In 2005, 338 there were 338 thousand registered non-profit private foundations and associations in Brazil, employing 1.7 million persons all over the country, with monthly average salaries of R$ 1,094.44. The average period of existence of these institutions was 12.3 years and 42.4% of them were located in the Southeast. These were, in general, small-sized institutions, and 79.5% (269.9 thousand) of them did not have at least one formal employee.

35.2% of the institutions work in the defense of citizens’ rights and interests

The study of IBGE in partnership with the Institute of Research in Applied Economics (IPEA), the Brazilian Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (ABONG) and the Group of Institutes, Foundations and Companies (GIFE), based on the Central Register of Enterprises (CEMPRE) shows that, in 2005, there were 338 thousand Non-Profit Private Foundations and Associations (Fasfil) all over the country. Among them, 35.2% worked in the defense of citizens’ rights and interests, 24.8% were religious institutions and 7.2% developed works in the fields of Health and Education and research.

The distribution of Fasfil over the national territory tends to follow the population distribution. However, in the North Region, results showed 4.8% for organizations versus 8.0% for the population. Considering the main objective, the Southeast region concentrated the entities of Religion (57.9%) and Health (49.0%). In the Northeast, there was predominance of institutions working in the defense of citizens’ rights and interests (38.9%). 

Results point to deceleration of the opening of new institutions

From 2002 to 2005, the number of Non-Profit Private Foundations and Associations increased 22.6%, whereas between 1996 and 2002 this increase was 157.0%. There results point to deceleration in the growth of these institutions all over the country.

Between 2002 and 2005, there was a tendency to a more significant increase of the organizations of defense of citizen’s rights and interests and, also, of environmental organizations. The group of entities of Environment and animal protection had increase of 61.0%, almost three times above the national average (22.6%). This may be a consequence of the increasing world concern with this issue.

Although the percent increase of Religion (18.9%) had been lower than the national average (22.6%), in absolute figures, they are among the ones with the major increases. In the period 2002-2005 were created 13.3 thousand entities dedicated to confessional activities.

The institutions which render services of health, Education and research and Social assistance, with less significant increases, gradually lost their relevance in the group of Fasfil. In 1996, these institutions made up 22.9% of the total, and, in 2005, this figure fell to 18.9%. 

Of the total 15,319 institutions created in 2005, 3,089 were classified as Employer and professional associations and 2,933 as Development and defense of rights, forming a group of 6,022 entities or 39.3% of the total. In this same year were created 3,242 religious institutions, representing 21.2% of the total entities registered in the period.

57.1% of Fasfil workers were in the Southeast

In 2005, Non-Profit Private Foundations and Associations employed 1.7 million persons all over the country. This figure represented 22.1% of the total number of employees in the public administration of the country. Over half of the salaried employed persons in these institutions (57.1%, or almost 1 million), were in institutions in the Southeast, especially in São Paulo, which had 553.7 thousand of these workers (32.4%).

The distribution of salaried employed persons reflected the differences in the coverage of services and in the complexity of the services rendered. The group of entities of Education and research, which represented only 5.9% of the total institutions, concentrated 29.8% of the total number of workers. This phenomenon was repeated in the field of Health, with 4,446 entities all over the country and 415 thousand persons (24.3% of the total workers).

79% of FASFIL do not have at least one formal employee

The strong presence of volunteer and informal work can be partially explained, since 79.5% of the institutions (268.9 thousand) do not have at least one formal employee).

In 2005, each institution had, on average, 5.1 workers. But the average does not reveal the significant differences in the size of entities by region and by category of work. Whereas Hospitals have an average of 174.1 workers, in the entities which form the group Religions and in the group Development and defense of rights, the average is restricted to 1.4 workers per entity. The average number of salaried employed workers in the institutions located in the Southeast (6.8) is twice as in the Northeast (2.9).

FASFIL salaries are close to the average of organizations registered in CEMPRE

Fasfil workers earned, on average, the equivalent to 3.8 minimum wages per month, in 2005. The total compensation of workers who formally belonged to these entities involved resources of about R$ 24.3 billion, which is equivalent to na average monthly salary of R$ 1,094.44.

In the same year, the average compensation of all the salaried workers of public, private, profit and non-profit organizations registered in CEMPRE was 3.7 minimum wages, which is equivalent to R$ 1,060.68. This way, average monthly FASFIL wages were higher by only 3.2%.

The compensation of workers in FASFIL, in the period 1996 – 2005 rose, in real terms, by 1.2%, having changed from R$ 1,081.001 to R$ 1,094.00. However, this rise has occurred, basically, in latest years. Between 1996 and 2002, average salaries remained at the same level, with practically null gain (only 0.1%).

Average age of FASFIL was 12.3 years

The average age of FASFIL in 2005 was 12.3 years, and most of them (41.5%) had been created in the 1990’s. Among the several factors accounting for this result was the strengthening of democracy and the increase of the society participation in the national life, especially after the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution.

Among the entities created from the 1940’s on, 41.5% are directed to the development and defense of citizens’ rights and interests. This category includes the group of Employer and Professional Associations.

In the group of older entities, created before the 1980’s, there was predominance of those of Health (36.0%) ad Religion (20.2%). Among the most recent ones, created from 2001 to 2005, the highlights were the entities of defense of rights and interests of citizens (30.1%) and Environmental and animal protection (45.1%).

A little more than a fourth of the FASFIL (26.3% or 89.2 thousand) are brand new and were created in the first five years of this decade. However, most of them (42.6%) appeared in the first two years (2001 and 2002). The participation of entities created in the subsequent years has fallen progressively, reaching 40.2% in the years 2003/2004 and, then, 17.2% in 2005.

The oldest institutions, created until 1980, correspond to only 13.1% of the total FASFIL, which indicates, on the one hand, reduced organization of society in that period, and, on the other, difficulty to maintain non-profit organizations through the years.

____________________________________________________________

¹ It is worth mentioning that, after religious entities, the other entities which presented the biggest increase (above one thousand entities each), in increasing order, were: rural producers associations, social assistance institutions, communitarian associations.

² Salaries of 1996 and 2002 were inflated for 2005 by IPCA.