Funds

CARIOCA FUND

IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
Contact: Cecilia Perlingeiro, ceciliap@brazilfoundation.org, Tel (21) 2220 4005

BRAZILFOUNDATION AND THE CARIOCA FUND WITH THE SUPPORT OF LCM COMMODITIES, ANNOUNCE SELECTION OF GRANTEES IN THE CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS
Rio de Janeiro, 29 de Julho de 2011
BrazilFoundation and the Carioca Fund are pleased to announce that the first Call for Project Proposals resulted in 15 submissions from civil society organizations. Of these, six finalists were selected by the team of analysts and site visits were made. Three of the organizations, all working in communities where the Peace Police Units have been established, were selected as grantees.

PROJECTS SELECTED FOR SUPPORT IN THE CARIOCA FUND THROUGH ITS FIRST CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS INCLUDE:

Project: Bem Servir (Serving Well)
Youth 17-24 will be trained in the vocational skills of the hospitality industry, especially for 3-star hotels in the neighborhood of Copacabana, where the demand for qualified workers expertise is growing.
Organization: Obra Social da Paróquia Santa Cruz de Copacabana
Project coordinator: Aline Massa Souto
Location: Ladeira de Tabajaras, Pavão-Pavãozinho, Copacabana

---

Project: Conquistando o Futuro (Conquering the Future)
Training in computer re-building and maintenance, as well as in "help-desk" skills will be provided to youth age 17-24 interested in IT based jobs.
Organization: Centro Comunitário Lídia dos Santos
Project coordinator: Luciana Vieira da Silva
Location: Morro dos Macacos, in Vila Isabel

---

Project: Curso de Formação em Artífices da Saúde (Training in Maintenance of Basic Medical Equipment) Medical Engineers at the National Institute of Cancer of Rio de Janeiro formed a nonprofit organization with the objective of training youth in medical instruments maintenance, a skill in high demand in hospitals in Rio.
Organization: Instituto Esperançar Project coordinator: Luis Claudio Gonzaga Donadio
Project coordinator: Luis Claudio Gonzaga Donadio
Location: Complexo da Penha e Alemão

---

All projects have a one-year time line with the objective of preparing local underserved youth for the expanding job market in Rio de Janeiro.

What is the Carioca Fund?

The Carioca Fund, a BrazilFoundation initiative, mobilizes resources to train youth between the ages of 14-24 in technical and vocational programs so they can be competitive in the expanding job market in Rio de Janeiro. Working with partner institutions, the Carioca Fund invests in local civil society organizations (CSOs) in Rio de Janeiro that help young people complete their secondary education while preparing them for jobs in the formal economy.

The mission of the Carioca Fund

The Carioca Fund works to create professional opportunities for economically disadvantaged youth in Rio de Janeiro currently excluded from the city's intensified economic growth. The Carioca Fund focuses on youth in underserved communities undergoing social and economic change through the actions of recently established Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) and innovative community organizations.

Why invest in Rio de Janeiro's youth?

Brazil, and especially the city of Rio de Janeiro, is attracting intense visibility and financial investments in preparation for a number of international mega events scheduled to take place through 2016 when Rio will be hosting the Olympic Games. While demand for qualified labor is expanding exponentially, the city lacks qualified qualified personnel in many sectors of its industry, trade and services. Though national unemployement rates are at a low, the unemployment rate among youths aged 18 to 24 in Rio de Janeiro is nearly 17%, much higher than the national average.

Which organizations does the Carioca Fund partner with?

The Carioca Fund aims to be a catalyst between the growing needs of the market, the efforts of community based organizations in preparing the city's economically disadvantaged youth, and the businesses with jobs to be filled. By mobilizing financial investments and carefully directing them to building social capital for the city, the Carioca Fund provides a bridge between local NGOs, technical and vocational schools and potential employers, facilitating access for those who do not now have the opportunity to prepare themselves for the job market. To achieve this goal, the Carioca Fund has developed partnerships with the Federation of Industries of Rio de Janeiro (FIRJAN), the Commercial Association of Rio de Janeiro, diverse trade unions, technical and vocational schools and companies that can provide the necessary training and job opportunities the young men and women.

How does the Carioca Fund work?

The Carioca Fund supports projects run by nonprofit civil society organizations whose activities are aligned with the fund's mission, performing youth vocational training, guiding them to the market place and providing job placement support. The grantees of the Fund will be selected through a call for project proposals to be announced through a formal notice describing the criteria and prerequisites for the selection process.

What is the Carioca Fund doing right now?

The Carioca Fund's activities began in January 2010 with a convening of representatives of diverse social and academic institutions who showed preliminary interest in the establishment of the Fund. Read more: First Meeting. Following up on many interviews with foundations and other funders of the non-profit sector dedicated to youth two additional meetings were held in February 2011 with the objective of building a collaborative process.

Meanwhile, in mid-2010, the Santa Teresa Pilot Project was launched in partnership with the Instituto Marques de Salamanca (IMDS), a non-profit that focuses on students at the Monteiro de Carvalho Public High School, the only high school in Santa Teresa – an historic cultural community surrounded by 18 slums. IMDS is elaborating a project called "Training Youth and Developing Opportunities" to which the Carioca Fund brought several partners, including FIRJAN, FAETEC, Sind-Rio, Tyco International, Ame-Santa, Biruta Mídias Mirabolantes, among others. Read more

In addition, the Carioca Fund is fundraising within Santa Teresa to create a "named fund," The Santa Teresa Fund, to be administered jointly by the Carioca Fund's Program and Financial Committees and Trustees selected from the community. The goal is to finance education and training projects for youth from local underserved communities, the benefits of which will revert directly back to Santa Teresa, providing qualified youth for the neighborhood's commerce, services and tourist-related businesses, and indirectly to the entire city.

Ways to Participate

Learn more

For more information on the Carioca Fund, please contact us