Imagemagica

What Imagemagica does

ImageMagica is a Brazilian civil society organization of public interest (OSCIP), founded in 1995 in São Paulo by photographer André François, that uses photography as a tool for human development and social transformation. The organization operates two product lines: (1) Educational Empowerment Projects (Escola do Olhar workshops, PhotoTruck mobile unit, Inclusão Digital for seniors, Cultura Ribeirinha e Indígena) delivered in public schools and community spaces, and (2) Hospital Humanization Projects (led by the flagship Conexões do Cuidar program) that bring photography workshops, humanized badges, care messages, exhibitions, and virtual visits into healthcare settings. A third output stream consists of long-form documentary projects (Ubuntu, Farmacêuticos, Somos Brasil, Além da Pele, Expedicionários da Saúde, Fortes Mulheres) distributed through books, exhibitions, and digital platforms.

The underlying technology is a 30-year field-tested photographic pedagogy methodology grounded in the educational theories of Célestin Freinet, Paulo Freire, and Lev Vygotsky. The methodology includes visual language sensitization, technical photography training, generating-theme diagnostics, community mapping, reflection and caption production, and group activities such as correspondence exchange, educational tourism, and newspaper-making. There is no proprietary software platform; delivery is performed on-site by trained imagemaker educators embedded in partner institutions. Digital tooling is limited to standard analytics (Google Analytics), social media integration (Facebook, YouTube), and cookie consent management (CookieYes).

ImageMagica's revenue model is that of a multi-channel nonprofit. The majority of funding flows through Brazilian federal, state, and municipal tax incentive mechanisms (Lei Rouanet, PROAC, FUMCAD, PRO-MAC, PRONON, PRONAS), supplemented by individual donations earmarked for specific projects (Conexões do Cuidar), public-notice grants, institutional service provision agreements with public-sector entities, and a marginal direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel selling photography prints priced from R$1 to R$200. The customer base comprises non-paying beneficiaries (students, patients, vulnerable populations) and paying institutional sponsors (corporates, government, multilateral bodies such as WHO, UN, and MSF). Sub-brands include Conexões do Cuidar, Escola do Olhar, and PhotoTruck.

Name

Imagemagica

Legal name

ImageMagica Organização da Sociedade Civil (OSC)

Website

https://imm.ong

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ImageMagica is a Brazilian OSCIP founded in 1995 that uses a photography-based pedagogical methodology to deliver educational empowerment and hospital humanization programs in schools, hospitals, and underserved communities across 17 countries, supported by tax incentive funding, donations, and documentary publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Photography Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Commercial Photography (541922)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Systems Strengthening & Global Health Technical Assistance (BPADAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops) (EDAAAFAG), Health Promotion, Prevention & Community Health Programs (BPAIAJAC), Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) Partnerships (HLAJAOAG), Global Health & School Health Partnerships (WASH, Nutrition, SRH) (EDADALAH)

Keywords

• Photography education programs
• Hospital humanization services
• Documentary photography projects
• Community empowerment initiatives
• Social intervention workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Americana

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. Tax Incentive Law Funding (Federal): Projects are financed through federal, state, and municipal tax incentive mechanisms, including the Culture Incentive Law (Lei de Incentivo à Cultura / Lei Rouanet), PROAC (São Paulo state ICMS incentive), FUMCAD (São Paulo municipal child rights fund), and PRO-MAC (São Paulo municipal cultural projects). Individuals and companies allocate a portion of their Income Tax to sponsored projects.
2. Individual Donations: Individual donations, exclusively directed to the Conexões do Cuidar project. Donors receive tax deductibility benefits under Brazilian tax law for charitable contributions.
3. Public Notices and Grants: Financing through public notices and government grant programs, in addition to institutional service provision agreements with public sector entities.
4. Photography Print Sales: Sale of photographic prints (Foto 1, Foto 2, Foto 3) through the organization's e-commerce platform, with prices ranging from R$1 to R$200 per print.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ImageMagica delivers photography-based social intervention programs in public schools and hospitals across Brazil and internationally. Its two main service lines are Educational Empowerment Projects (Escola do Olhar, PhotoTruck, Inclusão Digital, Cultura Ribeirinha e Indígena) and Hospital Humanization Projects (Conexões do Cuidar, Humanização Hospitalar). It also produces and distributes documentary photography books, films, and exhibitions on health, education, and social themes, supported by WHO, UN, and MSF partnerships.

Product overview

ImageMagica is an OSCIP (civil society organization of public interest) founded in 1995 that uses photography as a tool to promote human development and social transformation. The organization operates two main product lines: Documentary Projects (producing photographic books and films on health, education, and environmental themes) and Educational Projects (photography workshops and humanization programs in hospitals, schools, and communities). Key documentary products include Ubuntu, Farmacêuticos, Somos Brasil, Além da Pele, Expedicionários da Saúde, and Fortes Mulheres. Core educational offerings include Conexões do Cuidar (hospital humanization), Escola do Olhar, PhotoTruck, and Inclusão Digital for seniors. Additionally, the organization sells photo prints through its online store. All projects are carried out primarily in healthcare and education settings across Brazil and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Conexões do Cuidar: Humanization and social development activities through photography in hospitals, impacting health professionals, collaborators, patients, and companions. Recognized by the Folha de S. Paulo Social Entrepreneur Award in 2020.
• Escola do Olhar
• PhotoTruck

Products and services

• Conexões do Cuidar Hospital humanization project delivered in healthcare institutions, featuring activities like humanized badges, care messages, photography workshops, video calls, exhibitions, and lectures. Aimed at health professionals, patients, and companions.
• Escola do Olhar

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 countries, 879 institutions, 206,542 direct participants, and 78,446,130 indirect participants over 30 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe World Health Organization supported ImageMagica's documentary projects addressing global health themes. Documentary outputs are distributed internationally through WHO channels and returned to communities as awareness and advocacy tools.
• United Nations (UN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe United Nations supported ImageMagica's documentary work on global health and social themes. Documentary results are shared with international audiences through UN-affiliated channels and networks.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF / Doctors Without Borders)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMédecins Sans Frontières supported ImageMagica's documentary projects documenting healthcare in crisis and remote settings. The partnership enabled photographic documentation in conflict zones and humanitarian crisis areas.
• Dra. Ana Cláudia Arantes (Casa do Cuidar)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeriatrician and palliative care specialist, founding partner and vice-president of Casa do Cuidar Association. Serves as ambassador for ImageMagica's health humanization projects, supporting the dissemination and promotion of Conexões do Cuidar, and developing improvements and opportunities in hospital humanization activities.
• Public Institutions (Schools and Hospitals)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 879 public institutions including schools and hospitals across Brazil and internationally host ImageMagica's educational and humanization projects. These institutions provide access to participants (students, patients, healthcare professionals) and serve as project delivery sites.
• Marcus Lyon (British Artist)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish artist Marcus Lyon partnered with ImageMagica to create 'Somos Brasil', a multimedia documentary about Brazil's different cultures, in partnership with journalist Camilla Pastorelli.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ashoka: Global network supporting leading social entrepreneurs; relevant as a broader-incumbent peer in the social-entrepreneurship space where ImageMagica's founder was a Schwab finalist.
• Fundação Lemann: Major Brazilian philanthropic foundation focused on education equity, comparable as a country-level incumbent operating in the same Brazilian public-school ecosystem ImageMagica serves.
• Instituto Unibanco: Brazilian nonprofit working on public education innovation and youth development, comparable as a broader incumbent in ImageMagica's public-school and empowerment space.

Direct peers

• Witness: International nonprofit using video and visual media to support human rights, closely paralleling ImageMagica's use of visual media for humanization, advocacy, and marginalized-population empowerment.
• Magnum Foundation: Nonprofit that funds and produces documentary photography and visual storytelling on social and human-rights issues, comparable to ImageMagica's documentary program and global-health storytelling model.
• PhotoVoice: UK-based nonprofit using participatory photography with marginalized communities for empowerment and social change, directly aligned with ImageMagica's Escola do Olhar and Conexões do Cuidar methodology.
• Catchlight: Nonprofit that harnesses visual storytelling and photography for social impact, comparable in mission and in the use of documentary outputs to drive awareness and advocacy.
• Video Volunteers: Organization that trains community members in media production for social impact, comparable to ImageMagica's imagemaker-educator model of training participants in visual storytelling.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/imagemagica
• Facebookfacebook.com/imagemagica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imm-ong
• Instagraminstagram.com/imagemagica

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Imagemagica