Primeira Chance
Primeira Chance is a Brazilian non-profit (OSCIP) founded in 2011 in Fortaleza that provides full scholarships at elite private schools plus mentorship and extracurricular support to underprivileged youth from public schools, funded by individual donations and corporate partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersFortaleza, Brazil
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Primeira Chance does
Primeira Chance (legal name Associação Primeira Chance) is a Brazilian non-profit organization registered as an OSCIP (Organização da Sociedade Civil de Interesse Público), founded in August 2011 and headquartered in Fortaleza, Ceará. It operates a scholarship program (Programa de Bolsas) that identifies high-potential, low-income youth from public schools through a three-stage selective process (application/profile analysis, in-person tests, and interviews) and places them as full-scholarship students at elite partner private schools, including Ari de Sá, Farias Brito, and Christus. The program has supported 200+ students over 10+ years, with 100+ alumni admitted to universities in Brazil and the USA (336 documented university admissions in 2022 data across Medicine, Engineering, Computer Science, Law, Psychology, and other fields), and has produced multiple medalists in scientific olympiads.
The core offering is augmented by supplementary modules: group mentorship (Mentoria Grupal), career mentorship (Mentoria de Carreira), a book club (Clube do Livro), socio-cultural activities, and an alumni network (Rede Primeira Chance) where graduates actively support recruitment. The organization is funded through individual donations (tiered monthly Cotas from R$100 to R$2,000) and corporate/institutional partnerships with entities such as Fundação Estudar, Instituto GOL, ArchCapital, SAS Plataforma de Educação, and BDO (which audits financials). There is no proprietary technology platform; operations run on a website (primeirachance.org) and WhatsApp for communications.
The business model is a donation-funded non-profit with no fees charged to beneficiaries. GTM is community-led: candidate recruitment flows through partner school networks and word-of-mouth within the public school system, while donor acquisition is driven by the website, social proof via alumni testimonials, and named institutional partnerships. Leadership comprises Ricardo Cunha Sales (CEO/Diretor Presidente), Ronaldo de Oliveira Sales (Vice-President), Armenia Maria Sales (Finance Director), with a broader team of 41 staff.
Primeira Chance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Primeira Chance
- Legal name
- Associação Primeira Chance
- Website
- https://primeirachance.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Primeira Chance is a Brazilian non-profit (OSCIP) founded in 2011 in Fortaleza that provides full scholarships at elite private schools plus mentorship and extracurricular support to underprivileged youth from public schools, funded by individual donations and corporate partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Primeira Chance industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Services (Non-profit Scholarship Program)
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support (EDAMAKAF)
Keywords
Where Primeira Chance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fortaleza
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Primeira Chance business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual & Corporate Donations: The organization is funded through donations from individuals, corporations, and institutional partners. Donation tiers range from R$100 (Cota Zeta) to R$2,000 (Cota Alfa) per month. Donors can contribute via Pix (CNPJ: 14.424.719/0001-64) or bank transfer (Banco do Brasil – 001, Agência: 3655-2, Conta corrente: 53.835-3). Corporate partners also provide financial support as part of the organization's funding model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Cota Alfa – R$2,000/month donation tier |
| Other | Monthly | Cota Beta – R$1,000/month donation tier |
| Other | Monthly | Cota Gama – R$500/month donation tier |
| Other | Monthly | Cota Delta – R$300/month donation tier |
| Other | Monthly | Cota Zeta – R$100/month donation tier |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Primeira Chance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Primeira Chance operates a scholarship program (Programa de Bolsas) that provides full tuition scholarships at elite partner private schools to low-income, high-potential youth recruited from public schools in Brazil. The scholarship is complemented by financial coverage for transportation, uniforms, and educational materials, plus extracurricular programming including group mentorship, career mentorship, a book club, socio-cultural activities, and an alumni network (Rede Primeira Chance). The program is delivered free of charge to selected beneficiaries and funded through individual and corporate donations.
Product overview
Primeira Chance is a nonprofit organization (OSCIP) that operates a scholarship program for underprivileged Brazilian youth from public schools. The core offering is the Programa de Bolsas, which provides full scholarships at partner private schools along with financial support for education-related expenses. The program is enhanced by supplementary modules including group mentorship (Mentoria Grupal), career mentorship (Mentoria de Carreira), a book club (Clube do Livro), and socio-cultural activities. Alumni remain connected through the Rede Alumni network. The organization does not offer technology products, APIs, or SaaS platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Programa de Bolsas (Scholarship Program) A free-of-charge scholarship program providing full tuition at elite partner private schools in Brazil, along with full financial coverage for transportation, uniforms, and educational materials, plus extracurricular programming (mentorship, book club, socio-cultural activities) for low-income public-school youth, supporting them through university admission.
Quantifiable outcome
- 336 university admissions recorded (2022 data)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Primeira Chance
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Primeira Chance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Primeira Chance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- SAS Plataforma de EducaçãominorSAS Plataforma de Educação is a partner that supports the organization, appearing in the 'Parceiros que também acreditam' section of the website. The nature of the partnership is not further detailed in the available sources.
- AccordminorAccord is listed among the organization's partners in the 'Parceiros que também acreditam' section. Further details about the partnership scope are not available in the source material.
- AmicciminorAmicci appears as a partner in the organization's partner section. The specific nature of collaboration is not disclosed in the available sources.
- BDOminorBDO Brazil is listed as a partner and is credited with auditing the organization's financial statements (Demonstrações Financeiras auditadas). The firm likely provides pro-bono or discounted auditing services.
- Ostronoff, Malagó, Simão e Dimbarre AdvogadosminorOstronoff, Malagó, Simão e Dimbarre Advogados is a law firm listed as a partner supporting Primeira Chance, likely providing legal advisory services.
- PhiminorPhi is listed as a partner in the organization's partner section. Details of the collaboration are not available in the source material.
- Instituto JAMAminorInstituto JAMA appears as a partner supporting the organization. Specific details of the partnership are not disclosed in the available sources.
- Ari de SácoreAri de Sá is one of the flagship partner schools of Primeira Chance, providing full-tuition scholarships to selected bolsistas. It is a well-known private school in Ceará with high academic standards.
- Farias BritocoreFarias Brito is a core partner school offering full scholarships to Primeira Chance beneficiaries. It is one of the most prestigious private schools in the Northeast of Brazil.
- ChristuscoreChristus is a partner school providing scholarship placements for Primeira Chance bolsistas. It is a well-established private educational institution in the region.
- Centro Familiar (CF)coreCentro Familiar is listed as a partner school of Primeira Chance, hosting scholarship recipients in its private school network.
- Grupo Ser (Colégio Master)coreGrupo Ser (Colégio Master) is a partner school providing educational placements for Primeira Chance scholarship recipients.
- DarwincoreDarwin is listed as a partner school of Primeira Chance, providing scholarship opportunities to selected students.
- Primeiro MundocorePrimeiro Mundo is a partner school that collaborates with Primeira Chance in providing educational opportunities to scholarship recipients.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Primeira Chance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Room to Read: Global non-profit focused on literacy and girls' education in low-income communities. Comparable education scholarship/support model targeting disadvantaged youth, though operating primarily outside Brazil.
- Per Scholas: US-based non-profit providing tuition-free technology training and career support to underprivileged youth. Comparable mission of breaking poverty cycles through education access for low-income populations.
Direct peers
- Instituto Ayrton Senna: Long-established Brazilian education NGO working to expand quality education access for youth from public schools. Comparable non-profit structure, mission, and beneficiary segment, with national scale.
- Fundação Lemann: Prominent Brazilian foundation that funds scholarships for talented low-income youth, including international placements, with strong focus on leadership development. Directly comparable scholarship model targeting similar beneficiary profile.
- Fundação Estudar: Major Brazilian education-focused foundation that supports talented low-income students through scholarships and leadership development. Directly comparable as both a scholarship funder and named partner of Primeira Chance; operates at materially larger scale nationally.
- Instituto Unibanco: Brazilian non-profit focused on education and youth development, partnering with public schools on college preparation and career readiness programs. Comparable mission (educational access for low-income youth) with overlapping program areas.
- Ashoka Brazil: Brazilian branch of global social entrepreneurship network supporting education and youth development changemakers. Comparable non-profit structure and mission to nurture high-potential youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Others
- Instituto GOL: Social arm of GOL Linhas Aéreas funding education-focused initiatives including Primeira Chance. Comparable as a Brazilian education philanthropy funder and corporate social investor in youth education programs.
- BDO Brazil Foundation / Pro-bono Audit NGOs: BDO is disclosed as the auditor providing pro-bono auditing services to Primeira Chance. Comparable as ecosystem-enabling professional services firms supporting education NGO operations with governance infrastructure.
Broad incumbents
- Fundação Bradesco: Large corporate foundation offering K-12 education and vocational training programs at significant scale across Brazil. Comparable beneficiary segment and education access mission, with substantially broader geographic and programmatic footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Primeira Chance social profiles
Digital presencePrimeira Chance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Primeira Chance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Primeira Chance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Primeira Chance 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 Primeira Chance
What does Primeira Chance do?
Primeira Chance operates a scholarship program (Programa de Bolsas) that provides full tuition scholarships at elite partner private schools to low-income, high-potential youth recruited from public schools in Brazil. The scholarship is complemented by financial coverage for transportation, uniforms, and educational materials, plus extracurricular programming including group mentorship, career mentorship, a book club, socio-cultural activities, and an alumni network (Rede Primeira Chance). The program is delivered free of charge to selected beneficiaries and funded through individual and corporate donations.
Is Primeira Chance a public or private company?
Primeira Chance is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Primeira Chance founded?
Primeira Chance was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Primeira Chance based?
Primeira Chance is headquartered in Fortaleza, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does Primeira Chance make money?
One revenue line is on record: individual & Corporate Donations.
Who are Primeira Chance's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Room to Read and Per Scholas. Direct peers are Instituto Ayrton Senna, Fundação Lemann, Fundação Estudar, Instituto Unibanco and Ashoka Brazil. Others are Instituto GOL and BDO Brazil Foundation / Pro-bono Audit NGOs. Fundação Bradesco is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Primeira Chance have an API?
No public API is recorded for Primeira Chance.
What industry is Primeira Chance in?
Primeira Chance's product category is Education Services (Non-profit Scholarship Program). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADAHAC, Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts, with a secondary code of EDAMAKAF, Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.