Casa Fund founder Maria Amalia Souza has been recognised for her “contribution to humanity” with the J. Blanton Belk Outstanding Alumnus/Alumna award. 

It is deemed as the highest honour offered by the Up With People International Alumni Association (UWPIAA).  

In a career that has spanned almost four decades, Souza has worked towards ensuring resources reach grassroots community groups combating the effects of climate change and environmental protection across South America, particularly in Brazil.  

The Casa Fund arose from Souza’s experience of working with groups like Rainforest Action Network, International Rivers and Earth Island Institute. Its purpose is to provide efficient means for philanthropic support to the traditional, community-based and grassroots communities most affected by social injustice and environmental destruction in South America.

In 1983, Souza joined World College West in California and earned a degree in International Services, Development and Environmental Studies. During this time, she familiarised herself with the indigenous movement in Brazil, through a meeting with Ailton Krenak at a conference in 1986, with whom she started working in the following years. 

“I quickly realised that to conserve fragile ecosystems, we needed to get resources to the people who belong there and are doing the toughest job: the Indigenous groups, river communities and land rights advocates at the frontlines of environmental protection; no one can do it better than them,” Souza told the Casa Fund website. 

Casa Fund, which started two decades ago with five grants, has gone on to deliver 3,000 grants across nine countries, has inspired the creation of five new funds in neighbouring countries and Africa. 

The fund benefitted from a recent donation from major American philanthropist Mackenzie Scott. 

In addition to guiding the strategic development of Casa Fund, Souza is also part of the board of Directors at the Inter-American Association for Environmental Defense, a member of the steering committee of the Human Rights Funders Network and is involved with The Ocean Foundation.  

Shafi Musaddique is news editor at Alliance Magazine.