The Labora – Fund for Decent Work announced on May 1, 2024, the list of 40 organizations selected for support in the 2024 Strengthening Informal Workers in the Fight for Rights call for proposals. The selected proposals come from 22 states and the Federal District, representing all five regions of Brazil.
In this second edition, 30 projects will be granted in Axis 1, for proposals aimed at strengthening and institutional development of grassroots organizations. Additionally, 10 organizations will be supported in Axis 2, focusing on proposals for advocacy to develop norms and public policies to guarantee and expand rights.
The support amount for project execution over up to one year is R$ 50,000 (around USD 10,000) for Axis 1 and R$ 100,000 (around USD 20,000) for Axis 2.
The selected grassroots organizations and collectives demonstrate the cause’s diversity and relevance. In addition to categories supported in the previous call, such as domestic workers, app-based workers, and sex workers, among others, this time, collectives of doulas and extractive workers were also selected.
See the list.
| AXIS 01 | | |
| GROUP/COLLECTIVE/ORGANIZATION | UF | REGIÃO |
| Associação dos Motofretistas Autônomos e Entregadores por Aplicativo – AMAE/DF | DF | Centro-Oeste |
| Levante Popular da Juventude do Distrito Federal e Entorno | DF | Centro-Oeste |
| Associação Grupo Colettiva Preta | GO | Centro-Oeste |
| Anprosex | BA | Nordeste |
| Associação dos Moradores da Comunidade Quilombola do Engenho da Ponte | BA | Nordeste |
| Coobase – Cooperativa de Trabalho dos Catadores Badameiros de Santo Estevão | BA | Nordeste |
| Associação dos Catadores/as de Materiais Recicláveis de Açailândia -Ascamarea | MA | Nordeste |
| Coletivo Mulheres do Polo | PE | Nordeste |
| Coletivo Vozes do Sertão | PE | Nordeste |
| Mulheres do Mangue | PE | Nordeste |
| Sindicato dos Empregados Domésticos do Estado da Paraíba | PB | Nordeste |
| Associação de Trabalhadores de Aplicativos por Moto e Bike da Região Metropolitana de Natal/RN (ATAMB) | RN | Nordeste |
| Sindicato dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras Domésticos do Estado de Sergipe | SE | Nordeste |
| Centro de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos e Educação Popular do Acre – CDDHEP | AC | Norte |
| Coletivo Miriã Mahsã de Indígenas LGBTQIA+ do Amazonas | AM | Norte |
| Grupo de Agricultores Familiares e Extrativistas do Purupuru | AM | Norte |
| Associação de Doulas do Pará | PA | Norte |
| Associação de Turismo Indígena Piracaia | PA | Norte |
| Instituto de Agroecologia Latinoamericano da Amazônia | PA | Norte |
| AMJB – Associação de Mulheres de João de Barro | RR | Norte |
| Centro de Direitos Humanos de Formoso do Araguaia – CDHF | TO | Norte |
| Associação das Prostitutas de Minas Gerais – Aprosmig | MG | Sudeste |
| Revo Entregas | RJ | Sudeste |
| Movimento Unido dos Camelôs – Muca | RJ | Sudeste |
| Sindicato dos Trabalhadores (as) Rurais Agricultores e Agricultoras Familiares de Japeri | RJ | Sudeste |
| AMILV – Associação de Mulheres Imigrantes Luz e Vida | SP | Sudeste |
| Entregadores Antifascistas | SP | Sudeste |
| Sinditd – Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Domésticos de Campinas, Paulínia, Valinhos, Sumaré e Hortolândia | SP | Sudeste |
| Observatório de Comunidades e Periferias de Santa Catarina (OcupaSC) | SC | Sul |
| Coletivo de Entregadores PedalExpress | RS | Sul |
| AXIS 02 | | |
| GROUP/COLLECTIVE/ORGANIZATION | UF | REGIÃO |
| Rede Mulheres de Comunidades Tradicionais | AL | Nordeste |
| Natrape (Nova Associação de Travestis e Pessoas Trans de Pernambuco) | PE | Nordeste |
| Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Entregadores, Empregados e Autônomos de Moto e Bicicleta por Aplicativo do Estado de Pernambuco – Seambape | PE | Nordeste |
| Federação das Trabalhadoras e Trabalhadores Domésticas da Região Amazônica -Fetradoram | PA | Norte |
| Instituto Hafama | PA | Norte |
| Associação Organização dos Seringueiros de Rondônia – OSR | RO | Norte |
| Reunes – Associação Rede de Economia Solidária dos Catadores Unidos do Espírito Santo | ES | Sudeste |
| Grupo de Emancipação e Luta Livre a Orientação Sexual – Ellos | RJ | Sudeste |
| Associação Consciência Guarani | RS | Sul |
| Instituto Somos + | RS | Sul |
The Grantmaking Committee is Labora’s highest governance body. It includes the managers of the Brazil Human Rights Fund, representatives from the Laudes Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Open Society Foundations, partners in the initiative.
Selection process overview
Upon receiving the projects, the Labora team conducted an initial screening to analyze the suitability of each proposal to the call’s scope. Among the criteria described in the call’s text, the intersectional approach to race, gender, territory, disabilities, and other social markers of difference in the struggle for decent work was crucial. The number of proposals submitted to an external Selection Committee was 164.
The panel of experts included: Camila Castro, popular educator, family farmer, and director of the Federation of Agricultural Workers of the State of Pará (Fetagri-PA); Keila Simpson, president of the National Association of Trasvestis and Transsexuals (Antra), Honorary Doctorate from UERJ, and Executive Councilor of the Brazilian Association of NGOs (Abong); Rafael Saddi, History professor at the Federal University of Goiás, formerly a waste picker and now technical support for the National Movement of Waste Pickers (MNCR); and Rosana Fernandes, Deputy Director of the National Secretariat for Combatting Racism of the Unified Workers’ Central (CUT) Brazil and Organization Specialist at the Solidarity Center.
After each project was reviewed in pairs to ensure that each proposal was read twice, the members of the Selection Committee met at the Brazil Human Rights Fund headquarters in São Paulo to collectively decide on the final number of 40 projects. The list of recommended projects was presented to the Labora Grantmaking Committee, which includes representatives from the three international foundations partnering with the Brazil Human Rights Fund on the initiative.
Regarding the reviewed projects, Keila Simpson from Antra said: “Participating in this project review shows us how much vulnerability exists throughout Brazil, as well as how many good ideas and important proposals there are. Much will not be supported simply because there are not enough resources, but Labora’s support is very important and brings a lot of strength.”
Ana Valéria Araújo, Executive Director of the Brazil Human Rights Fund and member of Labora Grantmaking Committee, highlighted the importance of the participatory methodology for selecting supported projects. “It is essential for Labora to be able to rely on people who are on the front lines, with in-depth insights into what is happening in different realities. The result reflects that Labora is willing to invest in relevant causes and to support these struggles strategically,” she said.
Fátima Mello, Program Officer at the Ford Foundation and member of the Grantmaking Committee, commented on the results. “This process is the result of very attentive and reciprocal field listening. Labora does not do what it does on its own, but rather through this contact and articulation,” she said.
With Felipe Martins
