Ibirapitanga Institute (Ibirapitanga) is an organization dedicated to the defense of fundamental rights and the deepening of democracy in Brazil. Since 2017, it has supported initiatives through its two programs: Racial Equity and Food Systems. Through donations, the Ibirapitanga supports Brazilian civil society organizations, movements and collectives that wish to produce positive structural transformations in the country. To do so, it values their autonomy and institutional strengthening, and seeks to build relationships of trust and provide flexibility and openness to experimentation. Founded by filmmaker Walter Salles, Ibirapitanga operates with its own resources from the proceeds of an equity fund.
Why We Invested
Supporting the Ibirapitanga Institute is part of our strategy that is systemic, informed and co-created with people we intend to serve. Our investment subsidizes two strategies around the defense and promotion of affirmative action and the redress of social inequalities. Some of this work includes increasing the participation of the Black population at university environments, highlighting the racial imbalance of faculty at higher education institutions, supporting Black collectives in the country's universities, expanding shared references about reparation policies in Brazil and abroad, and building new narratives and images about whiteness.