Community Foundations and Community Social Investment: A Movement to Contribute to Social Justice in Brazil

Jaqueline de Camargo, Senior Fellow, International Fellows Program ~ 2008

Abstract

The paper builds upon the assumption that, despite the relatively weak growth of community foundations in Latin America, that there is a place for a strong community foundation movement in Brazil.  Indeed, the author argues that the already existing community foundations and community foundation-like organizations in Brazil are carrying the seeds of the larger global movement and will be able to adapt the concept so that it fits with local, regional and national realities.  She maintains that working to build community foundation-like organizations will be a fruitful way to broadly engage community leaders and youth leaders, in a systematic and systemic way.  Such a movement, by improving the conditions for sustainability and autonomy for social initiatives, would strengthen the perspective of “social justice” that nowadays, according to the author, is one of the most relevant aspects of the concept of community foundations.

The paper concludes with recommendations proposing the “action-learning” methodology, which includes the perspectives and knowledge of community social investments stakeholders.  The proposed next steps would include the development of a strategic action plan for the purpose of clarifying and strengthening the community foundation (CF) concept in Brazil.  This would best be developed by a group of representatives from existing CF and CF-like initiatives in Brazil, with contributions from global, regional and community-based social investment leaders, as well as from youth representatives, The aim would be to build on existing impulses for philanthropic and community social investment, bolstering community capacity to face the challenges and the opportunities for social inclusion, with inter-generational, inter-sector, multi-racial and social development perspectives.

To request the full version of the paper, please click here.