With significant results for Brazilian culture, the program Matchfunding BNDES+ Cultural Heritage ends. The initiative had the participation of several companies, philanthropic entities and civil society in favor of the appreciation and preservation of historical and cultural heritage of Brazil.
During the campaign, more than R$ 6 million for cultural initiatives on various themes spread throughout all regions of Brazil. The program was created by BNDES. For every R$1 donated by the public, another R$2 were invested by the bank. Sitawi managed the financial resources and monitored the execution of the program's projects, together with Benfeitoria, a crowdfunding platform that coordinated the campaign and raised funds from the general public.
Altogether, more than 98% of the donations were from individuals – which highlights the strong engagement of civil society in fostering projects that promote the legacy of Brazilian tangible and intangible heritage. Documentaries, restructuring works, and accessibility actions are some of the many initiatives created and chosen by the public.
“It is gratifying to be able to see the transformation of each project and the legacy that the initiative will leave for Brazil”, emphasizes Wendell Borneo, Philanthropy Management Supervisor at Sitawi.
However, some obstacles were faced during the implementation period. The BNDES+ Cultural Heritage Matchfunding Program, which began in 2019, was also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Ana Paula Campello, Philanthropy Management analyst at Sitawi, comments that it has been a great challenge for the culture to maintain itself in recent years.
“With social isolation measures, many projects had to halt their activities or even make changes to the initial proposal. Sitawi closely monitored the situation of each asset and, in agreement with BNDES, extended the deadlines so that everyone could carry out their heritage preservation activities within current health standards.”
Integration between the past, the present and the future
This was the largest crowdfunding promotion program in Brazil. In all, 90% of the campaigns reached the established goal, where 42 projects benefited through matchfunding.
According to Wendell, the fund was a game changer for Sitawi. “We learned important lessons for implementing processes and procedures in the organization and also with the success of the logic and management of resources from matchfunding”, highlights.
Ana Paula also highlights her support for the cause of culture. “We don’t have many funds dedicated to culture in our portfolio and managing one of this size and importance was certainly a great achievement for Sitawi”, explains.
During the four years of operation, with lots of innovation and good relationship, the Sitawi team closely monitored the projects, efficiently reporting on them. “The legacy is not only for the projects, but also for all Brazilians to democratically access our history and culture”says Wendell.
Know more!
The success of this campaign opened the door to new funds with the BNDES, such as Salvando Vidas, with a focus on combating the Covid-19 pandemic. Look here.
