Aline Herrera, project analyst at IDIS

There is a place for everyone at the table to promote social change. This was how Julia Brindisi, Head of Philanthropic Investments for the Americas at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) started the closing session at the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2024.

Interlacing the last loose ends that united the event, the final panel discussed the collaboration between different actors and different perspectives to promote a fairer and more prosperous world. The panelists, Grace Maingi, Executive Director of Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF); Cláudia Soares Baré, Executive Director of Fundo Podáali; and the aforementioned Julia Brindisi, presented different perspectives and tools that, laced together, are able to strengthen each other.

 

Watch the entire session

 

 

Governments, communities, individuals, philanthropic organizations and native populations can (and should!) work together to weave a better future. The cross-sector coordination was highlighted as a key element for the reduction of inequalities and the promotion of social justice. For Claudia Baré, the responsibility for the development of a proper living is a collective responsibility:

“We’re not able to live properly. Living properly is not only living well, living properly is making all of us, regardless of being Indigenous people or the quilombolas or non-indigenous populations, but it’s also for all of us to have a quality of life and for us to be able to make everyone have air that we can breathe in with quality. But all of these responsibilities are placed on the indigenous populations because of the forests, because of the Amazon where we are inserted. And I would like to say that it is not a responsibility of the Indigenous populations, it’s a responsibility that we all have: the Indigenous people, the representatives of companies and organizations that are here, all the citizens and especially the government, because the Brazilian government has the duty of guaranteeing our rights”, says Claudia.

Philanthropy is not any different: the community spirit drives us to strengthen together an ecosystem that looks out for one another. Grace Maingi said during the session that “true philanthropy is the one capable of promoting systemic change”. For her, philanthropy must speak the language of the communities and integrate itself comfortably into the local reality, serving as a mobilizing instrument. Thus, social investment can support people and communities so that they can become the protagonists of their future.

Beyond getting to know the work done by the three organizations present, the public of the closing panel was able to realize how the interlacing for the construction of a better future passes through, not only collaboration between different groups, but also through the combination of different tools. If, on one hand, TBI invests in advanced technologies and artificial intelligence to reach equity, Fundo Podáali values the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, and KCDF focuses on communities with the same goal. Even though they all seem like completely divergent approaches, reuniting them allows combining innovation and ancestral wisdom, creating new development perspectives capable of reinventing relations.

“In terms of the future of philanthropy, I think it’s important for us to recognize that technology will be central to it, to innovation. So, young people, the way we define philanthropy has to make sense to the people who are working and living with communities, it cannot be defined from a foreign land, it has to be understood. I’m a strong believer that we are all philanthropists in one way or the other, we don’t have to have large sums of money to be philanthropists, and really, it’s all about us giving hope.

Generosity is not equal to the wealth that we have or the size of our pockets, but it’s the richness of your heart, so if you are generous from your spirit, from your soul, then you’re able to give and to share and to shape. Philanthropy, I believe, needs to address system change. We need to be able to see the role of the support that it’s given to addressing some of those systemic barriers and challenges, otherwise, then we’re just continuing the ‘hamster’s wheel’. And just from some of the other conversations that happened earlier, is that if we do not then address inequality using philanthropy, we are just enabling a system that is not addressing some of the challenges of the world”, comments Grace Maingi. 

Whether it’s encouraging governments, communities or indigenous populations, philanthropy shows its potential to generate systemic transformations. By constructing a philanthropy that will be more inclusive, collaborative and sensible to local realities – central themes of the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2024 –, together, we will transform realities and untangle the knots of world inequality.

 

Photos by: André Porto e Caio Graça/IDIS.

Listening and collaboration: creating systemic changes

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By Joana Noffs, project analyst at IDIS

Life stories and experiences trace paths that can help us face complex collective challenges. When it comes to philanthropy, one of the knots faced is the concentration of the resources and the power of decision making in the hands of few. What can we do so that more voices are heard? Should the ones who donate talk about the practice of philanthropy?

These where some of the questions that interlaced the session ‘In conversation with…’ at the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2024. Paula Fabiani, CEO of IDIS, invited three women whose philanthropic practices have standout in terms of innovation and collaboration to share a little bit about their paths: Cristiane Sultani, founder of Beja Institute; Ticiana Rolim, founder of Somos Um; and Marlene Engelhorn cofounder of Taxmenow, a movement that advocates for the taxation of large fortunes, who participated through video.

The conversation began with Marlene’s deposition, which brought some provocations that helped shape the debate. A multimillion-dollar heiress, the young Austrian chose to donate the biggest part of the money she received in the “birth lottery”. The decision came after she questioned herself how she could redistribute her wealth, once her country does not tax inheritances – what, according to her, would be the democratic and transparent way of proceeding. The solution she found was to create a council with the participation of 50 people, chosen randomly at first, and then by representative criteria, who were responsible to collectively allocate 25 million euros to chosen causes.

 

See Marlene’s entire deposition

 

In her speech, Marlene highlighted the need for long-term changes so that the people being currently supported by the donations can stop depending on the power and wealth holders to establish a collective decision process to allocate the resources.

“Ask the people that are affected by the decision that I take, to be the ones to take the decision. (…) We don’t have to remain classical philanthropists. We can redistribute power, we can step back as wealth holders, learn to listen and become one of many, such as it should be in a democracy”, she states.

Reinforcing the importance of acting collectively and hearing different actors, Cristiane Sultani talked about how, in her philanthropic path, meeting, listening and collaborating with people were the key aspects that transformed her journey in the field. Since she founded Beja Institute, in 2021, she has tried ‘to philanthrope’, as she likes to say, in a strategic and collaborative way, although she recognizes that she is not always able to do so. The hearing of the sector’s demands, researching global philanthropic tendencies and inspirational success stories helped her along her own process. “I chose to to help the philanthropic sector through a mindset change”, she says.

Cristiane also uses her time, influence and abilities to support advocacy actions that favor the regulations for philanthropy in Brazil, as well as supporting causes such as racial and climatic justice. She states that the process of hearing throughout the articulation with different actors is a key element for the development of trust.

For Ticiana, the transition from a position at the family business to philanthropy was marked by a constant inconformity with social inequalities and the place she occupied. “I made myself this brave question: what is my role in the world? What can I do with these privileges? How will I be an instrument? How can I use this to serve society?”. Influenced by economist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, she chose social business as the way to fight against poverty, creating Somos Um, an impact business coordinator. This choice also considered the potential of countless existing projects, with a focus on collaboration.

“Nothing about us without us”. This is a motto used by the movements fighting for the rights of people with disabilities, which Ticiana uses to illustrate the importance of including those affected by decisions in the co-creation of solutions and joint action, also aiming to scale its impact. “From this place of privilege, we sometimes arrive in vulnerable territories or in some project full of certainties. And today I say that is arrogant and ignorant on our part.”

Another challenge that Ticiana, from Ceará – a northeast Brazilian state – set to herself was, on one hand, to bring the northeast of Brazil to the center of the philanthropic debate and, on the other hand, to bring the debate about systemic philanthropy to the northeast of Brazil.

 

“I understood that I can be a bridge, inspiring people in the northeast, where inequality levels are very high, and they many are not questioning it. They are doing charity work, which is important, is urgent, is necessary, but will not solve the social problem because it does not bring social justice, and then we preserve this place of power, which is not ideal, that we want to change and let people free, with the power of choosing for themselves”.

 

Ticiana cofounded Zunne, which drives social impact businesses in the North and Northeast, in partnership with TRÊ and Yunus Social Business Brazil.

 

Watch the entire session 

 

 

In addition to being essential to listen to those affected by the decisions, discussing philanthropy in an open and accessible way was also considered a crucial aspect. Ticiana highlights her role in inspiring and mobilizing people by sharing her experiences and initiatives. Cristiane emphasized the importance of openly discussing issues such as racial equity, promoting transparent narratives to engage more people in the causes she embraces. Marlene, assertive in her positions, is one of the figures who brings to light in public debate criticisms of distributive models that exacerbate and sustain wealth inequalities, as well as environmental, gender and racial inequalities. The stories of the three philanthropists highlight the need for cocreation, participation, and collaboration to produce lasting changes.

 

Photos by: André Porto and Caio Graça/IDIS.

Emergency and Resilience: philanthropy strengthening communities

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By Beatriz Barros, project intern at IDIS

Social investment is about people. Prevention and care are also about people. At the 13th Brazilian Philanthropy Forum, with the theme ‘Interlaced Philanthropy’, the session ‘Emergency and Resilience: philanthropy strengthening communities’ discussed the imminent climate and sanitary crisis, talking about how emergency funds and donations can ease and prevent possible disasters. Present in the session were Giuliana Ortega (Sustainability Director at RD – Raia Drogasil), Karine Ruy (General Coordinator of the Gerações Foundation) and Marijana Sevic (Head of International Strategic Partnerships at Charities Aid Foundation), as well as Vinicius Barrozo (Social Value Analyst at Globo and responsible for the donation platform ParaQuemDoar) as the moderator. 

 

Watch the entire session

 

 

The discussion about the recent climate and sanitary actions, besides the increase in armed conflicts, highlighted the urgency of creating plans, strategies, and investments that can prevent possible crises. Karine Ruy talked about the work made by Gerações Foundation in the floods that hit Rio Grande do Sul – a Brazilian state – in May of 2024, leaving 497 municipalities impacted and 150,000 people displaced. The institution created ‘Fundo Comunitário Porto de Todos’ to aid those affected by the event. She emphasized the importance of listening to the demands of the community for the reconstruction and mitigation of risks, as she says in her speech:

“We understood that our role at that moment was to be a coordinating organization, building bridges between different actors in the ecosystem that had this operational capacity, but mainly identifying – through a very careful hearing process – what were the demands of the communities and territories”, she said.

Another relevant aspect commented was the role of Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in countries such as Ukraine and Morroccos, that faced different types of emergencies: the first, an armed conflict, and the second, an earthquake. Marijana Sevic commented on the demand for donations in these cases, which are quick and must be met efficiently and safely, an activity CAF has expertise in operating in more than 170 countries.

Another highlight was the actions taken by RaiaDrogasil during the COVID-19 pandemic. Giuliana Ortega shared that, at the time, the company created an investment fund, together with the Institute for the Development of Social Investment (IDIS), to offer infrastructure to small and medium hospitals, ensuring that those structures would endure long after the crises. The company also supported  mass vaccination in different cities through the ‘United for Vaccination’ movement. These actions led RaiaDrogasil to reflect on the donation of their own resources which made them establish their own Theory of Change, highlighted by Giuliana:

“Since 2021, we have established a policy and started investing 1% of our net profit in health actions in communities and society in general. […] Therefore, we had these new resources to think about and so we decided to institute our Theory of Change because the resources were increasing. We were going to channel this effort, and our main goal was to promote health”.

Further on in the session, Vinicius Barrozo presented the platform Para Quem Doar (For Whom to Donate, in english), which had a key role in integrating and directing donations during the pandemic and the floods in Rio Grande do Sul. The app connects donors  and organizations simply and securely. In order to encourage giving culture, a partnership between Globo, IDIS, and Instituto MOL was announced through the ‘Find Your Cause’ campaign, which helps the donner identify the areas most aligned with their own values and convictions. 

However, there are still some loose ends to interlace, such as the lack of commitment to donations and the delay of the planning and creation of emergency lines for climate and sanitary crises. It is crucial to encourage a giving culture that goes beyond disasters; to have a strategic view for the middle to long-term  reconstruction period, when the initial commotion subsides and, therefore, so do the investments; and to highlight  the crucial role of communication in emergencies, announcing in a clear and captivating way the purpose of the donation. These paths can help to untangle some resistant knots and strengthen ambition and strategies. 

 

Photos by: André Porto and Caio Graça/IDIS.

Lack of collectiveness: the major ‘knot’ to be untied in (and by) philanthropy

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By Daniel Barretti, project manager at IDIS

 

“What is the difference between living in a world that is a mess and a world that is messy?”. This was how Philip Yun, Head of Global Philanthropy Forum, started the opening session called ‘Philanthropy: untangling the knots of the world’, during the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2024.

The idea is that society is not essentially a mess, but rather is living in a planetary mess created by itself. The positive part of this is that the mess, therefore, can be tidied up, and philanthropy can and should have an important contribution in this. For that reason, philanthropic actions should be efficient in comprehending the current challenges and proposing solutions as they arrise.

Amongst the many meanings of the Portuguese polysemic word ‘nós’, one of the most commonly used is to say ‘us’. But the panelist’s speeches pointed out a meaning of the word contrary to this word: the lack of collectivity – maybe the main challenge we must face in contemporary society. Sergio Fausto, General Director of Fundação Fernando Henrique Cardoso, says: “Spaces that should be plural and democratic are far from being spaces that privilege the debate and public interest”.

The ‘knot’ of the absence of collectivity is that which implies a lack of dialogue, a lack of plurality of people, ideals, skills and practices.

To Renata Piazzon, Managing Director of the Arapyaú Institute, one of the main ‘knots’ to be untangled nowadays is the climate agenda. However, it does not stand alone.

The environmental issue is interconnected with an extreme lack of collective sense, where the false dualism of man and nature prevails. According to the panelist, philanthropy must first understand climate issues from an integrated development perspective where, for example, heat waves, drought, and alarming fire outbreaks are not restricted to environmental concerns but also to agriculture, public health, and economy. After all, the interrelation between these phenomena is clear. The scenario of severe drought and fires directly impacts the population’s health, as well as the loss of agricultural crops. The unraveling of this chain reaction also leads to rising food prices, inflationary pressure and the consequent loss of purchasing power and deterioration of the population’s diet.

 

Watch the entire session 

 

 

Philanthropy should promote network action, articulating and mobilizing diverse social actors: the connectivity and collectivity as a solution to complex systemic problems.

If one of the main ‘knots’ to untangle is the absence of collectivity in society, this also seems like a challenge philanthropy itself must deal with.

Cida Bento, cofounder of the Center for Studies on Labor Relations and Inequalities, reinforces the importance of collectivity through the establishment of networks, and she goes even further defending a change in the power structure, bringing more diversity and, therefore, plurality of voices and interests to philanthropy. The search for solutions and the decision-making process lacks perspective from the part of the population that has been historically marginalized, the one’s who suffer with social, economic and environmental challenges in the current reality.

“[Collective and plural spaces] enable a more conscious decision-making and, therefore, generate a bigger impact”, completes Sergio Fausto.

A movement known as ‘trust-based philanthropy’ works in this path, advocating that funders should establish their relationships with benefiting partners through trust and collaboration, instead of conformity and control.

 

Rethinking the future of philanthropy

The educator and philosopher Paulo Freire once said that it was because of his love for the people and the world that he fought for social justice to establish itself before charity. It is not about demeaning charity itself, but rather knowing that by promoting charity as a consequence of a structure of privileges, there is a great risk that it serves as an instrument of maintenance, and even as an alibi for inequality.

Philanthropy differs itself from charity precisely through its strategic nature, capable of better allocating, qualitatively and quantitatively, private capital resources to public and collective causes. The question we must ask ourselves is: has it been effectively strategic? If the major ‘knot’ of the lack of collectivity, emphasized by the speakers, is present both in the current problems of society as well as in the way philanthropic actions have been carried out, this seems to indicate that the philanthropic sector also runs the risk of reproducing social power relations.

May harmony, reciprocity, collectivity and plurality be interlaced with a more powerful philanthropic thinking and acting process able to address current challenges, which are currently governed by almost exclusively private and economic interests.

Maybe it is time for society to rethink the subject of philanthropy (the white men, holder of financial resources and a certain professional prestige). After all, it seems urgent for us to look around and ask ourselves: who has the more to give and who has the more to receive and learn nowadays?

 

Photos by: André Porto and Caio Graça/IDIS.

Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2024: how to participate

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Brazilian Philanthropy Forum’s 13th edition has already set a date: September 4th. Once again, besides the in-person event in São Paulo that is exclusive for guests, the event will also take place online. 

 

In the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2024, when IDIS commemorates its 25th anniversary, we celebrate achievements and look forward to inspiring, supporting, and amplifying private social investment and its impact.

 

Inequalities, Hunger, Education, Health, Productive Inclusion, Climate, Environment. Complex, interconnected causes. Amid this tangle, philanthropy, presenting paths, testing solutions, and interlacing loose ends. In this space dedicated to the community of philanthropists and social investors, we bring together leaders, organizations, and experiences that offer concrete and effective answers.

 

As a result, INTERLACED PHILANTHROPY is the theme of this year’s Forum. We invite you to be inspired by the stories that will be presented.

 

REGISTER HERE FOR THE LIVE STREAMING

 

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

 

Among the confirmed speakers are Aline Odara (Executive Director of the Agbara Fund), Beatriz Johannpeter (Director of the Helda Gerdau Institute), Cida Bento (Co-Founder and Board Member of the Center for Studies on Labor Relations and Inequalities), Cristiane Sultani (Founder of Beja Institute), Giuliana Ortega (Sustainability Director at RD – Raia Drogasil), José Luiz Egydio Setúbal (President and Founder of the José Luiz Egydio Setúbal Foundation), Luana Génot (Founder and Executive Director of the Instituto Identidades do Brasil), Mariana Moura (President of the Family Council of Baterias Moura), Patrícia Villela Marino (President of the Humanitas360 Institute), Renata Piazzon (Managing Director of the Arapyaú Institute), Sergio Fausto (General Director of Fundação Fernando Henrique Cardoso), Tarcila Ursini (Corporate Counselor and Co-Chair of the Board of Sistema B Brazil) e Ticiana Rolim Queiroz (Founder and President of Somos Um).

 

In addition to international guests such as Grace Maingi (Executive Director of the Kenya Community Development Foundation), Marijana Sevic (Head of International Strategic Partnerships at CAF), and Philip Yun (Co-President and Co-CEO of CCWA and of GPF). 

 

ORGANIZERS AND PARTNERS

 

 

The event’s organization is a joint initiative by the Institute for the Development of Social Investment (IDIS, in Portuguese), alongside the Global Philanthropy Forum and the Charities Aid Foundation, as well as the master partner Movimento Bem Maior; silver partner RD Saúde; and bronze partners Aeage Institute, Volkswagen Group Foundation, Itaú Foundation, José Luiz Egydio Setúbal Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Aegea Institute and Sicoob Institute. Unicef Brasil is our institutional partner. Alliance Magazine is the media partner. 

 

This year, the forum will again have Alliance Magazine as its media partner. Based in England, the world’s biggest philanthropy magazine will cover the event live and broadcast it in English on their YouTube channel.

 

BRAZILIAN PHILANTHROPY FORUM

 

The Brazilian Philanthropy Forum offers a space for the philanthropic community to come together, exchange experiences, and learn from their peers, strengthening strategic philanthropy to promote the development of Brazilian society. The event has gathered more than 1500 participants among philanthropists, leaders, and national and international specialists. On IDIS’ YouTube channel, playlists are available with recordings from all previous editions. Check it out!

The role of family philanthropy in addressing invisible causes

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By Isadora Pagy, Project Analyst at IDIS

When we talk about philanthropy, it is common to think of donations made for causes like education, healthcare, and hunger relief. The first image that often comes to mind is that of vulnerable children in need of help. It’s no wonder that children’s causes received the most donations in 2022, representing 46% of donations made in the past year, according to Brazil Giving Research 2022 coordinated by IDIS.

Despite the great importance and urgency of such issues, others end up receiving less attention, becoming overlooked causes. This underscores the need for us to be bold in bringing visibility to and prioritizing these topics, regions, and organizations. This is especially true when it comes to family philanthropy, which has become increasingly strategic, going beyond isolated or charitable actions, and holding great potential for transformation.

Such boldness was the overarching theme of the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2023, which took place on September 14th. During the event, a session was held to discuss precisely Family Philanthropy and addressing invisible causes, featuring the presence of Ilana Minev, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Bemol, Luciana Temer, CEO of Instituto Liberta and a board member of the Movimento Bem Maior, Philippine Vernes, Senior Manager of International Partnerships at CAF, and as the moderator, Luciano Cerqueira, Project Coordinator at Samambaia Filantropias.

During the conversation, Luciana Temer, who works to raise awareness about combating child sexual abuse as the director at Instituto Liberta, commented on how many investors and companies lack interest in investing in this cause because they consider it “an ugly issue.” In other words, they do not want to associate their brand with the cause. This raises a discussion about social washing and the tendency to invest only in issues that are “trendy” in order to enhance brand value in the eyes of consumers and potential investors.

Temer compares the issue to the fight against violence against women, which was also not discussed because it was considered a matter to be dealt with privately, as the saying goes, “you shouldn’t meddle in a husband and wife’s quarrel.” She emphasizes that this mindset should be challenged and that child sexual abuse, like violence against women, “occurs within families, is silenced, and exists in all social classes.”

Despite their importance, these overlooked causes are often considered residual and non-structural, which is once again used as a justification for not taking these issues seriously and strategically. This creates a greater difficulty in engaging partners, requiring boldness to address such socio-environmental issues.

In addition to Luciana Temer’s cause, there are other equally overlooked ones. Ilana Minev works on socio-environmental issues in the Amazon region and discusses the challenges and unique aspects of working in this region. She mentions that “when you work alone, you have limitations in terms of resources, time, and engagement,” emphasizing the importance of collaborative work, one of the pillars of her approach, by cooperating with other organizations also operating in the region.

Minev emphasizes another specific characteristic of the territory, stating that “most people have a helicopter view of the Amazon. They look through the treetops and see everything as green and rivers. But it’s necessary to descend and delve into the roots and look at the 25 million people who live there and seek prosperity”. She speaks of the potential that the region holds and the importance of working in-depth, once again combatting social washing.

When it comes to territory, Luciano Cerqueira highlights another obstacle that the country faced in the past, which was the perception of funders and international organizations towards Brazil as a whole, not just the Amazon. He comments on how Brazil was seen as a rich yet unequal country, with the means to finance social causes, which led to the departure of major international funders in 2004. Luciano discusses how this perception has changed and how international organizations have started to see new partnership possibilities with Brazil, bringing a positive outlook for Brazilian organizations.

Despite the challenges raised, there are opportunities for family philanthropy to become increasingly strategic. Philippine Vernes, representing CAF, a century-old British philanthropy organization, discusses the intergenerational aspect and the transfer of wealth to future generations, which opens doors to new themes, ways of giving, and strengthening the third sector.

Therefore, there is a need to focus on institutional strengthening of organizations, looking at governance and resource mobilization. This way, private social investment can be powerful, long-lasting, collaborative, and contribute to various social causes and territories across the country, bringing visibility to all.

Check out the full session.

Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2023: the importance of boldness for the evolution of philanthropy

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On September 14th, the 12th edition of the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum took place in São Paulo. Organized by IDIS – the Institute for the Development of Social Investment, the event aims to accelerate solutions through connections and promote philanthropy in the country.

With the theme of BOLDNESS, the sessions covered topics such as ESG, territorial transformation, impact assessment, endowment funds, and much more. Throughout the day, more than 40 speakers from Brazil and abroad participated. There were 265 guests in attendance, and the live broadcast received over 1,800 views.

There were 13 sessions in 10 hours of programming, featuring 43 speakers. Notable names included Armínio Fraga (Philanthropist and former President of the Central Bank), Braulina Baniwa (Director of the National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry), Eduardo Saron (President of the Itaú Foundation), Gelson Henrique (Executive Coordinator of the PIPA Initiative), Geyze Diniz (Co-founder of the Pact Against Hunger), Gilson Rodrigues (President of G10 Favelas), Jean Jereissati (CEO of AMBEV), Luciana Temer (CEO of the Liberta Institute), Priscila Cruz (Executive President of Todos pela Educação), Roberto Sallouti (CEO and board member of BTG Pactual), Rodrigo Mendes (Founder of the Rodrigo Mendes Institute), as well as international guests such as Guerda Nicolas (Co-founder of Ayiti Community Trust) and Nivedita Narain (CEO of CAF India).

After an exciting opening featuring Favela Music artists, the opening panel ‘Boldness: a cross-cutting element for transformative, diverse, and inclusive impact’ set the tone for the event right away, which throughout the program brought different perspectives to the need for bold actions in Private Social Investment to address our socio-environmental challenges.

Next, in the plenary session ‘Family philanthropy: addressing invisible causes’, examples of individuals who dare to invest their resources in neglected causes, territories, and organizations, sometimes controversial in the eyes of the general public, were discussed, and how this contributes to fostering a culture of giving.

Another panel brought a discussion about a less explored topic: mistakes. It is common for us to seek inspiration only from successful cases, but the panel ‘Learning from mistakes: stories of those who took risks and didn’t succeed on the first try’ showed how looking at what didn’t go as expected can be equally inspiring.

The program also featured the participation of the 2022 winners of the ‘Social Entrepreneurship Award’ from Folha de S. Paulo and the Schwab Foundation, who were able to present their initiatives and purposes of action. The panel was moderated by Eliane Trindade, editor of the Award.

Next, Sir Ronald Cohen, considered one of the gurus of Impact Investing, participated via video, delivering an inspiring and powerful message about what he calls the Impact Revolution, encouraging everyone to do things differently and take risks to generate effective transformations. Check it out.

Fueled by the call, the next panel, ‘The boldness of philanthropy in the ESG Agenda’, brought the corporate perspective on the topic. In a scenario where the ESG agenda is advancing rapidly, it is important for companies to engage in Private Social Investment with a long-term vision and a clear understanding of the contributions of ISP to their sustainability strategy.

After the morning program concluded, the guests participated in a cocktail followed by a thematic lunch: each table had a host who proposed a conversation topic. Participants could choose from 18 options and delve into reflections on various issues.

Upon returning from lunch, Carla Reis, Head of the Department of the Industrial and Service Complex of Health in the area of Productive Development, Innovation, and Foreign Trade at BNDES, presented the ‘Together for Health’ program and showed how, through a matchfunding model, the bank is combining public and philanthropic capital to strengthen public health in the North and Northeast of Brazil.

The interview in the traditional ‘In Conversation with…’ session was with Armínio Fraga, a philanthropist, founder of Gávea Investimentos, and former president of the Central Bank. He explained the reasons that led him to Private Social Investment and talked about the projects he is currently involved in.

Next, Rhodris Davies, in a video appearance as well, offered reflections on Artificial Intelligence. As the world and organizations discover how AI can be useful (or not) to society, how can NGOs and funders, instead of adopting it passively, take the lead in demonstrating how AI can be used to promote positive changes in society? Watch the video.

Another topic of discussion at the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2023 was the need for a careful look at territories, their uniqueness and knowledge, and how this enhances actions in various themes, amplifying silenced voices and building a more promising future for all. This theme was explored in depth in the session ‘Unlikely Alliances: Boldness in the Defense of Causes and Territories’.

The panel ‘Shifting perspectives: from reporting to evidence-based management’, in turn, discussed how the growing demand for effective results and performance improvement has driven organizations to abandon traditional data collection and presentation practices in favor of more dynamic and evidence-based impact assessment approaches. Guests shared the experiences of organizations that have successfully made this transition.

In the panel ‘Funding models: calculated risks for transformative return’ the debate revolved around increasingly innovative financing alternatives, aiming for socio-environmental impact.

Closing the day’s program, in the concluding plenary ‘More than ever, boldness is needed to fight poverty!’, our guests, leaders in their sectors and countries, reinforced how bold and creative actions can indeed reduce social and institutional vulnerabilities in Brazil and around the world.

“When we began planning this gathering, we had doubts if we would have enough cases of boldness. As we designed the agenda, we discovered surprising stories, and seeing them together was very powerful,” commented Paula Fabiani, CEO of IDIS, at the event’s conclusion.

Watch the full event recording here:

ORGANIZATION AND SUPPORT

The event was organized by IDIS – Institute for Social Development, in partnership with the Global Philanthropy Forum and the Charities Aid Foundation, with silver support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and bronze support from Ambev, B3 Social, BNP Paribas Asset Management, BTG Pactual, Itaú Foundation, José Luiz Egydio Setúbal Foundation, Sicoob Institute, Movimento Bem Maior, RaiaDrogasil S.A and Vale.

This year, the forum had again Alliance Magazine as a media partner. Based in England, the world’s largest philanthropy magazine covered the event and livestreamed it in English on its YouTube channel.

BRAZILIAN PHILANTHROPY FORUM

The Brazilian Philanthropy Forum provides a space for the philanthropic community to gather, exchange experiences, and learn from their peers, strengthening strategic philanthropy for the development of Brazilian society. The event has already brought together over 1,500 participants, including philanthropists, leaders, and national and international experts. Recordings of all editions are available on our YouTube channel. Check it out!