The following presentation was made by Christopher Harris at the first international meeting of the Network of Independent Funds for Social Justice, in Rio de Janeiro, held from July 8 to 10, 2015. The meeting gathered funds, foundations and activists from a number of countries to discuss the steps needed to construct a collective strategy to strengthen the field of philanthropy for social justice in Brazil and Latin America more widely.

Thank you Ana.  I have been asked to give a global tour of philanthropy for social justice in only 15 minutes.  Please fasten your seatbelt and get ready for takeoff.

Before we look globally let’s take a minute to understand better what we mean by “philanthropy for social justice.”  It has several necessary components:

A new phenomenon is unfolding in Brazilain civil society – a new breed of indegenous grassroots grant makers is emerging that supports the movemnet for human rights and social justice in the country. Ten of these foundations are united in the Network of Independent Funds for Social Justice (NIFSJ)- Brazil or Rede de Fundos Independentes para a Justiça Social. Their aim is to increase funding for social justice, gender and racial equity, socio-environmental and community rights.

We spoke to Cindy Lessa, coordinator of NIFSJ, about the aspirations of the network for building a new philanthropic culture in Brazil.

PSJP: How is the philanthropy practiced by members of your network different from the dominat philanthropic trends in Brazil?