Transfers totaled 0.5% of the budget from 2010 to 2018

Only 2.7% of the more than 820 thousand organizations in the Civil society existing in Brazil received federal resources between 2010 and 2018, shows a survey carried out by Institute of Economic and Applied Research (Ipea). The transfers amount to a total of R$ 118.5 billion, which is equivalent to 0.5% of the Union budget for the years included in the research.

To obtain this information, Ipea crossed data from the Map of Organizations of Civil society, produced by the Institute, with federal budget execution figures. Researcher Janine Mello assesses that, contrary to common sense, organizations in the Civil society They do not live solely on State resources.

“They have their own resources, they have private resources. O Third sector It is much more complex and does not only work on projects financed by public notices and with federal and public money”, says Janine.

Despite the downward trend in transfers during the period studied, the researcher says she was surprised that the drop was not greater, considering the context of budgetary and fiscal restrictions.

To be considered an organization of Civil society, an entity must develop non-profit projects, cannot be linked to any company or the State and must be managed by its own members, among other characteristics. This group includes non-governmental organizations (NGOs), churches, private foundations, associations, councils and other entities. If considered the Legal Nature Of these institutions, private associations received most of the funds, but private foundations are responsible for managing larger volumes of resources.

The 820 thousand organizations in the Civil society they employ 3 million people, a number that Janine highlights as consistent in a scenario of high unemployment. 

“It is a number that caught our attention and was a positive surprise, because it shows the dynamism of the Third sector in the creation of jobs and the potential for more generation”, says the researcher, who believes that it is necessary to design policies that exploit this potential. “We need to understand a little about the possible strategies so that we can expand our employability capacity.”

Health and education

Most of the resources were received by organizations working in the health sector (39%), followed by education (14%) and science and technology (10.5%). For Janine, the research shows that organizations in the Civil society they establish partnerships with the State in a huge diversity of areas, ranging from the productive sector to the environment and social rights.

Between 2010 and 2018, organizations linked to health, employer and professional associations and religion increased their participation in the federal budget. On the other hand, those focused on the development and defense of rights and those in the area of culture and recreation lost space. 

Published on 07/30/2019 – 16:13 By Vinícius Lisboa – Reporter at Agência Brasil – Rio de Janeiro