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Olá and welcome to the third edition of Proximate Brasil.

When I stepped into the unknown with Proximate about 18 months ago, as a first-time editor in a field still learning to trust its own depth, I wasn’t sure what would unfold.

What I did know was this: I didn’t want to keep polishing old futures.

In Brazil, much of philanthropy is still trying to persuade the wealthy to become grantmakers. Meanwhile, Proximate is part of a global movement that questions the very foundations of “strategic giving” – and asks what happens when we stop privileging distant expertise and start listening to those already holding the threads of transformation.

That’s why this edition begins with proximity not just as a concept, but as a practice. In this issue:

• We’re thrilled to announce a new partnership with Rede Comuá’s Programa Saberes, a network rooted in grounded wisdom and lived experience. We open this issue with the voice of Luana Batista, who brings the depth of Saberes into dialogue with Brazil and the global north.
  

• Aline Khouri, journalist, takes us to the land – literally – through her interviews with João Paulo Pacífico and Camila Haddad, whose philanthropic work is unfolding through environmental regeneration and participatory governance on specific properties.
  

• Renata Saavedra invites us into the teachings of Indigenous knowledge systems and buen vivir – offering not a “model” for philanthropy, but a deeper rhythm we may choose to attune to.
  

• In our Q&A, Ben speaks with Maria Amalia Sousa from Fundo Casa about supporting Indigenous-led climate action through the Sociobiodiversity Web, a program channeling $9.6 million to grassroots organizations across South America.

• Finally, in my Deepening Philanthropy column co-authored with Patrícia Kunrath, we follow a thread that runs quietly (but powerfully) through every piece: the feminine in philanthropy. Not as a gendered category but a way of knowing and relating that often gets ignored in favor of “metrics” and “strategy.”

This edition is a call to slow down, to listen sideways, and to fund from the ground up, not the top down. Let it unsettle. Let it re-root. Let it move you toward what (and who) has always been proximate.

With care,
Joana Mortari
Editor, Proximate Brasil

'Ensuring that the Community Endures'

In recent years, the Brazilian indigenous movement has gained increasing recognition and visibility. But this has not necessarily translated into more resources, support, and partnerships to sustain their work. Why not?  

Renata Saavedra invites us to unlearn, attune, and imagine wealth that flows with care and reciprocity. Read here.

Land, Power, and Collectivity: New Paths Within Philanthropy

In this article, you'll meet two corageous pioneers: Gislaine Rosa, a farmer from Minas Gerais, and Camila Haddad, executive director of Próspera Social.

From transforming a cattle farm into an agroforestry paradise to rethinking the very nature of inheritance and investment, their stories illuminate a path towards a different breed of wealth – measured not in accumulation but in shared prosperity, restored landscapes, and collective decision-making. Read here.

Is it possible to say that philanthropy expresses so-called feminine characteristics?

Is feminine philanthropy changing the system—or just the optics?

In this piece, Patrícia Kunrath Silva and I reflect on the visibility of women-led philanthropic efforts and the rise of what’s often called feminist philanthropy and the paradoxes of the feminine in philanthropic spaces. Read here.

The Protagonism of Black Women in the Third Sector: Invisibility and Recognition

Luana Batista talks about how the solidarity networks built by black women throughout history are the backbone of countless vulnerable communities. And yet, their work is often invisible and unpaid, perpetuating their living conditions' precariousness and the continuity of systemic inequalities. Read here.

Research Roundup: April 2025

We know; there's a lot to read out there. We read several recent reports on shifting power in philanthropy – and pulled out the highlights Read here.

Thanks for reading!

Sign up for future Proximate Brasil newsletters here. And reach out with ideas for future field notes or stories by emailing hello@proximate.press.