Brazil knows how to give. But does it know how to fund long-term transformation?

The question may seem contradictory in light of the numbers. According to the 2024 Brazil Giving Survey, published by IDIS in 2025, 78% of Brazilian adults surveyed made some form of donation. The estimated total of individual monetary donations to nonprofit organizations reached BRL 24.3 billion.

But there is an important difference between mobilizing solidarity and building a culture of sustained funding. The same survey reveals that only 30% of respondents believe most NGOs are trustworthy. Meanwhile, the proportion of people who say they support the same organizations every year fell from 69% in 2015 to 49% in 2024.

The challenge is not simply to persuade more people to give. It is to build relationships capable of sustaining the work of civil society organizations.

One response comes from what is known as trust-based philanthropy. Under this model, funders provide more flexible resources, long-term support, and greater autonomy for organizations to define their own priorities.

In the United States, MacKenzie Scott has become a leading example of this approach. In 2025, she donated USD 7.17 billion, prioritizing substantial grants and organizations that, in many cases, had already received her support.

In Brazil, recent initiatives reflect a growing emphasis on institutional strengthening.

The Brazil Human Rights Fund (Fundo Brasil de Direitos Humanos) launched the Fortalecendo Direitos e Gestando um Mundo Novo grant program, with plans to allocate up to BRL 1 million to 20 organizations, groups, and collectives in 2026. The funding can be used for staffing, management, communications, and other strategic needs, allowing organizations to set their own priorities.

The Baobá Fund for Racial Equity (Fundo Baobá) also launched a new edition of the Marielle Franco Program, with plans to fund ten Black women's organizations, providing financial resources and ongoing support to strengthen their institutional capacity.

These experiences demonstrate that funding an organization means more than covering project costs. It also means investing in its capacity for management, collaboration, advocacy, and long-term sustainability.

This does not eliminate the need for transparency and evaluation. Rather, it requires a broader understanding of social impact, one that goes beyond immediate results.

The future of philanthropy will depend less on the distinction between funding projects and funding institutions, and more on the ability to bring together resources, knowledge, and influence to drive transformations that no single organization could achieve on its own.

Make the opening more provocativeClarify the trust problem