Fundo Vale—a founding member of Latimpacto—is proud to sponsor and participate in this conference, to be held in Manaus from September 8 to 11. The event will draw on diverse experiences to strengthen connections among participants and increase the effectiveness of solutions.
Some gatherings end when people leave the auditorium. Others begin right there: when a conversation reaches a community, capital connects with a solution and an intention becomes a partnership. This is the idea behind Impact Minds 2026, a conference organized by Latimpacto, which will take place in Manaus from September 8 to 11 under the theme “Connecting Us.”
Fundo Vale is sponsoring the annual conference and will participate in its discussions, contributing to an agenda that brings together impact investing, philanthropy, sustainable finance, and social and environmental transformation. The conference will feature leaders from the social and environmental impact ecosystem, including national and global investors, funds, companies, civil society organizations, entrepreneurs, academic institutions and other stakeholders interested in expanding positive impact in Latin America and the Caribbean.
More than simply fostering connections, Impact Minds 2026 aims to discuss what makes these connections effective. The program will be structured around four themes: Connecting Intentions, focused on purpose and strategic clarity; Connecting Capital, addressing a wide range of financial instruments; Connecting Actors, focusing on ecosystems and collaboration; and Connecting Systems, centered on structural impact.
Holding the conference in Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, gives this conversation added meaning, bringing discussions about capital and impact closer to the places where social, environmental and economic challenges intersect—and where some of the most significant opportunities for innovation, restoration, conservation, the bioeconomy and sustainable development can also be found.
Capital that respects communities
One of the event’s highlights will be the panel “Capital That Respects Communities,” featuring Márcia Soares, Fundo Vale’s Amazon and partnerships manager. This session will take place on September 10 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. It will explore experiences ranging from community endowment funds to debt instruments with sovereignty clauses, addressing a central question for impact finance: how can resources be mobilized without undermining community autonomy or imposing solutions from the outside? The participants will include Bruno Girardi, vice president and director of Sitawi Finanças do Bem; Laura Santa, senior climate finance associate at the Latin American think tank Transforma; and Fabio Muller, executive director of Brazil’s Integrated Center for Sustainable Development Studies and Programs (CIEDS).
“Respecting communities begins by recognizing that they are not simply recipients of resources. They have their own knowledge, priorities and ways of making decisions. The role of financing should be to create the conditions for these choices to become viable paths forward,” says Soares.
Building futures
On September 11, from 9:15 a.m. to 10 a.m., Patrícia Daros, Fundo Vale’s director, will join the “Building Futures” panel, alongside Rose Meire Barbosa Correa, deputy director of the Brazilian Amazon Indigenous Fund (Podáali); Daniela Konietzko, president of the WWB Colombia Foundation; and Wallace Ribeiro, impact and community relations manager at Ambev. The conversation will explore decisions on development, conservation and prosperity from the perspective of local communities and their different forms of knowledge, creating pathways that are more diverse, inclusive and connected to local conditions.
Art and culture as a driver of capital
Also on September 11, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., Luciana Gondim, director of the Vale Cultural Institute, and Mayra Mosquera Ramírez, coordinator of Latimpacto’s Culture Fund, will participate in a discussion about the still-underestimated potential of art and culture as assets for social transformation. The panel will explore experiences with cultural funds that have generated impact at scale in Colombia and consider how cultural investment can engage people, broaden narratives and drive lasting change.
Partnership between Fundo Vale and Latimpacto
Since Latimpacto was established, Fundo Vale has served as a founding member and participated in its governance bodies, including its Strategic Committee and Management Council. Over the course of this partnership, it has also contributed to strengthening agendas related to nature, the bioeconomy and the Amazon, as well as supporting the network’s growth in Brazil.
“This work is aligned with how we seek to strengthen the social and environmental impact ecosystem by actively building partnerships, participating in networks and coalitions, and producing and sharing knowledge. These connections make it possible to keep track of changes in the field, share lessons learned, identify opportunities and bring different types of capital closer to initiatives capable of driving long-term change,” Soares explains.
Register now!
Registration gives you access to two days of academic activities, field visits and meals during the official event hours. The program features a range of formats, including panels, inspirational talks, knowledge-sharing sessions, workshops, cultural showcases and networking opportunities, as well as learning visits. This diversity of experiences will create more opportunities for participants to connect and support the collective development of solutions.
Impact Minds 2026
When: September 8 to 11, 2026
Where: Manaus, Amazonas
Organized by: Latimpacto
Register at: impactmindsconference.com/pt