15 years of Grantmaking and Community Philanthropy

By Cristina Orpheo – Executive Director of the Casa Socioambiental Fund

We live on a connected planet. What happens in our communities, whether in the city, in the countryside or in the forest, can reflect on all territories and affect the lives of the beings that live here.

It is everyone's right to actively participate in decision-making involving their territories. It is also everyone's right to seek ways to live well, in a way that respects the traditional way of life, as well as the surrounding ecosystems, always defending their rights. Most of the time, this is not that simple, but it is the path to building a just and peaceful society. This is democracy! A strengthened, attentive and participatory civil society is a sign of a consolidated democracy. We live in Brazil in a young democracy and, therefore, vulnerable in several aspects.

In January 2005, the Casa Socioambiental Fund was born, with the clear objective of strengthening democratic processes and promoting socio-environmental justice through financing projects and strengthening the capabilities of community-based groups. We cannot talk about social justice without talking about the democratization of access to philanthropic resources. Building means so that resources can be accessed by collectives, movements, networks or small associations, following current legislation and seeking standards of good financial management practices is the challenge and commitment assumed by Fundo Casa. Enable philanthropy resources to reach the most distant actors, those invisible, or at least inaccessible to the eyes of traditional philanthropy.

In 2019, Fundo Casa, with 1,706 supported initiatives and R$ 25,243,860.32 (US$ 9,021,755.12), hired evaluation specialist Graciela Hopstein to carry out a broad evaluation in its Programmatic Project Support area, and thus , better understand the results obtained throughout this long history.

The evaluation resulted in an in-depth x-ray of:

• the profile of the groups we support

• the location of these groups

• the main activities financed during this period

• the impacts generated by these initiatives

To reach these results, a broad process of analyzing internal reports was carried out, as well as interviews with a wide range of actors, from the founders to financiers, partners, supported groups, staff and coordinators of the different programs.

The result was incredible! Among several notes, the study showed that the most supported themes were:

• capacity development – indicated by 88% of the groups;

• debates and articulations with different actors – indicated by 76% of the groups;

• articulation with public policies – indicated by 63% of the groups;

• participation in decision-making processes – indicated by 56% of the groups;

• protection/conservation of the territory – indicated by 54% of the groups.

Click here to read the publication Our History in Numbers

The study highlighted a strong and intrinsic connection between socio-environmental issues and human rights: 70% of the supported groups act in the field of human rights; 65% with gender issues; 60% with poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation, and 55% with the direct connection between human rights and environmental conservation.

The evaluation also indicated that the resources donated by the Casa Socioambiental Fund are not the only means of financing the organizations and groups we support, but that the actors mobilize resources from the communities themselves, offer their volunteer time, among other forms of support. Some are also able to access sponsorships and other external investments. Even so, we saw that, in 39% of the cases, Fundo Casa was the first external supporter. We know that we have an essential role in making these initiatives visible so that they can attract new resources. For those who are a little more experienced, we have also seen that its main sources of funding are donations from third parties, mainly local funds, and, to a lesser extent, national and international private foundations.

The evaluation also recognized some “assets” that the Casa Fund has built over the 15 years of operation:

• Strong network performance – The work carried out by Fundo Casa is connected with networks that exist in the territories and based on relationships of trust established with local groups and socio-environmental movements. This provides a horizontal model in relationships and donation processes.

• Assertive methodology – The entire process of selection, approval and monitoring of projects relies on a large collaborative network in the territories, which exponentially enhances our capillarity and reach to the most distant groups.

• Focus on donations – The Casa Fund reaches more than 70% in direct donations to community groups in some of the years evaluated. This proves that we operate using a methodology that provides significantly reduced operating costs, while prioritizing activities related to our mission as a donor.

• Capacity Building – Capacity Strengthening actions developed with the groups are considered strategic and complementary to the support.

• Protagonism of communities – Action is based on the recognition of communities as political subjects, protagonists of local transformation processes.

• Innovation and listening – Support for pioneering themes, and the particular instinct in recognizing demands and needs of communities, are other major assets of Fundo Casa, mentioned by various actors.

The Casa Fund is part of a category of community funds and foundations, also called grantmakers, which support various initiatives in the areas of social justice, human rights and citizenship. By not being tied to convention, these community funds and foundations can be sources of innovation and boldness. By financing pioneering themes with a great vision of the future, in addition to encouraging discussion and dialogue, they enable important innovations in social solutions and the inspiration of public policies that are highly beneficial for groups and communities.

With this diagnosis and its revelations, we hope that our experience contributes to the field of philanthropy as a whole, revealing the work of hundreds of community groups that build a better world. More than anything, we want this story told in numbers, which demonstrates irrefutable positive impacts, to inspire other actors in the field of philanthropy to consider similar approaches. Supporting actions led by the communities most vulnerable to social injustice and environmental destruction strengthens their voices. Investing in true protagonists is the shortest way to achieve the transformations we want to see in the world.

We invite everyone to discover the publication Our History in Numbers.

Good reading!

Article originally published at: https://casa.org.br/15-anos-fazendo-grantmaking-e-filanthropia-comunitaria/