Amigos da Poli is an endowment fund that raises money to invest in the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo. In other words, it is a non-profit organization that stimulates innovation and education in one of the largest engineering colleges in Brazil. We seek to foster and empower our engineering students as citizens and leaders.
An endowment works by investing the money it receives as donation, so that its principal increases and additional income is provided for future investing and expenditures. This means our entire donated amount is perpetually kept and remains tied to the Polytechnic School. Several universities have been successfully implementing their endowment models - Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, MIT and others.
Amigos da Poli is the first and largest endowment fund in Brazil, with a current invested volume of over BRL 27 million. It was founded in 2012 and acts independently of USP, although it values the good relationship with the administrative spheres of the School and of the University.
The fund is run by volunteers and one a hired employee. It has a robust governance composed of directors and approval committees (Board of Directors, Fiscal Council, Investment Committee), and audited financial statements. We have currently over 3,000 donors including students, graduates and key leaders in the country. Several companies also contribute to our actions, often providing training sessions or expertise.
The projects we support get chosen annually through a Project Selection Process, to which any school member (teacher, student) can apply with an idea and ask for financial help.
Donations: https://doe.amigosdapoli.com.br
2018 Annual Report: https://relatorioanual.amigosdapoli.com.br