Who we are
We are a non-profit, philanthropic organization that works independently to broaden the debate on and the possibilities of care for mental illnesses prevention and mental health promotion in Brazil.
We support initiatives and projects that provide, through mental health, an improvement in the quality of life for all people, with a particular focus on adolescents and women.
We provide grants for the development and offering of tools and interventions that can create effective solutions and generate best practices in mental health, with the potential to be scaled, and we support the development of scientific evidence, as well as practical tools to support the public sector in its mission to provide accessible and high quality mental health care to all.
We believe mental health
is a collective effort
We believe that mental health is a collective responsibility, therefore we focus on building an ecosystem that enables an open dialogue between civil society, academia, and the private and public sectors, and on developing partnerships aimed at influencing public policy and fostering innovation in mental health.
Our History
Our purpose:
Our mission
Our mission is to improve the quality of life for every person by supporting projects in mental illnesses prevention and mental health promotion. We aim to expand initiatives that value each person as the protagonist of their own journey when it comes to mental health and that contribute to democratizing the access to high quality and affordable mental health care.
We finance projects and initiatives, advocate, communicate, and strengthen the mental health ecosystem in order to achieve our goals of access to mental health care to all in Brazil, especially to adolescents and women, which are, for us, key groups to transform the mental health scenario in Brazil.
READ ABOUT OUR PROJECTSOur vision
We dream of a future in which our society is committed to improving mental health, particularly with regards to its promotion and prevention, since a healthier future depends on proactive actions we take in the present. We want to strengthen the mental health ecosystem in Brazil and build networks and alliances across all social sectors. We know that there is no way to improve other social agendas without first tackling mental health as a social issue, therefore we design collaborative solutions and strengthen partners and allies to be multipliers in this cause.
We engage more actors to join us in our mission, so they can incorporate the “lens” of mental health into their work. We’re helping to build a future in which everyone willing to take care of their mental health has the conditions and resources to access care, by producing and sharing data, evidence and best practices with the public sector and other decision-makers in this theme.
Our ManifestoWe are working for a future in
which all of society takes
care of mental health the same as we
dedicate ourselves to physical health.
Our practices
To inform is to form:
we work to eliminate stigma and discrimination related to mental health, through providing quality information, and sharing best practices.
Growth
mindset:
we believe in the adaptability of the human mind, in positive and systemic changes and in the power of civil society as an agent of change.
Access and equity:
all people, regardless of age, gender or social status, have the right to access high quality mental health care.
If you want
to go far,
go together:
with the combined efforts of the third sector, the private and the public sectors combined, and with a strong ecosystem around this cause, we will be better equipped to achieve our mental health goals.
We are different,
so we need
segmented approaches:
through active listening, we seek to approach mental health using segmented views, considering the specifics of each person and group.
Team:
SILVIA MOLINAR
General Executive Manager
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Marie Curie
Executive Manager at Instituto Cactus, with a professional career that combines 20 years of experience in the private sector, including notable performance in the financial market with experiences at prominent institutions such as Banco Safra and the position of COO at Kiron Capital. Her professional journey is marked by essential skills in project management, product development and building high-performance teams. With a degree in Business Administration from FGV and a master’s degree in Economics, Silvia has a solid foundation to understand and address complex challenges. Furthermore, Silvia is recognized for her ability to work effectively in multifunctional environments, demonstrating leadership and strategic vision in all areas in which she operates.
BRUNO ZILLER
Project Coordinator
"The greatest punishment for those who are not interested in politics is that they will be governed by those who are." Arnold Toynbee
Bruno holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Hertie School (Germany), a specialist degree in Political Science from FESPSP and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from ESPM. He has experience in government relations and political analysis, having worked in multinational consulting, third-sector organizations and government agencies.
Rafaela Rodrigues
Communications Coordinator
"We have to talk about liberating minds as much as liberating society." Angela Davis
Rafaela has a degree in Integrated Communications, with a major in Advertising and specializes in Strategic Marketing. She has worked in communications consulting, planning and implementing internal and external communication strategies. She has experience in the areas of education and the third sector.
Bianca has a degree from New York University (NYU) in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies and a master’s degree in Global Mental Health from King’s College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She was a Research Assistant at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Project Coordinator at Columbia University assisting in research and implementation of mental health studies for vulnerable populations in low-income countries.
BRUNO PIMENTEL
Data Analyst
"In nature, nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything changes." Antoine Lavoisier
Student in Aeronautical Engineering at ITA, passionate about exact sciences. Specialist in data science, with a focus on Bayesian optimization, machine learning, and reinforcement learning. Served as education coordinator at a pre-university NGO and diligently study Item Response Theory (IRT).
She holds a medical degree from the Federal University of São Paulo (2003), a residency in Psychiatry (2006), and a residency in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2007) from the Department of Psychiatry at the Federal University of São Paulo. She has experience in the field of psychiatry, with an emphasis on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Advisory board
Christian Ingo
Lenz Dunker
Psychoanalyst and professor of psychoanalysis and psychopathology at the Institute of Psychology at USP
Marcia C.
Castro
Professor and Head of the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard School of Public Health
Marina Feffer
Oelsner
Social investor and co-founder of the Generation Pledge
Natalia
Cuminale
Journalist specialized in healthcare and founder of Futuro da Saúde
Márcio
Bernik
Psychiatrist and coordinator of the Anxiety Laboratory at the USP School of Medicine
FERNANDA CAMARGO
Cofounding partner of Wright Capital Gestão de Patrimônio
We are causing structural changes
based on mental health, because
there can be no sustainable change
without focusing on the people.
Activities Report
Year 2021
Year 2022
