APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
See the results of the call for proposals here.
OVERVIEW
In recent months, Brazil has witnessed a series of setbacks in the field of human rights. Fundamental rights guaranteed to all Brazilians under the 1988 Constitution have been increasingly undermined by an extreme conservatism that systematically—and with growing confidence—relies on State violence against groups that are already vulnerable.
While 2018 ended amid deep uncertainty about the emerging landscape facing civil society organizations dedicated to defending human rights, 2019 confirmed the perception that a coordinated project had become institutionalized—one aimed at attacking, criminalizing, demobilizing, and ultimately rendering social movements and grassroots struggles in the country unviable.
Brazil Fund believes that the work carried out by groups, collectives, and civil society organizations dedicated to defending human rights must be strengthened to withstand the growing violations driven by the current political climate. We believe that supporting these groups in their efforts to resist is essential to safeguarding democratic stability in the country, without which the struggle for a dignified life for all is severely undermined.
The Brazil Fund is committed to strengthening and fostering collaboration among these civil society groups by providing resources to support projects focused on the defense of rights. We believe that the human rights cause can only succeed through the strengthening of a broad network of organizations capable of working together and bringing new momentum to this type of work.
Through the “Resistance” general call for proposals, the Brazil Fund will support groups, collectives, and civil society organizations that have limited resources and/or difficulty accessing other sources of funding (see “Eligibility Criteria,” Item 2, below). The Brazil Fund will also give special consideration to proposals that seek to foster collaboration and network-building, as well as those submitted by organizations, groups, or collectives led by young people.
PRIORITY AREAS
The “Resistance” call for proposals seeks to support initiatives aimed at addressing setbacks in the field of human rights, with a particular focus on, among others:
– Projects dedicated to defending women’s rights, with special attention to Black women, Indigenous women, and women from traditional communities. The rise of conservative ideologies across different sectors of society and spheres of power hinders the longstanding struggle for gender equality, reinforcing a scenario of normalization of rights violations that needs to be challenged;
– Projects aimed at combating different forms of violence, including State violence, against Black, Indigenous, traditional, and LGBTI+ communities, and that have been designed with an intersectional understanding of the multiple forms of oppression experienced by these groups;
– Projects aimed at defending the rights to land and territory. In recent years, the struggles of Indigenous peoples, Quilombola communities, traditional populations, rural workers, and extractive communities have intensified, as reflected in alarming levels of violence in the countryside, land conflicts, and growing threats against defenders of socio-environmental rights;
– Projects aimed at upholding the right to promote and defend Afro-Brazilian religions. The Federal Constitution enshrines freedom of conscience and of belief as a fundamental right, and it is the State’s responsibility to ensure the free exercise of all religions while combating religious intolerance and fanaticism;
– Projects focused on defending the rights of refugees—individuals who have been forced to leave their countries of origin due to conflict or persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Many refugees face recurring human rights violations, including barriers to obtaining documentation related to their migration status, as well as restricted access to employment opportunities and public health and education services;
– Projects aimed at strengthening the institutional capacity of human rights organizations working to address the dismantling of public programs and policies in the areas of education, healthcare (including its intersection with efforts to address current drug policy), and labor. Setbacks in these areas risk further deepening Brazil’s longstanding social inequalities.
FUNDING AMOUNT IN 2020
In 2020, through the “Resistance” call for proposals, the Brazil Fund will award up to BRL 800,000 (eight hundred thousand reais) in grants to projects whose objectives align with the goals of this call. The maximum grant amount is BRL 40,000 (forty thousand reais) per project, with a project period not exceeding 12 months.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
- Each organization, group, or collective may submit only one project.
- Applicant organizations, groups, or collectives must have an annual revenue of no more than BRL 700,000 (seven hundred thousand reais).
- Proposals will be accepted from individuals, as well as from non-profit organizations, groups, and collectives, even if they are not yet formally registered and/or do not have a CNPJ (Brazilian National Registry of Legal Entities number).
- Proposals submitted by government agencies, universities, international organizations, political parties, companies, or individual microentrepreneurs (MEIs) will not be considered.
IMPORTANT ASPECTS IN PROJECT SELECTION
- Alignment with the theme of the call;
- Focus on the defense of rights;
- Existence of ties and connections between the applicant organization and the groups and/or communities affected by the issue being addressed;
- Adequacy of the budget for the proposed activities;
- Innovative, unconventional approaches;
- Regional diversity.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A PROPOSAL IS SUBMITTED TO THE BRAZIL FUND?
The Brazil Fund team will conduct an initial screening of all submitted projects. Eligible proposals will then be forwarded to a Selection Committee composed of independent experts. The Committee will meet to recommend which projects should be supported. The final decisions rest with the Brazil Fund Board of Directors. The results of the selection process will be announced on the Brazil Fund website starting June 26, 2020.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT
Proposals must be submitted online. To apply, groups, collectives, and organizations should access the link below and complete all required information by 6:00 p.m. (Brasília time) on February 28, 2020.
The project application form can be accessed through the link provided at the bottom of this page.
Proposals will be accepted only through the online application system, which can be accessed via the link above.
Proposals submitted by email will not be accepted. Likewise, proposals delivered in person to the Brazil Fund’s headquarters will not be considered.
Please note that, when filling out the form and submitting your proposal, you will be required to upload at least one letter of recommendation, including the contact information of the individual(s) or organization(s) providing the reference.
Under no circumstances will late submissions be accepted.
The Brazil Human Rights Fund does not extend application deadlines.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?
Questions will be answered by email only. Please write to [email protected].
Before contacting us, please check whether your question has already been answered in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. The link can be found just above the text of the call for proposals.