About us
About us
When Luiza Serpa was invited for an interview in the lobby of Santos Dumont Airport, in Rio de Janeiro, she could not have imagined that her life would be completely transformed. It was there that she met the former financial executive and philanthropist Marcos Flavio Azzi, who was looking for someone to lead the opening of the Rio de Janeiro branch of the now-defunct Instituto Azzi, based in São Paulo. After a successful partnership, the team realized that the city’s profile required a bit more flexibility to achieve the proposed goals, and thus, with the philanthropist's support, Instituto Phi was founded in Rio in March 2014.
This non-governmental organization advises individuals and companies on how to donate to social projects, ensuring that investments are well applied and that results are measured. The work is tailor-made, that is, personalized for each donor, seeking to connect their cause with the best solutions to reduce social inequalities in Brazil.
“Instituto Phi masterfully combines the professionalism of a high-performance organization when dealing with its investors, with a human, compassionate, and thoughtful approach when investing in social projects,” says Marcos Flavio Azzi.
Over the years, Instituto Phi has become a major hub for social innovation, with vast knowledge of social organizations of various causes and sizes across the country. In the case of companies, social investments can be made through direct contributions or via tax incentive laws with the advice of Phi.
The projects supported by Instituto Phi are aligned with the guidelines of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a set of 17 global goals established by the United Nations to make the world a better place. To receive support, organizations are evaluated based on their strength, transparency, potential impact, and management quality.
Currently with offices in Rio and São Paulo and operating throughout Brazil, Instituto Phi achieved the 1st place this year in the ranking of Brazilian organizations leading in social impact consulting by the French entity Leaders League.
Also, in 2024, Phi became a signatory of the UN Global Compact, a call for companies and organizations to adopt ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption.
More than just providing financial resources for social transformation, Instituto Phi works to develop the practice of philanthropy so that all citizens are committed to promoting collective well-being. The name Phi was inspired by the Greek word philanthropy, meaning "love for humanity" — in the case of the institute, it seeks to promote intelligent philanthropy, with monitoring and tracking of social impact results.
Our director and founder, Luiza Serpa, is the co-author of the book "Women in the Third Sector," published by Editora Leader, which shares stories, cases, lessons, and experiences from 18 female social entrepreneurs throughout their careers.
More than just providing financial resources for social transformation, Instituto Phi works to develop the practice of philanthropy so that all citizens are committed to promoting collective well-being. The name Phi was inspired by the Greek word philanthropy, meaning "love for humanity" — in the case of the institute, it seeks to promote intelligent philanthropy, with monitoring and tracking of social impact results.
