Movimentos

What Movimentos does

Movimentos is a Brazilian non-profit social justice organization founded in 2016 and headquartered at Casa Movimentos in the Parque União neighborhood of Complexo da Maré, Rio de Janeiro. The organization is led by and composed primarily of young people from favelas and peripheral areas, and operates under the principle of "Nada sobre nós sem nós" (Nothing about us without us), meaning beneficiaries are protagonists in research, advocacy, and program design. Its mission centers on combating systemic violence, racism, and inequality faced by favela youth through education, communication, and art, with particular focus on drug policy reform and harm reduction.

The organization's product portfolio is structured as an integrated advocacy-and-formation ecosystem. Core programmatic offerings include the Residência Movimentos (a 3-month formation residency run 4 times between 2019 and 2023 with 6-20 participants per cohort), Movimentos nas Escolas (school-based drug and harm-reduction education in Rio public schools since 2016), and Atenda (an integrated harm reduction outreach device for crack, alcohol, and street-situation users in Maré, operating since 2017). Cultural and media channels include the MoviCast podcast, documentary productions (Orgulho LGBTQIA+ nas favelas in 2021; Guerra aos Pretos in 2022), the Laje Cultural Cadu Barcelos rooftop programming, photography and acting courses, and a portfolio of publications (the 2017 Cartilha Movimentos educational booklet, the COVID-19 in Favelas research, and the 2023 therapeutic cannabis study). National convening occurs through the Movimente-se encounters, which have aggregated 25+ young activists from across Brazil's five macro-regions.

Movimentos operates as a privately held, independent non-profit with no disclosed parent company, no equity investors, and no commercial revenue. It is funded primarily through institutional grants and partnerships with foundations and civil-society organizations — including Open Society Foundations, Instituto Ibirapitanga, CESeC, Redes da Maré, and IDMJR — alongside collaborative delivery with public psychosocial services (CAPS, CRAS, CREAS). The core team of approximately 27 employees is supplemented by participant stipends (R$700/month for Residência participants). Revenue mechanics are entirely grant-driven, and the organization does not sell products or services; pricing is not applicable as all programs are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries.

Name

Movimentos

Legal name

Movimentos

Website

https://movimentos.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Movimentos is a Rio de Janeiro-based non-profit founded in 2016 that runs education, advocacy, harm reduction, and cultural programs led by and for young people from Brazilian favelas. It delivers the Residência formation program, school-based drug education, the Atenda harm reduction device, the MoviCast podcast, and original research on favela drug policy and health.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice and Harm Reduction Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO)

Keywords

• Harm reduction education
• Drug policy advocacy
• Youth formation programs
• Favela community services
• Social justice nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio de Janeiro

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding and Grants: Movimentos operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through institutional partnerships and grants from foundations and civil society organizations. The organization does not generate commercial revenue from products or services. Funding supports educational programs, residences, research, advocacy activities, and operational costs including stipends for participants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Movimentos is a non-profit social justice organization led by young people from favelas that delivers educational programs, research, advocacy, cultural production, and harm reduction services focused on drug policy reform and youth empowerment. Its core offerings include the MoviCast podcast, the Residência Movimentos formation program, Movimentos nas Escolas school-based drug education, the Atenda harm reduction network, Casa Movimentos collaborative workspace, and the Movimente-se national youth encounters.

Product overview

Movimentos is a social justice organization run by young favela residents that uses education, communication, and art to combat violence, racism, and inequality. The organization operates a multi-product portfolio centered on harm reduction, drug policy reform, and youth empowerment. Its core offerings include: MoviCast (podcast platform for favela narratives), Movimentos nas Escolas (school-based drug education), Atenda (harm reduction outreach device), Casa Movimentos (collaborative workspace), and Movimente-se (national youth encounter). These are supported by the Residência Movimentos (youth training residency program) and various publications including the Cartilha Movimentos (educational booklet) and thematic research reports on COVID-19 in favelas and therapeutic marijuana use. The products work together to form a comprehensive ecosystem of advocacy, education, and community organizing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MoviCast: The official podcast of Movimentos, discussing topics from the favela perspective in accessible language.
• Movimentos nas Escolas
• Residência Movimentos
• Movimente-se
• Atenda

Products and services

• MoviCast MoviCast is the official podcast of Movimentos, presenting varied themes from favela perspectives in accessible language. It features guests, experts, and team members discussing topics such as mental health, privileges, racism, and drug policy. Available on Spotify and SoundCloud.
• Residência Movimentos Residência Movimentos is a 2-3 month youth formation program capacitating and empowering young peripheral people through three areas: Political Formation; Audiovisual/Communication Formation; and Arts/Popular Culture. Provides R$700 monthly stipend to participants. Four editions have been completed (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) with 6-20 participants per edition.
• Movimentos nas Escolas Movimentos nas Escolas delivers educational activities in public schools in Rio de Janeiro, offering reliable information about drugs, discussing their effects, approaching harm reduction as a self-care strategy, and debating drug policy impacts on students' lives.
• Atenda Atenda is an integrated harm reduction and care device developed by Movimentos with public services (CAPS, CRAS, CREAS) and civil society organizations since 2017 in Complexo da Maré. It serves crack, alcohol, and other drug users, and the homeless population, expanding support networks and access to rights and public policies.
• Casa Movimentos Casa Movimentos is a collaborative workspace located in Parque União in Complexo da Maré, serving as a strategic space for work, training, mobilization, methodology development, and network building. It houses team offices, a podcast/audiovisual studio, cultural events (Laje Cultural Cadu Barcelos), and photography and acting courses. Casa Movimentos 2.0 was inaugurated in 2022 nearby.
• Movimente-se Movimente-se is a national encounter of peripheral youth organized to discuss drug policy. First held in December 2017 with 25 young activists from different parts of Brazil sharing experiences about drug war impacts and creating tools to promote debate from favelas.
• Cartilha Movimentos Cartilha Movimentos is an educational booklet with accessible language about drugs, produced by and for favelas. It serves as base material for workshops, classes, and debates and has been distributed to thousands of people.
• Coronavírus nas Favelas Research Research analyzing how the COVID-19 pandemic amplified historical human rights violations in three favela complexes (Cidade de Deus, Complexo do Alemão, Complexo da Maré). Includes a pocket guide and full report.
• Plantando saúde e reparação: o uso terapêutico da maconha nas favelas do RJ Research examining how favela and periphery residents of Rio de Janeiro access medical marijuana amid state violence and criminalization. Documents challenges in accessing health as a right, with 108 survey responses (105 valid) collected from favela residents.
• Documentary: Guerra aos Pretos Documentary questioning the role of whiteness and government in maintaining necropolitics and impacts of Brazilian drug policy on favelas. Produced in partnership with Iniciativa Direito a Memória e Justiça Racial (IDMJR) and Open Society Foundations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research reached 100 major media outlets including CNN Brasil and G1
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Iniciativa Direito a Memória e Justiça Racial (IDMJR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-produced the documentary 'Guerra aos Pretos' (2022) examining the role of whiteness and government in maintaining drug policy violence against Rio de Janeiro's favelas.
• Centro de Estudos de Segurança e Cidadania (CESeC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016CESeC (Center for Security and Citizenship Studies) is a key founding partner that supported the initial 3-day gathering of 10 young people in Maré in 2016 where Movimentos originated. They provide academic research support and have collaborated on publications and research on drug policy, security, and citizenship.
• Núcleo de Estimulação Estrela de Maria (NEEM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerritorial partner in the therapeutic cannabis research 'Plantando saúde e reparação: o uso terapêutico da maconha nas favelas do RJ' (2023).
• Coletivo Reparação Social Histórica e Acesso (RSHA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerritorial partner in the therapeutic cannabis research 'Plantando saúde e reparação: o uso terapêutico da maconha nas favelas do RJ' (2023).
• Espaço Normal (Redes da Maré)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReference space on drugs in Maré that Movimentos visited during the 1st Residência to learn about practical harm reduction work.
• Coletivo AmarévêminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner collective that co-leads the photography course at Casa Movimentos. Karina Donaria, team member, is a co-founder of Amarévê.
• Redes da MarémajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor territorial organization in Complexo da Maré where Casa Movimentos is located. Collaborative partner on community work, advocacy, and integrated services. Multiple team members work across both organizations.
• Instituto GeledésminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack women's institute founded by philosopher Sueli Carneiro. Sueli Carneiro has participated in Movimentos events and is listed as a partner.
• Coletivo Papo RetominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner collective from Complexo da Maré. Tainã Medeiros, team member at Movimentos, is also from Coletivo Papo Reto.
• Public Psychosocial Services and Civil Society Organizations (Atenda Network)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtenda is an integrated care device composed of public psychosocial services (CAPS, CRAS, CREAS) and civil society organizations working together to serve people who use drugs in Maré. Actions integrated since 2017.
• Iniciativa PipaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization co-founded by Ana Clara Telles, former Movimentos member and current Open Society Foundations staff.
• Rede Nacional de Feministas Antiproibicionistas (Renfa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of antiprohibitionist feminists that collaborated on the documentary 'Guerra aos Pretos' and other initiatives. Ingrid Farias represents Renfa as a partner.
• Instituto do Cérebro (UFRN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrain institute at Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte led by neuroscientist Sidarta Ribeiro, who is listed as a partner providing academic expertise on drugs and neuroscience.
• Slam LajeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for poetry slam events. Slam Laje is the first slam collective from a favela in Rio, founded by Sabrina Martina, now Movimentos' Art & Culture Coordinator.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Drug Policy Alliance: Leading global drug policy reform organization. Comparable in mission: advancing harm reduction and decriminalization, with a focus on communities disproportionately harmed by drug enforcement.
• Observatório de Favelas: Rio-based NGO producing research and policy advocacy on favela realities. Shares Movimentos' commitment to favela-led research and addressing youth violence.
• Centro de Estudos de Segurança e Cidadania (CESeC): Academic NGO that co-founded Movimentos in 2016 and continues to collaborate on drug policy research. Both work at the intersection of favela communities, public security, and drug policy reform.
• Redes da Maré: Major territorial organization in Complexo da Maré where Movimentos is headquartered. Both organizations serve favela residents in Maré with overlapping programs in education, youth, and public security.
• Iniciativa Direito à Memória e Justiça Racial (IDMJR): Co-producer of Movimentos' 'Guerra aos Pretos' documentary. Both organizations use research and documentation to advance racial justice and contest drug policy violence against Black Brazilians.
• Coletivo Papo Reto: Comunicational NGO from Complexo da Maré with overlapping membership (team member Tainá Medeiros). Both organizations serve Maré communities through communication-led advocacy.
• Harm Reduction International: International harm reduction advocacy and resource organization. Movimentos' Atenda program and educational work align with HRI's mission to promote harm reduction policy and practice globally.

Broad incumbents

• CUFA (Central Única das Favelas): One of Brazil's largest and most established favela-focused organizations. Provides a benchmark for scale of favela-led programs and represents the broader landscape Movimentos operates within.
• Conectas Direitos Humanos: Well-established Brazilian human rights NGO with broader thematic scope than Movimentos. Operates in the same advocacy and policy-influencing space but at a larger scale and broader mandate.

Emerging players

• Instituto Ibirapitanga: Brazilian funder of Movimentos' 2nd Residência. Funds favela and periphery youth initiatives, making it a complementary rather than competing peer in the favela empowerment ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/movimentos_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/movimentosrj
• Instagraminstagram.com/movimentos_

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Movimentos