To celebrate three decades of history alongside indigenous peoples, traditional peoples and communities, and family farmers, the Ecos FundThe team from the Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN), formerly known as PPP-ECOS, brought together its team, partners, funders, and project beneficiaries at the Memorial of Indigenous Peoples in Brasília on October 1st. The celebratory evening featured a surprise appearance by Chief Raoni, who delivered an inspiring speech to those present.
“You have to keep doing this work and keep fighting for the cause of keeping the forest standing. I ask that you continue seeking resources and more funders so that we can reclaim the forest and reforest everything that was destroyed by white men,” said Raoni on stage at the event.
Chief Raoni alongside ISPN coordinators Fábio Vaz, Rodrigo Noleto and Isabel Figueiredo, his translator Beptuk and historian Isabella Braga (Photo: Beatriz Braga/ISPN Archive)
In his speech, the chief, who is a partner of ISPN and a beneficiary of the Ecos Fund through the Raoni Institute, made an urgent appeal. “We are witnessing many problems here on our planet. The rivers are drying up, and this is a consequence of white men who have been destroying what the planet has.”
ISPN occupied the walls and a hall of the Memorial with the history of three decades of the Ecos Fund, constructing a hand-drawn mural representing a timeline. The first date, in 1990, refers to the founding of ISPN, which four years later was chosen by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to coordinate the Small Grants Programme (SGP) in Brazil.
Implemented with the support of its long-standing partner UNDP, the PPP has grown over the years and become PPP-ECOS, with ECOS standing for "eco-social." It has consolidated itself as a fund with a diversified portfolio of financiers. An independent fund that, in 2024, underwent a rebranding and gained a new name. Now PPP-ECOS is the Ecos Fund.
This is, incidentally, the last temporal milestone depicted on the timeline, in a mural illustrated with framed photos and drawings made in real time by the artist Daniel Jacaré. The exhibition is open to the public until November 15th, in the Memorial's hall.
Isabel Figueiredo, coordinator of the Cerrado Program at ISPN, stated that the problems identified throughout the years of hands-on work in the territories stem from the socioeconomic structure in which we are embedded. “The problems are structural, and two-year projects won't be enough to address them. That's why we need to continue and appeal to donors for more structural support,” she declared. Alongside Rodrigo Noleto, coordinator of the ISPN Community Initiatives Program, she served as master of ceremonies for the event, which included speeches from supporters, collaborators, and long-standing beneficiaries.
The Institute's founder, sociologist Donald Sawyer, highlighted the importance of exploring loopholes in the capitalist system to promote change. "It's crucial to influence public policy and the private sector, generating repercussions that extend beyond local communities."
Elisa Calcaterra, Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Brazil, highlighted the importance of partnerships for the success of social and environmental initiatives.
"The participation of civil society occupies a fundamental space in promoting sustainable development in Brazil. Brazilian civil society plays an important role in implementing initiatives in partnership with the public sector and private sector organizations, ensuring local and structural impacts on the country's environmental agenda," he stated.
The representative from the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), Alessandra Ambrósio, commented on the search for innovative and humanized solutions, citing the Ecos Fund as an example in this regard. "We have been working to ensure that these initiatives reach the heart of the communities," she said.
Representing ISPN's partner organizations: Mauro Pires (president of ICMBio), Alessandra Ambrósio (ABC) and Elisa Calcaterra (UNDP), alongside Isabel Figueiredo (ISPN) (Photo: Camila Araujo/ISPN Archive)
Executive coordinator of Central do Cerrado, Luís Carrazza worked at ISPN between 2002 and 2010. “I was invited by the cooperative members to be the manager of the cooperative in 2010. I left ISPN with a heavy heart, but these are the crossroads that life puts us in. I rolled up my sleeves, put on my cap and started organizing the Central's cocktail parties, always with a lot of support from ISPN,” he said.
Carrazza also stated that the baru nut, widely sold in Brazil and around the world and used in his cocktail menus, would not be what it is today – sold as the most nutritious in the world – if it weren't for ISPN and the Ecos Fund.
From left to right: Donald Sawyer (ISPN), Monica Nogueira (UnB), Luiz Carrazza (Central do Cerrado) and Rodrigo Noleto (ISPN) (Photo: Camila Araujo/ISPN Archive)
Joelma Soares, director-treasurer of the Vicente Nica Center for Alternative Agriculture (CAV), an organization benefiting from the Ecos Fund based in Turmalina (MG), spoke about the relevance of eco-social projects implemented in partnership with ISPN, which have already financed actions in 12 communities in the municipality.
“The communities themselves are managing the projects, and that’s something new. We’re talking about youth and female empowerment. ISPN is synonymous with life and hope,” she stated, highlighting the importance of community identity.
Marcilene Guajajara, General Coordinator of the Organizations and Networks of Indigenous Peoples of Maranhão (Coapima) A resident of the Maçaranduba Village in Maranhão emphasized the need for projects to reach the grassroots and families who need them most.
“If Coapima is structured today, it is thanks to the support of ISPN. We will always be working with you in this fight for the development that our people so desperately need,” he declared, emphasizing the urgency of practical solutions for the communities.
Mauro Pires, current president of ICMBio and technical advisor to ISPN in the 1990s, provided a historical perspective on the work of the former PPP-ECOS, now the Ecos Fund, and its support for civil society initiatives in the Cerrado. He highlighted how ISPN managed to unite different audiences and funders. "It's a joy to be part of this history," he said.
ICMBio President Mauro Pires was a technical advisor to ISPN in the 1990s (Photo: Camila Araujo/ISPN Archive)
Researcher Mônica Nogueira, from the University of Brasília (UnB), commented on her experience at ISPN. “Small is great when it opens a window to new possibilities. ISPN never abandoned the small, and this decision was very wise, contributing to the construction of new worlds to face the current collapse,” she emphasized.
Maria Senhora, from the Production and Marketing Cooperative of Family Farmers, Agro-extractivists and Artisanal Fishermen of Esperantina (TO), a beneficiary of the Ecos Fund, shared the experience of her cooperative, which began with the PPP-ECOS. “The people now take care of the water, the fire, and defend themselves against poison, thanks to the ISPN training. We still have a lot to do,” she stated hopefully.
For the Association of Breeders of the Clemente Pasture Enclosure, located in Correntina (BA), the Ecos Fund provided an experience of ancestry. "It was a leap for us as fence keepers," said Eldo Barreto, reflecting on the importance of the connection with their roots, provided by the project.
The 30th anniversary celebration of the Ecos Fund not only commemorated achievements but also strengthened the network of support and collaboration among communities, reinforcing the need for unity in the fight for a sustainable and just future for all.
The cocktail, made with fruits from the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes and products from family farms, served to the guests, was produced by the Central do Cerrado cooperative, whose founding in 2004 was driven by projects supported by the then PPP-ECOS. Following this, DJ La Ursa livened up the dance floor.
Ecos Fund
Formerly PPP-ECOS, the Ecos Fund is an independent fund from ISPN that raises resources from various funders and democratizes access to it for those who live in and conserve the Cerrado, the Amazon, and the Caatinga: indigenous peoples, traditional peoples and communities, and family farmers.
The mechanism supports community-based eco-social initiatives through calls for proposals, generally divided by region, biome, segment of traditional populations, gender, and youth. To date, 44 calls for proposals have been made possible by the Fund, which is an example of community philanthropy for socio-environmental justice.
Over the past three decades, more than 950 projects have been supported, with over US$25 million invested. The new name, chosen to facilitate understanding of the work, reflects the commitment to continue cultivating paths of transformation, fulfilling the requests of the great leader Raoni.
Text by Camila Araujo and Letícia Verdi, Communications Advisors at ISPN.