The Power of Partnerships
At the Lemann Foundation, our mission is to make Brazil a more just and equitable place by guaranteeing access to high-quality public education for Brazilians of all backgrounds while supporting the development of leaders committed to the social transformation of Brazil.
While we back a range of innovative home-grown initiatives in pursuit of this mission, we also recognize the immense value of leveraging the experience and expertise of international philanthropies, mission-driven organizations, and civic-minded entrepreneurs. Creating a more just and equitable Brazil is not a job for one person, nor even a job for one nation, but is a sweeping endeavor that demands active, long-term partnerships among globally-minded changemakers.
We find ourselves in a unique moment in the evolution of both Brazil and the developing world at large. Many international social impact leaders are pivoting from simple coordination to full-on collaboration in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 17 to "revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development."
To help make a global partnership for sustainable development a reality that delivers real results, we have set a range of ambitious goals to bring about a more advanced Brazil, one in which all Brazilians can realize their full potential. But we cannot achieve these goals alone, which is why we work with numerous co-investment and collaborative philanthropy partners from both Brazil and abroad.
Our Co-Investment Partners
Lemann Foundation CEO Denis Mizne on our partner-driven approach:
As foundations think more deeply about how they can increase their impact at scale, I think we will see more
organizations around the world forming partnerships with other organizations rather than embarking on projects
alone. The Lemann Foundation has been doing this for years via partnerships with the Omidyar Network and
Google.org. Although collaborative initiatives require a longer period of discussion between the participating
parties, the joint efforts — tackling similar issues and dedicating time and resources to the same goals — give us
the bestchance of getting the results we want and scaling them up.
Building Brazil’s future, together
Here are a few of the many ways we and our partners are
taking action to create a more just and equitable Brazil:
Our collaborative philanthropy in action:
We have joined forces with the Imaginable Futures, one of the world’s leading edtech investors in emerging markets, to foster digital solutions with greatest potential to ensure effective learning. Until now, we were able to co-launch a new organization inspired by Student Achievement Partners and to support the development of professional development courses to Brazilian teachers.
In partnership with Instituto Natura, we have develop a cost-effective program to ensure that all kids are literate at the right age. In a multi-year partnership with schools districts, our solution is already changing the lives of over 1 million students and allowing them to dream of a better future.
Joining forces with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Fish Foundation, Lemann Foundation has invested in MIT-Brazil Program (MISTI-Br). MISTI is MIT’s pioneering international education program focused on Brazil. MISTI matches MIT students with tailored internship, research and teaching opportunities abroad. We also facilitate international faculty collaborations and develop partnerships with leading companies, research institutes and universities around the world.
Joining forces with the British Government through their Prosperity Fund, we will develop capacity building of English Language Learning (ELL) and English Language Teaching (ELT) in the public education system in Brazil. The program aims to catalyse inclusive economic growth in the country due to enhanced skills system for English Language Teaching and transferable skills.
Together with the Itau Social, we have developed a program that supports 6 states across the country to adopt technology and innovation in its learning process. With this program, the states will provide top edging infrastructure, teacher training and educational resources to ensure effective learning to more than 160 thousands of students
Lemann Foundation and University of Ilinois Urbana-Champaign have celebrated the Empodera Agreement and commited funds to support fully living costs and tuition of low-income black and indigenous Brazilians accepted for Master of Arts or Masters of Science at various departments of the university
Both TC and the Lemann Foundation share a desire to develop the Lemann Fellows network to reflect Brazil’s socioeconomic and geographic diversity. With this in mind, the two organizations celebrated the Diversity Agreement, through which they commited funds to offer full support to students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and geographies over a five-year period.
In partnership with Fundação Brava, Instituto Humanize, and Instituto República, we have been working to increase the attractiveness of the public sector. We partner with government agencies to create a structured and qualified people management model designed to attract, select, and nurture public sector talent. This group has been also contributing to foment organizations and leaderships in the third sector ecosystem.
The Lego Foundation and Lemann Foundation have teamed up to bring creative and playful learning to Brazil. Through a joint investment in the Brazilian Creative Learning Network (BCLN), the two education-driven foundations will bring the Tech and Play learning method to a half-a-million Brazilian public school students. The new method fosters an important shift in teacher professional development to engage children in creative and playful learning in 20 cities and states across the country.
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