Maria Amália Souza

Maria Amalia Souza is Founder/Head of Strategic Alliances &Partnerships of CASA Socio-Environmental Fund. Her career of 40 years specialized in designing strategies that assure philanthropic resources reach the most excluded grassroots groups working on social and environmental justice issues in the Global South. She is on the Board of Directors of AIDA-Interamerican Association of Environmental Defense, and just finished a 6 year term in the Human Rights Funders Network Steering Committee and is She is on the Advisory Board of The Ocean Foundation.  She is also co-founder of the Rede Comuá (Brazil Philanthropy Network for Social Justice) and the strategic planner for the creation of the Socio-Environmental Funds of the Global South Alliance. Her professional life includes roles as Director of Member Services for the Association for Progressive Communications, International Communications and Fundraiser for the Brazilian Union of Indian Nations, and Brazil Advisory Board Coordinator for Global Greengrants Fund. She has also worked with international NGOs, consulted with companies on their social investment assessments, and partnered with global grassroots networks for protection of rivers and rainforests. Amalia has a degree in International Services/ Development/Environmental Studies from World College West in California, and a fellowship in Systems Thinking from the Donella Meadows Sustainability Fellows Program. In 2016, Amalia was shortlisted for the Olga Alexeeva Memorial Prize on Innovative Philanthropy in the Global South.  On International Women’s Day 2023 she was honored by the Global Landscapes Forum in their 4th Edition of “16 Women Restoring the Earth” and in July, 2023 she received the J.Blanton Belk Alumnus/Alumna Award for Outstanding Service to Humanity.