August 2010

NESsT's Social Enterprise Competition in Brazil moves forward to Feasibility Study stage

NESsT continues to support Brazilian CSO's through the development of its second Social Enterprise Competition, started on 2009.

Having completed the Organizational Readiness and the Pre-feasibility study elaboration stage, the remaining organizations have now entered a new phase: the Feasibility Study.

NESsT Brazil developed two feasibility study workshops, on July 21 and 22 in São Paulo, and on July 26 and 27, in Salvador.

Eight organizations are now working on their feasibility studies. They are: Vivenda da Criança, Espiga Dourada and Gastromotiva, from São Paulo; União Popular de Mulheres, from Rio de Janeiro; and Biblioteca Maria das Neves Prado, Terraguá, Associação Picolino de Artes do Circo and Enter Jovem, from Bahía.

During the workshop, one of the organizations belonging to the later stage portfolio gave the participants its insights and recommendations for the process. Márcia Corrêia and Daniela Araújo, from BemTV, told the participants about their experience during the feasibility stage, including the difficulties faced, the actions taken and the strategies used, as well as their achievements.

Additionally, the participants had the chance to interact with each other, sharing their ideas, projects and lessons already learned. This conceptual discussion, based on the organizations’ real cases, has been proven by NESsT to be an effective methodology.

The result of the workshops was an intense experience and knowledge exchange, which will be sure very useful to the participant organizations.

NESsT will now start with the one-on-one support to help them develop their Feasibility Studies and Business Plans.

July 2010

News from the NESsT Venture Fund Portfolio

NESsT Brazil is working with the 3 organizations selected to conform its portfolio on their social enterprise consolidation and development: BemTV, from Niterói (RJ), Projeto Piabanha – Associação de Pescadores e Amigos do Rio Paraíba do Sul, Itaocara (RJ) and Ahimsa – Associação Educacional para Múltipla Deficiência, São Paulo (SP).

All three organizations have been receiving operational and management support. In addition, the first two have been awarded a grant, while Ahimsa continues to work on its business plan improvement to overcome some internal challenges.

On July 23, a workshop was offered to these organizations in São Paulo. The objectives were to discuss the governance in Third Sector, budget planning and accountability. The opportunity also helped NESsT to consolidate the first Brazil Legal Guide (a document addressing legal issues related to social organizations and social enterprises).

The event had a very special guest: Marcelo Coimbra from Coimbra e Focaccia Advogados and NESsT BAN
member, who talked about governance, and Beatriz Amary and Fabio Kann from Actis promoting the discussion about budget and accountability.

November 2009

Brazil Social Enterprise Competition Award Ceremony. At an awards ceremony attended by Brazilian businesspeople, donors and supporters, NESsT announced the winners of the 2009 NESsT Social Enterprise Competition to promote excellence in social enterprise development among local nonprofits in the areas of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

The winning organizations are now part of the portfolio of the NESsT Venture Fund in Brazil and will receive continuous technical and financial assistance from

NESsT.

Bem TV of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro and Projeto Piabanha of Itaocara, Rio de Janeiro were awarded US$ 10,000 each to develop their “social enterprises” addressing social problems in the areas of education and youth, and economic development and the environment, respectively. 

 “Support from NESsT will enable Bem TV and Projeto Piabanha to extend economic and social benefits to communities in need across Rio de Janeiro, while strengthening their financial sustainability. We congratulate them both for their great business plans,” said Gonzalo San Martín, Enterprise Development Director, NESsT .

NESsT staff and local business advisors in Latin America screened the finalists against the four criteria that NESsT considers key in measuring social enterprise performance: 1) enterprise performance; 2) social impact; 3) organizational development; and 4) financial sustainability.

The competition was made possible thanks to the support of Banco Real and the Ashmore Foundation. The ceremony and reception was sponsored and hosted by PWC.

Bem TV and Projeto Piabanha winners of the 2009 NESsT Social Enterprise Competition. The 2009 Social Enterprise Competition is part of an ongoing process by NESsT to develop social enterprises in Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe.

“We’ve been delighted to have had the competition in Brazil this year, allowing us to provide long-term support to contribute to the development of social enterprises in this region,” said Gonzalo San Martín, Enterprise Development Director, NESsT.

Bem TV teaches adolescents from low-income areas around the city of Niterói how to use communications media such as video and photography to mobilize and engage their communities in local development goals. With NESsT support, Bem TV will be able to continue to run its photography and video production company aimed at helping civil society organizations better communicate their programs and results.

Projeto Piabanha breeds small young native fish species to sell to large hydroelectric companies in the region of Itaocara for repopulating nearby waters affected by their resence. It also sells commercial fish species to local municipal governments who then donate the fish species to low-income community farmers, who are trained to breed them using sustainable breeding practices and then to sell them to the larger community. NESsT will help Projeto Piabanha further increase awareness of environmental issues in the region and contribute to mitigating the risk of extinction.