Observatório do Terceiro Setor

What Observatório do Terceiro Setor does

Observatório do Terceiro Setor (OTS), founded in 2013 and headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, is an independent nonprofit civil association operating one of Brazil's largest digital news portals dedicated exclusively to the third sector. The organization functions as a media and community platform serving NGOs, social organizations, foundations, donors, CSR/ESG professionals, academics, and socially engaged citizens, publishing daily news, opinion columns, interviews, and podcasts organized across 15+ cause areas and all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (ODS). Its core product is a WordPress-based content management platform that aggregates news, grant opportunities (Central de Editais), job postings, and thematic resources, supplemented by five active podcast programs (Conexão 3, Perspectiva OTS, Olhar da Cidadania, Brasil ODS, Brasil Cidadão) distributed across all major podcast platforms and social channels.

OTS operates a non-commercial revenue model; the portal is free to access and is sustained through institutional partnerships, donations, and volunteer contributions from the third-sector community. Its go-to-market is community-led: content is distributed organically through the website, podcasts, and social media (X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn), with engagement driven by a network of 30+ columnists, podcast hosts, and recurring editorial collaborations with sector anchors such as IDIS, GIFE, ACNUR/UNHCR, and Plataforma Gentileza e Generosidade. As of the input data, OTS employs 111 people and shows no external investment, parent company, or commercial product line; recent strategic activity has focused on product surface expansion rather than monetization.

Name

Observatório do Terceiro Setor

Legal name

Observatório do Terceiro Setor

Website

https://observatorio3setor.org.br

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Observatório do Terceiro Setor is a São Paulo-based independent nonprofit digital news portal and podcast network serving Brazil's civil society, covering all 17 UN SDGs and 15+ social cause areas for NGOs, CSR/ESG professionals, and engaged citizens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Digital Media

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAFADAM

Social Media & Community Management (PR-led)

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Public Relations & Communications

Keywords

• Nonprofit news portal
• Civil society media
• Third sector journalism
• NGO news coverage
• Philanthropy news Brazil

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Non-commercial / Donation-funded: OTS functions as a nonprofit digital media organization. The site is free to access and carries no disclosed commercial revenue model. Its operations are supported through institutional partnerships, donations, and volunteer contributions from the third-sector community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Observatório do Terceiro Setor is a free-access digital news portal and content platform serving Brazil's third sector (nonprofits, NGOs, philanthropy, and social causes). It publishes daily news articles, opinion columns, interviews, and five podcast programs, organized across 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and 15+ cause areas, alongside a centralized hub for grants (editais), job openings, and volunteer opportunities.

Product overview

Observatório do Terceiro Setor is a Brazilian news portal focused on the third sector (non-profit/NGO sector). The platform operates as a content hub offering news articles, podcasts (Conexão 3, Perspectiva OTS, Olhar da Cidadania, Brasil ODS, Brasil Cidadão), opinion columns through Observadores, the Eu Sou 3º Setor interview series, and thematic sections covering Causes, ODS (Sustainable Development Goals), Grants Central, and NGO Voices. The offering is a unified content platform rather than a modular software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Conexão 3: Podcast series featuring interviews and discussions on social causes and third sector topics
• Perspectiva OTS
• Olhar da Cidadania
• Brasil ODS
• Brasil Cidadão
• Observatório Entrevista
• Eu Sou 3º Setor

Products and services

• Portal de Notícias Observatório do 3º Setor Brazilian news portal covering third sector (nonprofit/NGO) news, including categories on human rights, education, culture, environment, public policy, and sustainable development.
• Conexão 3 Podcast featuring interviews with activists, NGO founders, and social leaders discussing issues such as animal protection, human trafficking, homelessness, and human rights violations.
• Perspectiva OTS
• Olhar da Cidadania
• Brasil ODS
• Brasil Cidadão
• Visão Teen Program targeting youth and social causes, presented by a teenager, aiming to engage young people with the third sector through real experiences in social initiatives.
• Central de Editais
• Observadores
• Eu Sou 3º Setor
• Voz das ONGs

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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IDIS – Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Investimento SocialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndréa Wolffenbüttel, Director of Communication and Institutional Relations at IDIS, has appeared as a guest on OTS's radio program to discuss topics such as the Global Solidarity Ranking 2016 and the 2030 Agenda. IDIS is a leading Brazilian institute focused on developing social investment and philanthropic giving.
• Plataforma de Educação para Gentileza e GenerosidadecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarina Pechlivanis, idealizadora of the Platform for Education in Kindness and Generosity, conducts regular live sessions (lives) on the OTS platform, hosting guests for discussions on education, empathy, and social transformation. This is an ongoing editorial collaboration.
• GIFE – Grupo de Institutos, Fundações e EmpresascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOTS covers GIFE's activities extensively, including its 30th anniversary reflections on Private Social Investment in Brazil. GIFE is a leading network of Brazilian institutes, foundations, and companies engaged in social investment. OTS serves as a media outlet for GIFE-related content.
• ODS / UN Brazil (Agenda 2030)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOTS maintains a dedicated section covering all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (ODS) and has produced content on the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, featuring expert guests from UN agencies and Brazilian institutions.
• ACNUR / UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOTS has published multiple interviews and articles featuring ACNUR representatives discussing refugee rights, inclusive cities, and the situation of Haitian migrants in Brazil. ACNUR contributes content through interviews for OTS's news coverage.
• SP InvisívelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOTS's Conexão 3 podcast featured André Soler, CEO and founder of SP Invisível, for an episode on people experiencing homelessness in São Paulo. SP Invisível has been supporting people in street situations since 2014.
• Instituto Ampara AnimalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOTS's Conexão 3 podcast featured Juliana Camargo, founder of Instituto Ampara Animal, one of Brazil's largest animal protection NGOs. The episode was part of a special series on animal protection.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Nonprofit Quarterly: US-based independent nonprofit news outlet covering civil society, governance, and social change — directly comparable as a sector-dedicated nonprofit media platform operating under a similar editorial/community model.
• GIFE (Grupo de Institutos, Fundações e Empresas): Brazilian network of institutes, foundations, and corporate social investors; GIFE operates its own content/research function covering private social investment in Brazil — a closely adjacent reference body to OTS's editorial focus on the third sector.
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy: US news outlet exclusively covering the nonprofit sector and philanthropy; serves as the closest analog to OTS in editorial model and audience (foundation/NGO professionals), but operates in a larger and more mature market.
• IDIS (Instituto para o Desenvolvimento do Investimento Social): Leading Brazilian institute focused on developing social investment and philanthropy; IDIS produces research, rankings (e.g., Global Solidarity Ranking), and editorial content overlapping directly with OTS's coverage of philanthropy and the third sector.

Broad incumbents

• Devex: Global news outlet covering international development, aid, and the social sector; competes for attention from NGOs and funders and partially overlaps with OTS's international cause areas (refugees, environment, SDGs).
• Candid (formerly Foundation Center + GuideStar): US-based global nonprofit data/knowledge platform; comparable as a sector-aggregator combining news, data, grants, and editorial content for the philanthropic ecosystem.
• Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR): Established global publication covering social innovation, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector with broader academic and international scope than OTS; serves overlapping audiences and competes for the same thought-leadership attention.

Regional players

• Aliança pelos Direitos Humanos da Pessoa com Deficiência: Brazilian civic organization producing advocacy and editorial content around disability rights; represents the broader Brazilian civil society ecosystem in which OTS operates and partially overlaps in cause-based content.

Emerging players

• Movimento Bem Maior: Brazilian philanthropic movement promoting strategic philanthropy and donor mobilization; produces educational content and campaigns targeting the same NGO/foundation audience that OTS serves.
• Fundação Abrinq pelos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente: Brazilian foundation focused on child and adolescent rights; produces its own content/news verticals tied to cause advocacy, partial overlap with OTS's 'Crianças' cause area and broader third-sector coverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/obs3setor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/observatorio3setor
• Facebookfacebook.com/observatorio3setor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/observatorio-do-terceiro-setor
• Instagraminstagram.com/observatorio3setor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Observatório do Terceiro Setor