Trust is essential for funding civil society in the Global South, enabling grassroots leaders to deliver transformative social and climate impact in their communities.

By Ana Valéria Araújo*

In contexts shaped by deep inequalities, institutional violence, and democratic setbacks, social movements, grassroots collectives, and community organizations not only resist the dismantling of the democratic ecosystem but also propose collective paths to advance rights and build a fairer country.

At the same time, accessing resources and sustaining this grassroots mobilization has historically been difficult. In the Global South, local philanthropic mechanisms work to fill this gap. Independent local and community funds are a central strategy for mobilizing resources, overcoming bureaucratic barriers, and channeling funding to communities and their territories in ways that drive innovation and provide solutions to challenges faced by society as a whole.

For the past 18 years, the Brazil Human Rights Fund has been building and refining a methodology grounded in trust in the solutions created by grassroots civil society in Brazil. This methodology combines financial grants with tailored technical support, training, capacity building, and opportunities to strengthen networks and joint initiatives, with the aim of boosting the vital work carried out by groups and collectives.

We have awarded more than R$ 100 million (~ US$ 20 million) to support over 2,000 projects across all regions of the country, with particular attention to organizations facing barriers to accessing funding. This approach is grounded in genuine listening and dialogue, in a non-negotiable respect for the autonomy of grantees, and in a commitment to strengthening their institutional capacity.

This methodology is based on a unique approach that sees human rights as a cross-cutting concept present in all fundamental causes in Brazilian society. It is the result of our own history. The Brazil Human Rights Fund was founded by experienced human rights activists with the goal of creating a funding mechanism deeply rooted in the country, capable of bringing leaders from across the human rights field into the heart of funding decisions.

This is a model of participatory philanthropy that has continuously improved its practices and is now reflected across many levels, from the foundation’s governance structure to the grant selection committees, which are composed of respected and recognized activists in their respective fields.

This extensive experience in supporting the autonomy and strengthening of civil society makes local and community funds and foundations in Brazil and across the Global South key partners in the urgent struggle to overcome inequalities and exclusions on a global scale. It also positions us, as part of this architecture, as central actors in advancing climate justice, a cause in which the peoples and communities of the Global South play a decisive role.

Unfortunately, while local and community funds develop long-term support strategies that strengthen civil society and expand the scale of its positive impact, the resources available to them remain uncertain and often insufficient to ensure the continuity of their initiatives. A central challenge faced by these funds is the nature of the resources available. Grants from the Global North to mechanisms in the South are often marked by unstable flows and limited timeframes.

It’s urgent to rethink this model. Truly supporting civil society in the Global South requires more than sporadic funding. It demands political and institutional commitment from international funders to engage in longer-term partnerships and work alongside their peers to expand the volume of resources allocated to independent philanthropy in the South.

It also means recognizing and trusting the experience built by initiatives such as the Brazil Human Rights Fund, their ability to connect with rights-based movements, and their critical contribution to keeping civic space alive in complex contexts, even under authoritarian governments or in times of crisis, such as the pandemic.

International funders must commit to strengthening this support infrastructure for civil society, recognizing its strategic value and helping to ensure its sustainability. Trust-based relationships, as shown by experiences in the Global South, are key to building lasting partnerships, meaningful change, and a viable future.

*Human rights and Indigenous peoples’ rights lawyer, executive director of the Brazil Human Rights Fund, and member of the governance board of the Comuá Network