IDIS 2024 Retrospective: Social Investment is about people

IDIS Team at the 2024 end-of-year reunion

Every day, we work to promote a better future for this generation and others to come. We dream, plan, act, monitor and evaluate impact, in the hope that we are contributing to a fairer and more supportive world. 

In 2024, this work continued at a steady pace, but it was a particularly special year. IDIS completed 25 years, an opportunity to celebrate our past, recognize achievements, lessons, and especially, people. Inspired by the theme ‘Social Investment is about people’, we guided our celebrations with a campaign that reflected what is crucial in our work.  

Social Investment is about people because it is made by the actions of people for people. Because it requires dialogue, involves disagreements and consensus, mistakes and success. Because it brings us closer and moves us. This message guided us through in-person and online actions, including an unforgettable event at MASP – Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, a cultural landmark in São Paulo, with reunited those who have been and still are a part of the institute’s history. It was also on this occasion that we launched our institutional video. Watch it here!

A legacy for the future: Promoting Philanthropy Endowment

This historical year was the perfect moment to make an age-old dream come to reality: the creation of the Promoting Philanthropy Endowment. This is the first Brazilian fund dedicated to strengthening philanthropy and giving culture in the country. With a solid financial foundation, we can guarantee project sustainability, multiply initiatives and reach even more people, promoting long-lasting changes. This is a legacy that belongs to all of those who believe in the transformative power of philanthropy. 

The endowment closed of the year of 2024 with a patrimony of 9.3 million BRL (approximately 1.52 million USD), which was a result of contributions of varying amounts and a matching made with the donation received from american philanthropist, MacKenzie Scott.

Want to be a part of this history? Click here to donate

Concrete results in an intense year

Our actions are based on a tripod. Our action pillars, advisory, knowledge and social impact projects, have brought us to where we are today. In offering advisory, we followed our mission of supporting social investors to generate more impact through their philanthropic journey. Through the generation of knowledge we have elaborated for the sector materials with the best practices and data so that organizations can generate more positive impact. Moreover, when developing social impact projects with our partners, we were able to deliver actions that strengthen the philanthropic ecosystem as well as giving culture, benefiting organizations, communities and people. Each pillar fuels the others.

This year only, our advisory team carried out 47 projects in areas such as strategic planning, ESG agenda, endowments, grantmaking management and impact assessment. We were also able to maintain an average score of over 9 when it came to client reviews, with a high index of recommendations, reflecting our commitment to the quality of projects.

Get to know some success cases here!

Together with Instituto MOL, we launched Commitment 1%, inspired by the North American movement Pledge 1%. So far, 15 companies have already committed to the movement, including those who already donate at least 1% of their annual net profit and those who have committed to reaching this donation level within two years. The initiative is supported by partners such as Cyrela, Instituto Cyrela, PwC and RD Saúde, as well as other companies from the sector who are a part of the consulting committee.

Through the program Transforming Territories, which is dedicated to strengthening community institutes and foundations in Brazil, we brought together participants from all over the country in São Paulo for the Transforming Territories Seminar. (which compiles four years of experience from this project – ‘How to create a community foundation or institute’ – (available exclusively in Portuguese). This practical guide was developed based on the examples of those who have already transformed their communities.

Representatives of the participants of the Transforming Territories program. Credit: André Porto.

We expanded Together for Health, a partnership with BNDES which will allocate more than 100 million BRL (around 16.4 million USD) to strengthen public health in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil in a 4 year period. Through donations from BNDES and other supporters, the program will benefit 14 civil society organizations committed to the healthcare of users from the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). 

Great advances were also made through advocacy. While leading the Brazilian Endowment Coalition, we achieved an important victory: the approval of Law 2,440/23 at the Committee on Economic Affairs (CAE) of the Senate, and now it follows to the Chamber of Deputies. We also joined the Alliance for the Strengthening of Civil Society, led by Beja Institute, working for the inclusion of this agenda in the Brazilian Tax Reform.

Throughout the year, we launched 39 diverse knowledge contents, including publications such as Perspectives for Brazilian Philanthropy; Private Social Investment: Strategies that leverage the ESG Agenda and the 3rd edition of the Endowment Performance Yearbook, reaching more than 80,000 people. A highlight of the year was also the realization of another edition of the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum, which, once again, reunited more than a thousand people in person and online. We also attended a number of local and global events such as Global Philanthropy Forum, African Philanthropy Forum, Impact Minds (Latimpacto) and Foundations for the Future (United Kingdom).

People and Diversity

With growing projects, also came a growing team. We closed the year with 53 people on our staff. Actions related to people keep this movement going – we had our second internship program, implemented a mentoring program and a development program aimed at leadership figures. An effort was also made to strengthen the IDIS Alumni network, composed of people who have previously worked with us, and who may continue to contribute to the achievement of our mission even from afar.

With three years of existence, our Diversity Committee promoted hearings, teachings and the third edition of the IDIS Census. Amongst its results, the survey identified an increase of 13 percentage points in the proportion of non-white people on the team, when compared to the previous year. Furthermore, among the actions carried out by the committee were a training session with Cida Bento for the board members, as well as a talk with Viviane Moreira with the IDIS leadership group.

Management and Sustainability

Keeping up with IDIS’ growth, we implemented new operational and financial processes. Internal policies have also been updated and a great deal of effort has gone into mapping risks and developing a framework with guidelines on how to deal with each risk identified.

We also completed our strategic planning process which will contemplate the next three years. 

Recognitions

For the fifth year, we were recognized as one of Brazil’s best NGOs and, for the second time, as the best NGO in Philanthropy, Volunteering and Support to Civil Society Organizations in Brazil.

On Giving Tuesday, the highlight was Find Your Cause, an IDIS project in partnership with Instituto MOL. Through a partnership with Globo and their platform ParaQuemDoar, we were featured in all of the group’s vehicles, with the right to a promotional video!

It is always very exciting to write this retrospective, looking back at some of the main events of the year. It wasn’t easy, but it was a team effort.

To our team, board members, partners, supporters, family and friends: thank you very much! Each and every one of you is essential to this journey. 

May 2025 bring hope, courage and achievement to us all.

Love, 

Paula Fabiani

Philanthropic Funds: Definitions, types and how to differentiate them

*By Letícia dos Santos, project analyst at IDIS

The effort to create a more culturally, socially, and institutionally favorable and fertile environment for philanthropy involves creating structures and mechanisms that can channel philanthropic capital, answering to the motivations and objectives of social investors, while strengthening causes and organizations of public interest.

This is the case of philanthropic funds, instruments created for raising and distributing resources which have increasingly become an alternative for companies, civil society and public institutions that seek to act quickly and robustly to minimize damage in emergency situations, unite efforts and enable social agendas, or ensure the sustainability of institutions and causes in a long-lasting way.

Philanthropic funds are created to receive donations, which may come from different sources and which are destined to provide sustainability to causes or to specific organizations. The basic foundation of philanthropic funds is to, on one hand, ensure reliability in the management and resource allocation process and, on the other hand, create, strengthen or diversify the source of resources for socio-environmental ends. Despite this general basis, they can take on different shapes and functions depending on its goals, which may hinder the understanding of what is a philanthropic fund and its different types.

In this article, we propose the classification of philanthropic funds based on their timeframe, dividing them into three types: temporary funds, permanent or continuous funds and endowment funds.

 

Temporary funds

 

In general, temporary funds are created to respond to urgent socio-environmental situations. They are designed to act during a determined time frame, aim to answer emergency demands and normally operate as wide fundraising mechanisms as a way to provide an immediate and significant response. The creators of these types of funds don’t always have a direct connection with the supported cause or institution but possess strong leadership and great mobilization capacity. 

Examples of temporary funds are those created during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the Health Emergency Fund. Created by IDIS, Movimento Bem Maior and BSocial, in 2020, the initiative aimed to strengthen the public health sector’s ability to fight the coronavirus. In seven months, the fund raised BRL 40,4 million (equivalent to about USD 8 million in that year) which were designated to the purchasing of hospital equipment, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health professionals, medications and COVID-19 tests. (To know more, check out the Health Emergency Fund report and how to create an Emergency Fund, available only in Portuguese). 

Temporary funds have also been used to minimize negative impacts caused by climate emergencies. The examples include funds created to support and reconstruct the communities impacted by the floods that hit Rio Grande do Sul – a Brazilian state – in May of 2024, leaving 497 municipalities impacted and 150,000 people displaced. One of them, called RegeneraRS, created by Instituto Helda Gerdau in partnership with Din4mo Lab, despite its temporary nature, aims to support the development of long-term solutions to strengthen the local communities. 

Another example is Together for Health, an initiative of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), managed by IDIS, with the prospect of raising and distributing BRL 200 million until 2026 (approximately, USD$ 32,9 million). The fund acts to expand access to healthcare in the north and northeast regions of Brazil through notices and structured promotion. To that end, it operates through a matchfunding system, in which for every BRL donated by a supporter, BNDES will donate another BRL to the fund.

 

Permanent or continuous funds

 

The second type of funds are the permanent ones which aim to enable and strengthen a cause or institution continuously. Creators of these types of funds are usually closer related or aligned with the cause in question. Although these causes may be just as complex as those that are supported by temporary funds, they are seen as less urgent. Examples include matters such as equity or equality, democracy and environmental preservation. 

These funds are instrumental in mobilizing a large number of grantmakers or organizations (them being formally recognized legally or not, such as social movements) around the promotion of causes. When it comes to permanent funds, ELAS+, Agbara Fund and Pacto pela Democracia are examples of those funds created by civil society initiatives and which are dedicated to social justice. 

As for corporate social investment initiatives, the Fundo de Investimento Social Privado pelo Fim das Violências Contra Mulheres e Meninas from Avon Institute in collaboration with Accor, represents the transition from a fund initially conceived as a temporary one during the COVID-19 pandemic – when domestic violence against girls and women increased – and which became permanent afterward. It became a strategic instrument for the Institute due to its promotion of the defense of women’s fundamental rights. 

Not only in temporary but also permanent funds, the resources that compose them are totally distributed to their own philanthropic purposes. This occurs through a continuous flow of financial and programmatic management, with the aim of ensuring the total allocation of the funds raised.

 

Endowment funds 

 

Endowment funds are destined to promote long-term financial sustainability for causes and institutions supported. Unlike temporary and permanent philanthropic funds, its operations are not supported by the use of the funds raised, but instead by the management of these resources to generate earnings which will then be put towards the philanthropic activities of the fund. The goal is to ensure the preservation of the retained wealth to allow periodic withdrawals to support the public interest causes or institutions. 

In Brazil, this mechanism gained strength especially since 2019, with the enactment of the Endowment Fund Law (Law 13,800/2019), which, as well as creating an institutional and safe environment for its operation, brought visibility for the matter and its importance. In addition, the law also regulated the partnership between the endowment managing organizations and the supported institutions who may be private or public entities. 

Major Brazilian endowment funds were founded before the creation of the law, such as the ones from Bradesco Foundation and Fundação Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal. These funds, created with the goal of building the private social investor’s legacy, are more than 50 years old. 

Among other reasons to create an endowment fund are also the promotion of more independence and operational stability for organizations in the long-term, which is the case with the Promoting Philanthropy Endowment, created by IDIS to expand the impact of strategic philanthropy and so, promoting more positive social transformations. 

When it comes to public institutions, many of the biggest state and federal Brazilian universities have been building their own endowment funds with the goal to promote even greater academic excellence through university extension projects, support for students sustainability in classes and other initiatives, such as the USP Endowment Fund

Although philanthropic endowment funds can be divided into different types, in reality, many organizations use a combination of permanent and long-lasting funds for their projects and operations, meanwhile, temporary funds can, eventually, transform into permanent or long-lasting ones. 

Therefore, the first thing to be determined when structuring a fund is its purpose: what is the goal for the mobilized resources? From this definition, one is able to outline the possible management and allocation of these resources to achieve the established philanthropic goal, comprehending the origins of those resources and the stakeholders involved in this arrangement.

The power of SDG 17: collaboration as the base of a resilient future

The article was originally published on the website ‘Um Só Planeta’ 

by Guilherme Sylos, Prospection Director at IDIS; and Marcel Fukayama é  Co-founder of Sistema B Brasil and Member of the Board at IDIS.

Collectivity has always been an important value for society’s advancement. No wonder, it is part of the popular imagination in children’s tales and fables and through sayings like ‘unity makes strength’. It is not surprising the almost intuitive effort of adults to teach young people from an early age the importance of collectivity, as life in society is intrinsically linked to collaboration and mutual support. That principle, as basic as it may sound, needs to be constantly reinforced so that we can reach common resolutions for shared problems.

The United Nations (UN) considered this when defining the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The concept is heavily reflected in SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals, which highlights the importance of partnerships as a means to accelerate and ensure sustainable development. It is precisely this last SDG that underlies and strengthens all the others.

However, data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (in portuguese, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística – IBGE), reveals that, of the 24 indicators monitored by Brazil related to SDG 17, only six have been fully elaborated so far, while thirteen of them are under development or analysis. With only six years left to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda, partnerships could be our answer to find part of the missing solutions by combining resources, knowledge, and experiences.

Creating connections between governments, companies, and organized civil society generates the strength to face challenges that would be insurmountable individually. Let’s consider, for example, strategic philanthropy. As the name itself suggests, it involves the strategic allocation of private resources for public benefit. These resources strengthen initiatives and solutions that would not always be feasible solely through state efforts, in addition to being more flexible, allowing the use of experimental approaches and the development of creative solutions to complex problems. The practice, in itself, is already very powerful when it comes to social impact.

It turns out that strategic philanthropy can be even more effective when supported by strong partnerships with other sectors, rather than remaining closed in on itself. Collaborations enhance the impact made by initiatives, making them more long-lasting and sustainable. 

While governments hold regulatory power and public sector resources, philanthropic organizations contribute with a strategic view, agility, and private resources that promote social impact. Civil society, on the other hand, brings a direct perspective from the community, guiding the final allocation of resources and ensuring that solutions are truly aligned with the needs of the population.

One example that highlights the success of this type of partnership is Together for Health. Launched in 2023, the Program is an initiative of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) managed by IDIS. In partnership with private donors, the Program seeks to gather funds to support and strengthen the Unified Health System (SUS) in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil. The perspective is that, by 2026, approximately BRL 200 million non-reimbursable (BRL100 million from partners and BRL100 million from BNDES) will be allocated to health projects that aim to benefit care activities for populations living in these regions of the country, including primary care services; medium and high complexity; urgent and emergency services and diagnostic support. For every real donated by other institutions, BNDES contributes with another real, in a matchfunding style.

The challenge is not simple, since managing these many stakeholders is a complex operation. To achieve the goal of Together for Health, it was necessary to create multiple connections between the private initiative, the public sector (Ministry of Health, municipal and state health departments) and civil society organizations that will be responsible for executing the projects supported by the Program. So far, the program has already allocated approximately BRL 96 million in resources, aimed at three projects that, together, will reach more than 300 cities.

Another great brazilian example of collective action and networking on behalf of structural changes is the global Catalyst 2030 movement, composed of about 127 social entrepreneurs and innovators committed to improve the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In Brazil, the group joined in 2023 the ‘National Strategy Committee for an Impact Economy ’ (in portuguese, Comitê da Estratégia Nacional para Economia de Impacto – ENIMPACTO), to which it presented a proposal letter of how the network can contribute even further with public policies and the strengthening of the solutions. 

An additional example highlights how the partnership between the corporate sector and the social sector can create new paradigms. In 2023, three B Corps: real estate developer MagikJC, insurance company Gaia Group and venture builder Din4mo, created the Organized System for Affordable Housing (in portuguese, Sistema Organizado para Moradia Acessível – SOMA), a non-profit organization that aims to offer social housing in urban centers.

The project has raised BRL15 million in an operation in São Paulo’s Stock Exchange Market (B3) in a real estate receivables certificate (in portuguese, certificado de recebível imobiliário – CRI) with investors such as Gerdau, Votorantim, Dexco, Movida and P4 Engenharia. The resources raised enabled the construction of a building in Largo do Arouche and is now providing social living services to vulnerable families. 

We must recognize the essential role of joining forces and resources as well as collaborative work so that we can move towards a more inclusive, equitable and regenerative future.

Paula Fabiani, CEO of IDIS, is now PhD on strategic corporate philanthropy. Check out the full thesis!

Nowadays, it is increasingly relevant for companies to take measures that take into consideration social and environmental consequences of their actions. According to the ‘Corporate giving by the FTSE 100’ report made by CAF (Charities Aid Foundation), 69% of the public believe businesses have an obligation to support their local communities.

With that in mind, Paula Fabiani, CEO of IDIS, is now a PhD, having completed a thesis in which she researched about the Corporate Donation Chain approach and the potential it has to enhance strategic corporate philanthropy.  She completed her Ph.D. in Operations Management and Sustainability at Fundação Getúlio Vargas / São Paulo School of Business Administration.

 

“Academia has the power to transform. Through scientific rigor, which lends credibility to the academic world, research and publications have the potential to contribute to the creation of a better world. This is precisely one of my commitments: to always seek a deeper understanding of issues that can contribute to our society […] Through the lens of stakeholder’s engagement, I tried to help corporations to adopt a more strategic approach to their philanthropic activities”, says Fabiani.

The full thesis can be accessed in full here.

Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2024: how to participate

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!