By Monica C. Ribeiro
In this third article about the 10 years of the Philanthropy Network for Social Justice (RFJS), we will address the donation made by North American philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, worth U$ 3.86 billion to 465 social organizations in different countries around the world. Of these, 15 Brazilian organizations were selected to receive donations, and among them five are members of RFJS – Fundo Brasil, Fundo Baobá, Fundo Casa Socioambiental, Fundo Elas+ and Redes da Maré.
When announcing the donation and the selected organizations, Mackenzie Scott described on his blog: “When our donor team focuses on any system where people are struggling, we don't assume that we, or any other group, can know how to fix it. We do not advocate specific policies or reforms. Instead, we seek a portfolio of organizations that support the ability of all people to participate in solutions. This means a focus on the needs of those whose voices have been underrepresented.”
Ana Valéria, superintendent of the Brazil Fund, assesses that the way in which Scott makes donations is very bold, modern and different in relation to what great North American philanthropists do, with the systematic promotion of an investigation into results promoted by organizations and trust in these good works.
“It's a completely different way of doing things, which reveals a desire to truly empower those who are receiving the resources. This donation comes with the message that she has seen what these organizations are doing, likes their work, and wants them to continue doing what they think should be done. This is thinking completely outside the box. I hope this can create an example for other philanthropists. Transformation is putting resources in the hands of those who are doing the right thing and trusting the work of organizations.”
She also highlights Scott's view of Brazil and his reading of the world: “Brazil thus shows itself to be a relevant country for the world, especially due to its socio-environmental issues. She [Scott] recognizes this, makes choices within Brazil, and among these choices are five social justice funds that are part of the RFJS. It placed resources in organizations at the front end, but also at the back, to spread resources even further. It is an exceptional vision from the point of view of the political reading that it makes, of how the resource can effectively benefit and bring transformation.”
Giovanni Harvey, executive director of the Baobá Fund, highlights that the type of donation practiced by Scott raises the level of understanding about the concept, meaning and practice of philanthropy, as it recognizes and respects the knowledge and experience of the institutions that They work on the front line, regardless of their role in the ecosystem.
“The vote of confidence given by Mrs. Mackenzie Scott is as important as the billions of dollars she has donated in recent years. This donation represents recognition of the seriousness and competence with which Brazilian organizations work towards the causes and purposes that guide them. In this context, the donations that benefited five institutions of the Philanthropy Network for Social Justice represent a strong indicator of the types of causes and visions of the future that are mobilizing the vanguard of philanthropy in the world.”
For the Baobá Fund, Scott's donation is a 'watershed' in the process of establishing a endowment of R$ 250 million: “It will be from this level that the Baobá Fund will be able to expand its programmatic impact and increase its capacity to finance, through dividends resulting from its financial investments, initiatives that tackle the 'hard core' of structural racism in Brazil ”, defines Giovanni.
Changing the default logic of philanthropy
Amalia Fischer, general coordinator of the Elas+ Donate to Transform Fund, reinforces the importance of the philanthropist's direct donation and full trust in the work of the selected organizations: “The logic with which social justice funds and community foundations donate is exactly this. It means moving beyond the logic of small projects to support the sustainability of organizations. And why support sustainability? For social justice funds, this is important because what is being strengthened, at the same time, is also democracy in the country and in the world. It’s as if Mackenzie Scott is paying homage to these funds and foundations, recognizing their work.”
Amalia highlights that the Fund has 22 years of experience with grantmaking this year, investing in the protagonism of organizations, collectives, women's groups and LBTI people. In this sense, she points out that Scott's recognition does not only come from Elas+ Doar para Transformar, but also from the work of the organizations that receive donations from the fund.
“It’s an interconnection. The donated resources strengthen us as a fund, and this also strengthens all the organizations we support. It's like a cascade effect, in which resources go where they need to go and we form a positive network for everyone. When it invests in us and leaves us free to apply resources to our strategies, knowledge, methodologies, in short, it gives a great vote of confidence. Our mission is to provide philanthropy aimed at women, especially those who do not have access to resources, which are black women, lesbians, indigenous peoples, trans women and men. Scott leaves us the freedom to choose how we fulfill our mission.”
Cristina Orphêo, executive director of the Casa Socioambiental Fund, defines Scott's donation as a 'watershed in philanthropy', which selects organizations based on the type of work carried out and not based on their own programs and agendas, and highlights, as Amalia Fischer, the freedom to use donated resources, which helps to truly meet the needs that each organization has.
“She is a sensitive donor for social justice, who is bold in the method and form of donating considerable amounts to each organization, recognizing that these organizations know where and how to invest resources. This donation to Brazilian organizations is almost a seal of excellence for the work they carry out and, mainly, for the cause, especially in the case of funds that work with socio-environmental justice. It is a recognition of the work carried out by the funds which, even within Brazil, being very close to the field of philanthropy in general, is difficult to achieve.”
Cristina also points out that Scott's donation represents the leading role of social justice funds in philanthropy and, at the same time, raises questions about the difficulties of Brazilian philanthropy in general in supporting socio-environmental justice.
“Why don’t we increase our support with Brazilian resources. On the contrary, we decreased. This donation shows how it is possible to do things differently. We hope that this donation can provoke reflection in the field and that more dialogues can arise about how to increase the resource base that reaches communities, especially at this time in Brazil of so many loss of rights and the spread of hunger. We believe that innovations need to appear in the field of philanthropy – new ways of doing things, with less attachments, less competition and more collaboration and trust.”
