Instituto de Estudos da Religião

What Instituto de Estudos da Religião does

Instituto de Estudos da Religião (ISER) is a Brazilian secular civil society organization founded in 1970, originally in Campinas (São Paulo) as the Instituto Superior de Estudos Teol\u00f3gicos (ISET) and relocated to Rio de Janeiro in 1979, where it was renamed. The organization produces interdisciplinary research and social intervention across two strategic areas: Religion & Public Space, and Rights & Justice System. Its outputs include the indexed scientific journal Religi\u00e3o & Sociedade (published since 1977), the Comunica\u00e7\u00f5es do ISER and Cadernos do ISER publication series, and a portfolio of programs such as F\u00e9 no Clima (interfaith climate mobilization), Ax\u00e9-Am\u00e9m (inter-religious dialogue against religious racism), and Guerreiras pelo Desencarceramento (formation for families of incarcerated adolescents).

ISER's core technological assets are its digital platforms rather than software products. The Plataforma Religi\u00e3o e Poder, launched in 2020, provides open data and analysis on political agents with religious identity across the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches of Brazil. The organization also maintains a fully digitized archive of the Religi\u00e3o & Sociedade journal and distributes a biweekly bulletin, a podcast (Casa de Muitas Janelas), and content through partnerships such as the 2022 collaboration with Nexo Pol\u00edticas P\u00fablicas. ISER has no commercial product; all research, publications, and educational resources, including the minicourse 'Boto F\u00e9 no Clima', are provided free of charge.

ISER is funded primarily through grants from national and international foundations and development organizations, including Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Heinrich B\u00f6ll Stiftung, and Fundo Brasil de Direitos Humanos. It does not generate fee-based revenue. Its primary stakeholder segments are religious communities and leaders (Christian, evangelical, Catholic, and Afro-Brazilian), academic researchers and universities, justice and human rights organizations, and policy makers. The organization operates with a 29-person interdisciplinary team led by Executive Director Ronilso Pacheco and Deputy Executive Director Moema Salgado, and underwent a leadership transition in 2026 while retaining its programmatic continuity.

Name

Instituto de Estudos da Religião

Legal name

Instituto de Estudos da Religião

Website

https://iser.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Instituto de Estudos da Religião (ISER) is a Brazilian nonprofit civil society organization founded in 1970 that conducts interdisciplinary research and social intervention on religion, public space, and human rights, serving religious communities, academics, civil society organizations, and policymakers through publications, data platforms, and formation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Science Research

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Post-Conflict Recovery, Reconciliation & Social Cohesion Programs (BPADAFAL)

Keywords

• Social science research
• Human rights advocacy
• Interfaith dialogue
• Academic publications
• Religion policy analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio De Janeiro

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Support: ISER operates primarily through grants and institutional support from national and international foundations and development organizations. The organization receives funding from entities such as Ford Foundation, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Fundo Brasil de Direitos Humanos, Open Society Foundations, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Instituto de Estudos da Religião (ISER) is a Brazilian nonprofit civil society organization that produces academic research, peer-reviewed publications, and educational programs on the intersections of religion, public space, democracy, and human rights. It operates the Plataforma Religião e Poder data platform monitoring religious political actors in Brazil and runs formation programs on climate action, decarceration, and interfaith dialogue.

Product overview

The Instituto de Estudos da Religião (ISER) is a secular Brazilian civil society organization that produces studies, research, and social intervention across two strategic areas: Religion & Public Space and Rights & Justice System. Its product portfolio includes academic publications (Revista Religião & Sociedade, Cadernos do ISER, Comunicações do ISER), the data platform Plataforma Religião e Poder for monitoring religious political actors, and programs such as Fé no Clima for climate engagement, Axé-Amém for inter-religious dialogue, Guerreiras pelo Desencarceramento for rights education, and ongoing research initiatives on evangelical women and public policy. ISER does not offer a commercial software product; rather, it provides research publications, data platforms, and educational programs as public goods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fé no Clima: Initiative created by ISER in 2015 to engage religious leaders in climate crisis awareness and mobilization of faith communities.
• Plataforma Religião & Poder
• Axé-Amém
• Guerreiras pelo Desencarceramento
• Religião & Sociedade

Products and services

• Revista Religião & Sociedade Scientific periodical dedicated to the study of religion in its relationships with society, serving academic researchers, social scientists, and policy analysts. Indexed in Scielo and recognized internationally.
• Cadernos do ISER Publication series launched in 1974 serving as a space for circulating research and reflections from scholars affiliated with ISER.
• Comunicações do ISER Publication series created in 1981 to establish contact with the academic world, with more than 70 editions published covering ISER's research findings on religion and Brazilian society.
• Plataforma Religião e Poder Data platform offering open data, articles, research, and reports on the interface between religion and institutional politics in Brazil. Monitors political agents with religious identity across the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches, serving researchers, journalists, policy makers, and civil society organizations.
• Fé no Clima Initiative to sensitize and engage religious leaders and youth for awareness and mobilization of faith communities in addressing the climate crisis, with active participation in international climate forums (COP22-COP30) and G20/C20 civil society meetings.
• Sumário Executivo Caso Favela Nova Brasília Executive summary documenting the persistent non-compliance with the Inter-American Court decision regarding the Favela Nova Brasília case, serving as an instrument of memory and advocacy against state violence.
• Axé-Amém Political-pedagogical formation program promoting dialogue and encounter between Black evangelical and Candomblé (terreiro) people, focusing on cooperation and strategies to combat religious racism in Brazil.
• Pesquisa Mulheres Evangélicas, Política e Cotidiano Annual research program since 2021 examining the religious experiences, electoral behavior, social and political engagement of evangelical women and their churches in Brazil.
• Guerreiras pelo Desencarceramento Legal-political formation program for family members of adolescents in the socio-educational system, conducted in partnership with AMAR, focusing on rights awareness and empowerment.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Interfaith Vigil at ECO-92 gathered 30,000 people and 300 religious leaders from 30+ traditions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• KoinoniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcumenical Christian organization, historical partner in interfaith social justice initiatives including 'Terra Sagrada' and civil society coalitions.
• Fundação Heinrich Böll BrasilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for research on religion and politics, including studies on evangelical parliamentary performance and elections. Joint publication 'Religião e Política' in 2013.
• GreenFaithcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational interfaith environmental organization. Partner in Fé no Clima initiative and Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (IRI).
• Religiões pela PazcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal interfaith coalition for peace. Partner in interfaith environmental initiatives including Terra Sagrada and IRI.
• CEJIL (Centro pela Justiça e o Direito Internacional)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint litigation partnership for the Favela Nova Brasília case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
• IBASE (Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partner since the 1980s, collaborating on civil society strengthening, democracy, and interfaith initiatives.
• Nexo Políticas PúblicascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAcademic-journalistic platform partnership started in 2022, contributing content every 10 days on religion and public space topics.
• MIR (Movimento Inter-Religioso do Rio de Janeiro)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterfaith movement co-founded by ISER in 1992 during ECO-92. Partners in annual Aldeia Sagrada events and ongoing interfaith advocacy.
• PNUMA (Programa das Nações Unidas para o Meio Ambiente)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (IRI), coordinating Brazilian participation in global tropical forest protection efforts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pew Research Center: U.S.-based nonpartisan research organization producing public opinion research, demographic studies, and policy analysis on religion, politics, and society. Directly comparable to ISER as a research institution focused on the intersection of religion and public life, with similar indexed publications and academic impact.
• Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs: Georgetown University-based research center examining religion's role in global affairs, ethics, and peace. Comparable to ISER as an academic-oriented institute producing scholarship on religion, democracy, and human rights with policy and convening functions.
• Fundação Heinrich Böll Brasil: Brazilian affiliate of the German Green-aligned political foundation, supporting research, publications, and civil society on democracy, ecology, and rights. Directly comparable to ISER as a politically engaged Brazilian think tank with which ISER co-publishes on religion and politics.
• IBASE — Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas: Long-standing Brazilian civil society research institute producing analysis on democracy, rights, and social policy since the 1980s. Highly comparable to ISER as a historical partner with a similar hybrid profile of research, activism, and articulation in Brazil.
• Koinonia Presença Ecumênica e Serviço: Brazilian ecumenical Christian organization working on interfaith dialogue, social justice, and rights advocacy. Directly comparable to ISER as a partner in Terra Sagrada and other interfaith coalitions with overlapping religious-justice mission.
• GreenFaith: International interfaith environmental organization mobilizing faith communities for climate action. Directly comparable to ISER as a partner in the Fé no Clima initiative and Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, sharing the religion-and-environment intersection.
• Religions for Peace: Global multi-religious coalition coordinating interfaith peacebuilding, environmental, and rights action across 90+ countries. Directly comparable to ISER as a partner in interfaith environmental and social cohesion initiatives including Terra Sagrada.
• CEJIL — Centro pela Justiça e o Direito Internacional: Latin American human rights organization litigating before the Inter-American system. Directly comparable to ISER as co-litigant in the Favela Nova Brasília case, sharing strategic-litigation and rights-monitoring methodologies.

Regional players

• ABONG — Associação Brasileira de Organizações Não Governamentais: Brazilian umbrella association representing national NGOs on civil society policy and rights. Comparable to ISER as a Brazilian civil society infrastructure body with overlapping membership and advocacy interests in religious diversity, human rights, and democracy.

Emerging players

• Plataforma CIPÓ: Brazilian think tank producing interdisciplinary research on climate, peace, and sustainable development in the Global South. Comparable to ISER as a Brazilian research-and-advocacy organization with overlapping climate and rights agendas and similar foundation-funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/isernarede
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@canaldoiser
• Facebookfacebook.com/ISERnarede
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isernarede/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/isernarede

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Instituto de Estudos da Religião