JOIN FICA
1. Support FICA every month with the amount you want;
2. Write to us saying you would like to join: contato@fundofica.org;
3. We will reply to you with a registration form. You will be able to participate in assemblies and actions of FICA.
About FICA
FICA is a non-profit civil society organisation founded in 2015 to make renting viable for low-income families in the centre of São Paulo.
It is one of the initiatives under the institutional umbrella of the Associação Pela Propriedade Comunitárias institutional umbrella, managed by a three-year board of directors elected at a meeting of the associates. To support strategic decisions, an International Advisory Board was also consolidated, with multidisciplinary professionals working in other countries. Since 2020, we have an executive team.
To learn more about our history, check out the video in which the first board of directors tells a little about the early years of FICA.
WHY WE EXIST
Land and property are expensive assets concentrated in the hands of a few. This reality makes their social and responsible use increasingly rare, especially if mobilized by the market and private interests. When these resources are in privileged locations, the dispute increases: rents rise, there are evictions, gentrification, disrespect for environmental preservation.
We believe there is an alternative to the market and we are dedicated to going beyond the speech, protecting land and property from speculation.
MANIFESTO
PROTECTS land from speculation to guarantee more equal access to these resources.
GUARANTEES the socially just use of property, avoiding gentrification.
SEEKS diversity, permanence and security for communities in the territory.
ACQUIRES properties and makes them accessible: it believes in the right to use spaces for fair, non-speculative values.
BUILDS alternative models to the traditional property market from a growing network of donors and collaborators like you.
Members and supporters
Supporters contribute monthly to FICA for the purchase of new flats. The members, in addition to contributing to FICA, have the right to vote in the assemblies and can also run for the board of directors.
Current Board of Directors
Architect and urban planner with a PhD from FAUUSP. Urban Development Coordinator at WRI Brasil and Professor of Urbanism at Escola da Cidade.
Professor at FAU-USP, he coordinates the research group Lugares de Memória e Consciência (USP/CNPq) and is a member of the Laboratory for Other Urbanisms at FAU-USP. He is President of the Pólis Institute and a member of the Board of Casa do Povo.
Business consultant, engineer (1988), bachelor in philosophy (2008), master in Studies on Ethnicity and Racism (2019), all from USP. He works with historical-family research and is a volunteer curator of the GENI platform.
Executive Team
Civil Engineer from EP-USP, with double degree in Architecture and Urbanism, and is currently taking a Master's degree in Public Administration at Fundação João Pinheiro. She is institutional coordinator and project manager at FICA.
Architect and Urbanist from the Centro Universitário Belas Artes de São Paulo, with post-graduation in Housing and the City from the Escola da Cidade. Develops research on Women and Housing and gender issues in city spaces. She is a project manager at FICA.
Urban Architect by FAUUSP. Has developed research in the area of housing public policies. She has experience with projects and construction. She is a project manager at FICA.
Social Communicator from UFS and Master in Communication from UFRB. She works in projects of popular communication and content production for the third sector. She is a communication analyst for FICA.
Graduated in Human Resources Management at Universidade do Grande ABC. She is a financial analyst at FICA.
Psychoanalyst with a master's degree in psychology from the Laboratory of Psychoanalysis, Society and Politics at USP's Institute of Psychology and a specialist in public health from the School of Public Health. She has worked in Caps Ad, UBS, the Open Arms Program, the Coexistence Center, É de Lei and other services in the psychosocial care network.
She is currently an advisor to the state drug policy council. She is a psychosocial supervisor at FICA.
Undergraduate in Architecture and Urbanism at FAUUSP, with experience in fundraising in the third sector. She is a fundraising intern at FICA.
Undergraduate student in Architecture and Urbanism at FAU USP and researcher on the theme of the periphery within the teaching of architecture and urbanism, especially with regard to participatory projects and the provision of housing, as well as having experience in public management. She is an architecture and urbanism intern at FICA.
TRANSPARENCY
We are working to be an increasingly transparent organization. We publish monthly fund statements and news about the progress of projects on social media. Every year, we publish an activity report with the balance sheet and income statement. Our accounts have been audited since 2021.
Check out our annual reports and other documents below.
FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS
What do we do?
We access properties and rent them out at a fair price to low-income families. We also have experimental projects, gathered under the umbrella of FICALab, such as the incubation of new similar funds.
How do we acquire the properties?
The money to buy the properties comes from recurring or one-off donations we receive. But we also work with donations or loans of empty properties. The fund also receives rents from apartments and funds from financial investments. Every month we publish the previous month's statement on our social media channels. You can also check the statements in transparency.
Do we subsidise the tenants' rent?
No. Our aim is to offer a rent at cost price and therefore more affordable. Our contracts are the same as any other rental contract, except that we do not require a guarantor.
How do we calculate the rent?
The rent FICA is composed of 5 items: fee for eventual repairs (R$100); association allowance (R$100); contribution to the fund for new flats (R$100); building fund (R$40) and insurance against external disasters (R$20). The rent thus totals about R$360, with the possibility of small annual readjustments to cover inflation.
How do we select the residents?
Residents are selected according to each property, always through referrals from partner institutions such as the Gaspar Garcia Center for Human Rights and the ULCM.
In the case of #apartamento1, we drew up - with the participation of the members FICA - a profile for the first family that served as a guide during the process. The family income would be between 2 and 3 minimum wages, guaranteeing a maximum commitment of 30% with the payment of rent and condominium, the contract must be signed by a woman and the family must have 2 generations.
I have an idle property, can FICA help me to give it a social function?
Yes! We can find different ways of working with a property, whether by assignment of use, lending, social investment or transfer of ownership. Write to contato@fundofica.org.
What is the difference between being a supporter or an associate?
The supporter is the one who contributes monthly with FICA for the purchase of houses, and may or may not be a member. The associate, besides contributing with the FICA, accompanies the projects, participating in meetings and work groups, contributing even more to our growth. The associate, as a member of FICA, also has the right to vote in the assemblies and can also run for the board of directors.
How to become an associate?
To become a member, you must share the values of FICA and be accepted in a vote by the board. After registering for the monthly contributionplease contact us by the same email contato@fundofica.org.
How do we cover the administrative costs?
Part of the rent is used to cover administrative costs, but most of it is covered by other income, such as sponsorship for FICALab projects and prizes. In this way, we ensure that donations are entirely directed to their purpose.
What is FICALab and how can I register a project?
FICALab is a laboratory for projects related to urban/rural land ownership or topics that are connected to the mission of FICA. Do you have a project idea for FICALab? Contact us by email (contato@fundofica.org) or through the social networks (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter e Linkedin). Suggestions are reviewed by the executive team and the board of directors of FICA.
How can I contribute to FICA?
You can make a monthly or one-off donation via our platform.
We also accept other forms of contribution. Do you have any suggestions? Contact us at contato@fundofica.org.
Contact
Click on the button to send us a message with your questions or suggestions. We will get back to you as soon as possible.