Instituto Clima e Sociedade
Instituto Clima e Sociedade is a Brazilian climate philanthropy foundation that channels international and domestic donor capital to 512 local organizations through grants across land use, energy transition, climate policy, and civil society capacity building.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersRio De Janeiro, Brazil
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Instituto Clima e Sociedade does
Instituto Clima e Sociedade (iCS) is a Brazilian nonprofit climate philanthropy organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, operating as a Regional Climate Foundation (RCF) that channels international and domestic climate finance to Brazilian civil society, academia, community groups, and the public sector. Over 11 years it has disbursed R$780 million across 1,305 grants to 512 organizations, supported by a roster of more than 40 institutional funders including Ballmer Group, Children's Investment Fund Foundation, ClimateWorks, European Climate Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Open Society Foundations. The organization concentrates its work in four strategic axes: Land Use Transition and Food Systems & Bioeconomy; Energy, Industrial, and Transport Transition; Change Agents for Climate Action; and Climate Policy and Institutional Framework.
iCS operates a philanthropic intermediary model: it does not sell products or services but mobilizes grant capital from international and Brazilian donors and reallocates it to grantees, retaining a sliver for overhead. Its operational technology stack is modest: a WordPress public website and Fluxx for grants and relationship management. The organization holds an NGO Source equivalency determination, enabling international tax-deductible giving, and operates in compliance with Brazil's LGPD data protection regime. iCS also convenes the Brazil Climate Action Hub at successive UN COPs, surfaced the Climate and Development initiative at COP 26, and has incubated affiliated organizations such as Instituto E+ Transição Energética. In 2023-2024 it completed a major restructuring into four directorates aligned with its strategic axes, and in 2024 broadened its scope through partnerships with Banco do Brasil/Consórcio Nordeste (powershoring agenda) and Eco Invest Brasil/National Treasury (climate-aligned blended finance).
Instituto Clima e Sociedade firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Instituto Clima e Sociedade
- Legal name
- Instituto Clima e Sociedade
- Website
- https://climaesociedade.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Instituto Clima e Sociedade is a Brazilian climate philanthropy foundation that channels international and domestic donor capital to 512 local organizations through grants across land use, energy transition, climate policy, and civil society capacity building.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Instituto Clima e Sociedade industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Climate Philanthropy and Grantmaking
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)
Keywords
Where Instituto Clima e Sociedade is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rio De Janeiro
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Instituto Clima e Sociedade business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Climate Philanthropy / Grantmaking: iCS operates as a Regional Climate Foundation (RCF) that mobilizes philanthropic resources — grants and donations — from national and international donors to fund climate mitigation and adaptation projects in Brazil. It does not have an endowment fund (endowment) and is not supported by a single sponsor. It has received donations from more than 40 institutions over its history. Revenue is mobilized rather than earned.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Instituto Clima e Sociedade product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Instituto Clima e Sociedade operates as a Brazilian Regional Climate Foundation that mobilizes philanthropic resources from national and international donors to fund climate mitigation and adaptation projects in Brazil. It disburses grants to civil society organizations, universities, research centers, community groups (including those without formal CNPJ registration), and government bodies, while delivering non-financial support such as technical assistance, network building, and multi-stakeholder convening around four strategic axes: Land Use Transition, Food Systems and Bioeconomy; Energy, Industrial and Transport Transition; Change Agents for Climate Action; and Climate Policy and Institutional Framework.
Product overview
Instituto Clima e Sociedade (iCS) operates as a climate philanthropy organization that provides grants and strategic partnerships rather than a traditional technology product company. Its core offerings consist of a Grants Platform for managing applications and donations, educational resources including a COP Tutorial, and knowledge products such as publications, videos, events, and newsletters. The organization focuses on four strategic axes: Land Use, Energy/Industrial/Transport Transition, Climate Policy/Institutional Framework, and Engagement/Change Makers/Climate Governance. The products work together to support iCS's mission of driving climate transformation in Brazil through funding civil society organizations, research institutions, and community groups.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- R$ 780 million in grants distributed across 1,305 grants to 512 organizations over 11 years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Instituto Clima e Sociedade
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Instituto Clima e Sociedade technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Instituto Clima e Sociedade partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ClimateWorks FoundationcoreBeyond funding, ClimateWorks Foundation collaborates with iCS on global climate philanthropy strategy, knowledge sharing, and network building across Regional Climate Foundations.
- European Climate FoundationcoreECF works with iCS on joint climate policy initiatives, COP engagement, and knowledge exchange between European and Brazilian climate actors.
- Instituto LemanncoreiCS and Instituto Lemann have signed an MoU for cooperation on climate and education initiatives, leveraging complementary networks and expertise.
- PetrobrasminoriCS and Petrobras signed a Protocol of Intent for cooperation on climate-related initiatives, focusing on low-carbon transition pathways.
- Banco do BrasilcoreiCS has a cooperation agreement with Banco do Brasil for joint climate finance initiatives, including powershoring programs for the Northeast region.
- Consórcio NordestecoreNortheast Brazil consortium partnered with iCS and Banco do Brasil on powershoring initiatives to attract renewable energy investments to the Northeast region.
- SENAIcoreiCS and SENAI signed an MoU for cooperation on industrial skills development for the green economy transition, supporting workforce training in sustainability.
- GIFE – Grupo de Institutos, Fundações e EmpresascoreiCS is a member of GIFE, Brazil's leading network for private social investment, participating in collective climate philanthropy initiatives and the Brazilian Philanthropy Commitment on Climate Change.
- Rede Comuá – Filantropia que TransformacoreiCS is a member of Rede Comuá, a network of thematic funds, community foundations, and independent grantmaking organizations focused on social and environmental justice in Brazil.
- WINGScoreiCS is a member of WINGS, a global community of philanthropy leaders and change agents working to make philanthropy a catalyst for social progress.
- F20 – Foundations PlatformcoreiCS participates in F20, a network of over 80 foundations and philanthropic organizations that views G20 countries as key actors for meeting global climate goals.
- Eco Invest Brasil / Secretaria do Tesouro Nacional / Ministério da FazendacoreiCS has a Memorandum of Understanding with Eco Invest Brasil and the National Treasury / Ministry of Finance for cooperation on sustainable finance and climate investment mechanisms.
- Renewables Academy (RENAC)minoriCS cooperates with RENAC on capacity building for renewable energy and energy transition in Brazil.
- Instituto E+ Transição EnergéticacoreiCS incubated Instituto E+ Transição Energética starting in 2018, supporting the development of a dedicated energy transition think tank in Brazil.
- Forest Peoples & ClimatecoreiCS participates in the Forest Peoples & Climate collective, focused on forest conservation and indigenous community climate rights.
- Global Capacity Building Coalition (GCBC)coreiCS is a member of the GCBC, contributing to and benefiting from international climate capacity building initiatives.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights10 records
Instituto Clima e Sociedade competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ClimateWorks Foundation: Global climate philanthropy intermediary that funds iCS and operates a network of Regional Climate Foundations. ClimateWorks is structurally the closest peer: it mobilizes philanthropic capital and channels it to regional actors and grantees to scale climate solutions.
- European Climate Foundation: Major European climate philanthropy foundation that funds iCS and works on joint climate policy, COP engagement, and knowledge exchange. ECF is a close structural peer as a regional climate foundation bridging international funders with local actors.
- Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): UK-based climate philanthropy foundation that funds iCS for climate mitigation and adaptation programs in Brazil. CIFF is a peer as a major climate-focused institutional grantmaker with similar programmatic depth and geographic reach models.
- Sequoia Climate Foundation: US-based climate philanthropy foundation that funds iCS for climate mitigation and adaptation. Operates with a similar grantmaking-plus-strategy model targeting systemic climate outcomes.
- Quadrature Climate Foundation: Climate philanthropy foundation providing financial support to iCS for climate programs. QCF is a peer as a programmatic climate funder with a portfolio approach to systemic climate solutions.
Emerging players
- Instituto Unidos pela Amazônia: Brazilian coalition focused on the Amazon and forest protection. Peer as a domestic climate/environmental intermediary operating in Brazil with a narrower thematic focus than iCS but comparable grantmaking-and-network-building model.
- Instituto E+ Transição Energética: Brazilian energy transition think tank incubated by iCS starting in 2018. Direct comparable as a Brazilian climate-focused organization operating in the same thematic space (energy transition) and initially funded by iCS, but smaller and more narrowly focused.
Regional players
- Fundo Brasileiro para a Biodiversidade (FUNBIO): Brazilian environmental fund that mobilizes and channels resources for biodiversity conservation. Closest Brazilian functional peer to iCS as a domestic environmental/philanthropy intermediary, with overlapping grantee networks in Brazilian civil society.
- Fundação Grupo Boticário: Brazilian corporate foundation supporting environmental conservation and climate action. Comparable as a domestic philanthropic funder in the Brazilian environmental space with a similar nonprofit grantmaking model.
- World Resources Institute Brasil (WRI Brasil): Brazilian arm of the global WRI research organization. Peer as a domestic institution working on climate policy, land use, and energy transition that often operates in the same donor-convening and policy-dialogue spaces as iCS.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Instituto Clima e Sociedade social profiles
Digital presenceInstituto Clima e Sociedade compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Instituto Clima e Sociedade financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Instituto Clima e Sociedade leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Instituto Clima e Sociedade funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
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Instituto Clima e Sociedade M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Instituto Clima e Sociedade
What does Instituto Clima e Sociedade do?
Instituto Clima e Sociedade operates as a Brazilian Regional Climate Foundation that mobilizes philanthropic resources from national and international donors to fund climate mitigation and adaptation projects in Brazil. It disburses grants to civil society organizations, universities, research centers, community groups (including those without formal CNPJ registration), and government bodies, while delivering non-financial support such as technical assistance, network building, and multi-stakeholder convening around four strategic axes: Land Use Transition, Food Systems and Bioeconomy; Energy, Industrial and Transport Transition; Change Agents for Climate Action; and Climate Policy and Institutional Framework.
Is Instituto Clima e Sociedade a public or private company?
Instituto Clima e Sociedade is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Instituto Clima e Sociedade founded?
Instituto Clima e Sociedade was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Instituto Clima e Sociedade based?
Instituto Clima e Sociedade is headquartered in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does Instituto Clima e Sociedade make money?
One revenue line is on record: climate Philanthropy / Grantmaking.
Who are Instituto Clima e Sociedade's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ClimateWorks Foundation, European Climate Foundation, Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Sequoia Climate Foundation and Quadrature Climate Foundation. Emerging players are Instituto Unidos pela Amazônia and Instituto E+ Transição Energética. Regional players are Fundo Brasileiro para a Biodiversidade (FUNBIO), Fundação Grupo Boticário and World Resources Institute Brasil (WRI Brasil).
Does Instituto Clima e Sociedade have an API?
No public API is recorded for Instituto Clima e Sociedade.
What industry is Instituto Clima e Sociedade in?
Instituto Clima e Sociedade's product category is Climate Philanthropy and Grantmaking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAM, Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAGAF, Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8600.