What Instituto Sonho Grande does

Instituto Sonho Grande (ISG) is a São Paulo-based Brazilian non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 2015 to support implementation, expansion, and quality improvement of full-time public high school education (Ensino Médio Integral, or EMI) in Brazil. Its customers are state education secretariats: ISG delivers its services through technical cooperation agreements with 18 of Brazil's 27 state education networks (covering 67% of the country), without financial transfer of public funds in either direction. The operating model rests on three layers: a co-developed pedagogical model structured around eight implementation pillars (Welcoming, Youth Leadership, Tutoring, Study Guidance, Life Project, Practical Learning, Electives, Full-Time) created with Pernambuco's Secretaria de Educação and Instituto de Corresponsabilidade pela Educação (ICE); a monitoring and evaluation instrument called PADI (Pesquisa de Acompanhamento e Desenvolvimento do Integral), which administers questionnaires to students, teachers, and managers and which as of 2025 has surveyed over 500,000 students, 50,000+ teachers, and 15,000 managers across 21 states; and an interactive web map displaying EMI coverage by state. Scale is large in social terms — 6,500+ schools, 1.2M+ students — but the organization is compact, with an 11–50 headcount operating across at least ten functional departments.

The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial: ISG does not charge for its services and operates without public funding flows; it is maintained primarily by the Telles Foundation as principal associate, supplemented by a network of supporting partners (federal and state universities, state research foundations, MIT, Brazilian Space Agency). End-user surfaces include Quero Integral (querointegral.org), a 2025-launched consumer-facing platform helping students and families locate integral schools, and the documentary Tudo Que Podemos Ser. Indirect revenue-like signals include alignment with the federal Programa Escolas em Tempo Integral (launched 2023, 1M+ enrollments by 2024), Piauí's 2025 universalization of EMI, and state-level outcomes (Ceará at 75% of schools in full-time by 2024, Pernambuco at 75% of students by 2022). Distribution is exclusively direct — field engagement with state education authorities — with content marketing (website, evidence portal) and earned media (Revista Exame special edition, regional press) supporting institutional positioning rather than demand generation.

Name

Instituto Sonho Grande

Legal name

Instituto Sonho Grande

Website

https://sonhogrande.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Instituto Sonho Grande is a Brazilian non-profit founded in 2015 that supports 18 state education secretariats in implementing and scaling full-time public high school education, reaching 6,500+ schools and 1.2 million students, and is primarily funded by the Telles Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Administration of Education Programs (923110)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

State/Provincial Education Department Administration (BPAIABAJ), Institutional Planning, Performance Management & Accreditation Liaison (EDADAKAM)

Keywords

• Public education programs
• Education policy consulting
• Pedagogical model development
• Educational monitoring research
• State education secretariats

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic/Foundation Funding: Instituto Sonho Grande is a nonprofit, nonpartisan NGO maintained primarily by the Telles Foundation, which contributes financially to support the organization's purpose of expanding full-time high school education in Brazil.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Instituto Sonho Grande provides non-profit consulting, implementation support, training, monitoring, and research services to Brazilian state education secretariats for the deployment of full-time public high school education (Ensino Médio Integral). Its deliverables include an eight-pillar pedagogical model, the PADI monitoring research instrument, interactive data maps, and program evaluation, delivered through technical cooperation agreements without transfer of public funds. The organization is maintained primarily by the Telles Foundation.

Product overview

Instituto Sonho Grande is a non-profit educational organization that operates as a platform of programs and initiatives to expand and improve Full-Time High School (Ensino Médio Integral) in Brazilian public schools. The core offering consists of the Teaching Model with 8 pedagogical pillars (Acolhimento, Protagonismo Juvenil, Tutoria, Orientações de Estudo, Projeto de Vida, Aprendizado na Prática, Eletivas, and Tempo Integral), supported by the PADI monitoring research tool and an interactive state map. Additional offerings include the Quero Integral initiative to help families find integral schools, and the documentary 'Tudo Que Podemos Ser'. The organization provides consulting services to state education secretariats for implementation and expansion of the model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Quero Integral: An initiative to help more students and families understand how Integral High School works and where to find it.

Products and services

• PADI - Pesquisa de Acompanhamento e Desenvolvimento do Integral Monitoring and evaluation research tool using questionnaires administered to students, teachers, and managers in partner Brazilian states. It identifies advances and challenges in full-time high school implementation and produces evidence for more precise diagnosis and decision-making.
• Interactive State Map (Mapa Interativo) Web-based interactive map displaying data on full-time high school implementation by Brazilian state, showing schools, enrollments, and details of technical cooperation agreements.
• Ensino Médio Integral Pedagogical Model (Eight-Pillar Framework) Eight-pillar pedagogical framework for full-time high school implementation: Acolhimento (Welcoming), Protagonismo Juvenil (Youth Leadership), Tutoria (Tutoring), Orientações de Estudo (Study Guidance), Projeto de Vida (Life Project), Aprendizado na Prática (Hands-on Learning), Eletivas (Electives), and Tempo Integral (Full-Time). Delivered to state education secretariats as the foundation for technical cooperation programs.
• Quero Integral Educational initiative and online platform that helps students and families understand how Full-Time High School works and locate schools offering the model across Brazil.

Quantifiable outcome

• Schools with full-time education achieve 0.7 point higher IDEB scores than part-time schools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting, primary and strategic.

• Secretaria de Educação de PernambucocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Education Secretariat of Pernambuco co-developed the pedagogical model used by ISG, which integrates eight pillars: Welcome/Acolhimento, Youth Protagonism, Tutoring, Study Guidance, Life Project, Practical Learning, Electives, and Full-Time. This model serves as the foundation for full-time education implementation.
• Instituto de Corresponsabilidade pela Educação (ICE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICE co-developed the pedagogical model with Pernambuco's Education Secretariat, providing foundational expertise for the eight-pillar approach to full-time education that ISG helps expand across Brazilian states.
• Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUFMA articulated the 'Cientistas de Alcântara' project and supported the student satellite mission, providing technical expertise and partnership for space science education initiatives in full-time schools.
• Fundação Sousa AndradesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in the Cientistas de Alcântara satellite project, supporting student participation in space science education.
• Agência Espacial BrasileirasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian Space Agency supported the Cientistas de Alcântara project, providing institutional backing for student involvement in satellite programming.
• Secretaria de Estado da Educação do Paraná (SEED/PR)primaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEED/PR is a key state partner implementing full-time education and supporting science clubs like Capivara's Tech. The state reached 75% of schools in full-time education by 2024.
• Universidades Públicas do ParanásupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic universities in Paraná support science clubs and research projects in full-time schools, providing academic expertise and mentorship.
• Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUFPR partnered with a full-time school on the Sunrise project converting cooking oil to biodiesel, providing technical support and scientific expertise for the student-led sustainability initiative.
• Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido (Ufersa)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUfersa selected student projects from a full-time school for the 1st Olympics and organized the 'Rover Expedição Caatinga', providing a platform for student innovation in sustainable solutions.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT students collaborated with students from a full-time school in Rio Grande do Norte to develop new vehicle prototypes, representing an international academic partnership for student innovation.
• Governo Federal do BrasilprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe federal government launched the 'Programa Escolas em Tempo Integral' in 2023 to support states and municipalities in expanding full-time education. By 2024, it reached over 1 million full-time enrollments.
• Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (INEP)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerINEP provides official educational data including IDEB scores and enrollment statistics used by ISG for monitoring and research on full-time education impact.
• QDedusupportingOthersQDedu portal provides public data on full-time schools that individuals can access to learn about full-time high school education options in their states.
• think-cellsupportingTechnology or IntegrationThink-cell software provides its presentation and chart creation tools free of charge to nonprofit organizations for educational purposes, public research, or nonprofit operational activities. ISG uses this tool for creating slides and presentations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Room to Read: International non-profit focused on literacy and gender equality in education across multiple developing countries, partnering with governments and schools. Comparable as a global NGO partnering with public education systems to improve learning outcomes at scale.
• Fundação Roberto Marinho: Large Brazilian foundation operating across multiple education verticals including K-12, vocational training, and media-based learning. Comparable to ISG as a major education-focused foundation with deep relationships across Brazilian state and federal education systems.
• Fundação Itaú Social: Major Brazilian corporate foundation funding K-12 public education programs, including full-time school models, early childhood, and youth development. Comparable to ISG as a large-scale philanthropic actor in Brazilian public education reform.

Direct peers

• Instituto Ayrton Senna: Brazilian non-profit that develops educational programs and partnerships with state education secretariats to improve public school outcomes, particularly at the secondary level. Highly comparable mission and B2G operating model to ISG.
• Instituto Unibanco: A major Brazilian non-profit focused on improving public high school education through technical cooperation with state education secretariats, including curriculum and management support programs. Highly comparable to ISG in mission, target audience (state education networks), and B2G delivery model.
• Todos pela Educação: Brazilian non-profit focused on education policy advocacy, evidence-based research, and public management support for K-12. Comparable to ISG through its evidence/research arm and policy-level engagement with Brazilian state education secretariats.
• Instituto de Corresponsabilidade pela Educação (ICE): Brazilian education NGO that co-developed the 8-pillar Ensino Médio Integral pedagogical model alongside Pernambuco's Education Secretariat. Directly comparable as a strategic co-developer and peer implementer in the same full-time high school niche.
• Fundação Lemann: One of Brazil's largest education-focused philanthropies, funding programs that improve public K-12 outcomes through partnerships with state and municipal networks. Comparable as a Brazilian education nonprofit working at scale with public school systems.

Others

• UNICEF Brazil Education Programs: UN agency implementing education programs in partnership with Brazilian federal and state governments, focused on equitable access and learning outcomes. Comparable as an international organization working on public K-12 education in Brazil alongside state secretariats.
• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): Multilateral development bank that finances large-scale education reform and full-time school expansion programs across Latin America, including Brazil. Comparable as a major funder/technical advisor for the same integral education reform agenda ISG supports.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/instituto-sonho-grande

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Instituto Sonho Grande