DICE Collaboration Grants were awarded to six intermediary organisations in Brazil and their respective UK partner organisations. 

Each of these pairs of DICE Collaborators drew on the grants to co-design and implement initiatives aiming to reduce economic and social exclusion by supporting creative and social enterprises that seek to reduce gender inequality, youth unemployment and other barriers to opportunity.  

The organisations which received these grants are: 

  • Asplande (Brazil) and Social Starters (UK)
    Seeking to boost incomes and opportunities for Afro-Brazilian women in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the partners recruited two cohorts of aspiring female entrepreneurs and supported them with skills training and confidence building so that they could set up their own creative and social enterprises. 
  • A Banca (Brazil) and Global Urban Design - GUD (UK)
    Drawing on Hip Hop culture, popular education and technology, this collaboration project incubated businesses in areas with significant inequalities of income and wealth as a way of promoting social inclusion and entrepreneurship. 
  • La Da Favelinha (Brazil) and ZU-UK (UK)  
    At the heart of one of Brazil’s largest favelas, a group of designers create edgy new fashions out of thrown-away garments and showcase them in high energy fashion shows that celebrate local creativity, LGBTQ pride and free expression. Through a UK collaboration, the Remexe clothing line has doubled its income and reached a new global audience.
  • Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs - ANDE (Brazil) and Institute for Development Studies (UK)
    Deeply embedded cultural attitudes and discrimination are a huge problem for women entrepreneurs in Brazil seeking to build a sustainable enterprise, notably in terms of access to funding and support. To address this gap, the Collaborators raised awareness of the barriers faced by women entrepreneurs and brought together influential organisations to support female entrepreneurship. 
  • Porto Digital (Brazil) and Signifier (UK)
    Based in Brazil's Silicon Valley, this project focused on supporting excluded and low income communities -- especially women, mixed-race and black Brazilians -- to gain the skills and confidence to launch sustainable businesses that address community needs.
  • Instituto Prococum (Brazil) and Haarlem Artspace (UK)
    The partners developed a 12-month incubator programme that supported around 20 young artists and entrepreneurs with particular emphasis on women, black, indigenous, disabled and LGBTQ Brazilians.

Find out more about these innovative and impactful projects in the case studies below.

See also