Brazil
For Grant Seekers
The Rio de Janeiro office makes grants throughout Brazil, with a specific focus on the Amazon region. In a few exceptional cases, we provide support to organizations based outside Brazil.
Initiatives
Expanding Community Rights Over Natural Resources
What We Fund
The foundation supports local- and national-level activities related to enforcement of laws and implementation of policies that guarantee traditional peoples’ rights over land. We fund projects to identify land demarcation, titling and management in traditional peoples and peasant communities, territories and lands in the Amazon.
Additional Selection Criteria
We do not provide support for income-generating activities, environmental education or conservation protected area management.
Advancing Media Rights and Access
What We Fund
We fund civil society institutions and projects that focus on broadening the public debate about both media rights and access, and public policies in the area of media and communications. We fund academic research groups involved in studying media policies and media observatories. We also support projects that strengthen public media services and focus on public interest and social justice content.
Additional Selection Criteria
We do not fund alternative media vehicles. We also do not provide media-related grants to individuals or fund tuition for graduate coursework.
Advancing Racial Justice and Minority Rights
What We Fund
We support civil society organizations and networks that empower afro-descendents, indigenous and traditional peoples’ leadership—particularly those working on public policy, media, human rights and advocacy. We fund programs that promote public debate on affirmative action, fundamental rights, enforcement of laws and implementation of policies relevant to these social groups. We also support efforts to challenge the persistence of discrimination and inequalities in the country.
Additional Selection Criteria
We do not provide support for culture or income generation activities, general capacity building and community level work. We do not fund individual scholarship.
Strengthening Human Rights Worldwide
What We Fund
This initiative supports flagship organizations in their efforts to develop and strengthen their global programming to promote the rights of the poorest and most marginalized. Creativity and innovation are encouraged.
Additional Selection Criteria
We do not make grants to human rights NGOs advocating for strengthened enforcement of human rights standards. We do not give direct support to governmental and intergovernmental institutions under this initiative. We also do not provide funds for human rights education.
Advancing Higher Education Access and Success
What We Fund
We support universities, academic organizations and study centers that promote the inclusion, quality performance and success of Afro-Brazilian and indigenous students and scholars in higher education.
We will also support research projects related to ethnic and racial discrimination.
Additional Selection Criteria
We do not fund individual scholarships or individual grants for research.
To Apply for a Grant
Follow these steps:
- Review the Initiatives most relevant to your work.
- Read our Grant Application Guide, in English (PDF) or Portuguese (PDF), which describes our grant-making process.
- If you determine that your work aligns with our priorities, submit a Grant Inquiry. (While we welcome submissions, please keep in mind that our funds are limited in relation to the large number of worthwhile inquiries we receive. In a typical year, less than 1 percent of unsolicited inquiries result in a grant.)
Please Note:
It is important that you use our grant inquiry form—and refrain from contacting program officers directly. Given the volume of inquiries we receive, this allows us to log, track and respond quickly to your application.
Fellowships
The vast majority of foundation grants go to organizations. Historically, we have provided a very limited number of fellowship opportunities for individuals, including the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP).
Unfortunately, IFP is no longer accepting applications. The final cohort of fellows has been selected.
The foundation does not have any other active regional fellowship opportunities at this time.
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