Ubatuba Emergency Fund

Ubatuba is located by the coast in south-east Brazil, about halfway between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The municipality is a champion of rainforest preservation, with over 85% of its territory being part of nature conservation areas. While that in itself is a major advantage Ubatuba has over its neighbouring cities, there are immense challenges to overcome. Particularly, the lack of a concrete plan for social and economic development to steer the city away from depending on exploitative tourism.

An overview of issues faced by the city can be seen in this short video documenting a research project undertaken in 2015-2017:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGHUhl1WB9E

As a great proportion of Ubatuba's economy relies on tourism, the city was severely impacted by COVID-19. The Ubatuba Emergency Fund was set up to attract direct investment in nonprofits looking into social-environmental issues and providing aid for local communities. Decisions about where to direct the funds raised will be made democratically by a committee composed of members of these organisations.

Who is organising the fund?
My name is Felipe Fonseca. Before moving to Europe in 2019 to pursue a PhD, I have lived in Ubatuba for 11 years. During that time I have organised four editions of a festival, was part of a research project on Open Science, hosted a radio show, founded a co-working space, was a member of the advisory board on cultural policy and was involved with many other projects. 

I'm setting up this collective in my spare time on a pure volunteer basis - meaning I will not get any share of whatever money is raised.