About the Foundation for a Sustainable Amazon
FAS is a public-private, non-profit and non-governmental institution focused on sustainable environmental conservation and welfare improvement in 34 designated areas of the Amazon forest (~17 million ha). FAS was created in 2007 by the State Government of Amazonas—the largest Brazilian private bank—through an endowment fund.
How FAS protects the forest and improves people’s lives
The mission of FAS is to turn Amazon communities into "guardians" of the forest by providing them with alternate sources of income in return for their agreement not to cut trees down or engage in activities that threaten the forest’s biodiversity. Members of these guardian communities receive family allowances and benefits, like schooling and healthcare.
In addition to base allowances, communities have the ability to profit from sustainable activities, like fishing an¬d collecting fruits and nuts from the forest. This extra income is subsidized by the FAS in two ways: the "sale" of environmental services, including carbon dioxide reduction, biodiversity protection and eco-tourism, and the endowment fund.
FAS’ Challenges
Continuous and successful fundraising for the endowment is critical in order to cover program and administrative costs and is therefore one of FAS’ biggest challenges. As a result, its fundraising strategy relies heavily on the marketing of its value proposition and pursuit of financial partnerships with other corporations, funds and the government.
Bain’s involvement
Bain São Paulo did not work directly with the guardian communities, however it did help FAS develop a business plan that included: defining the "products" FAS should offer (voluntary carbon reduction, image licensing, etc.) in exchange for individual and corporate contributions; identifying target "clients"; developing a pricing strategy for those products; projecting the revenue and cost stream over time and defining a process for distributing "dividends" to the Amazon communities.
A strategic plan was developed to prioritize the key sources of funding and pitch points were drafted for FAS to use when approaching those sources for contributions. Using FAS' internal data and that of research institutes, Bain created a point-of-view on the key community activities FAS needed to support in order to increase the per capita income in the region. Bain also helped create a 2011 - 2012 budget for FAS to support those activities and other costs involved.
Our reward
Apart from being deeply honored by the opportunity to help FAS structure and add value to this important initiative in the Amazon, the Bain São Paulo office is pleased to announce the FAS has offered to offset our office’s carbon emissions in exchange for our services.
"The FAS Executive Board approved a proposal from the Chairman of the Board, Luiz Furlan, to offer "pro-bono" carbon offsetting to Bain São Paulo. This symbol represents our recognition of Bain's expressive contribution to the strategic planning and structuring of FAS."
- Virgilio Viana, General Superintendent
This is one small contribution toward a cleaner world.
