Lívia Maria
Meet Lívia Maria, program coordination for Imaginable Futures in Brazil, whose career has been deeply dedicated to advancing racial, gender, and territorial justice in Brazil.
Before joining Imaginable Futures, Lívia served as coordinator at Fundo Agbara, a fund dedicated to Black women in Brazil, where she led grant-making processes and technical training for Black women across the country, while also strengthening institutional relations with partners such as JP Morgan, BrazilFoundation, Co-Impact, and the Tide Setubal Foundation. Prior to that, she worked as an analyst at SITAWI, leading technical and financial support processes for initiatives across different regions of Brazil.
Lívia brings extensive experience in institutional strengthening, resource redistribution, and strategic communications—consistently working to amplify the visibility of grassroots organizations, and Black women-led initiatives.
Q&A
What is your biggest professional learning?
It took me a long time to build confidence in my own work. My biggest learning is to never doubt myself, and when I don’t know something, to ask. Not knowing is not a weakness; it is maturity. No one needs to know everything.
Why do you love coming to work?
I believe that education, in its fullness, is a solution to many social issues. Being able to learn from and support projects that create new pathways in their territories is what makes me love this work.
What current Imaginable Futures endeavors excite you the most?
I’m excited about the research we are supporting in Brazil that brings together race and education data that has never been analyzed before. It feels groundbreaking.
If you didn’t work at Imaginable Futures, what would you be doing?
I would be producing large cultural and artistic events!
If you could be one character from a book, who would it be and why?
I would choose Bibiana from Torto Arado, a celebrated Brazilian novel that portrays the lives, struggles, and resilience of rural Black communities in the country’s northeast. Bibiana inspires me because she embodies courage, clarity, and a deep sense of justice, even when navigating silence, loss, and systemic oppression. Her commitment to protecting her community and standing up for dignity reflects values that guide my own work and the way I show up in the world.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Since I was little, I always imagined myself working in an office. I loved pretending I was typing documents, organizing things, writing in agendas, talking to people, and answering phones.
What’s the closest thing to real magic in this world?
Children—their pure way of seeing the world feels like real magic to me.
Sunrise or sunset?
Sunrise. It reminds me that a new dawn is all you need to make things happen.
Favorite quote:
“Orí mi o ṣe rere fún mi.” A greeting in Yoruba language to the Ori (your mind/head). Meaning: May my mind be good and bring good things to me.
What do you imagine or wish for the future?
A world with more dignity, where all people can live their lives fully, with the ability to dream and love.