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University of San Francisco

Nonprofit Continuum: Brazilian-centered Organizations in the Bay Area of San Francisco

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>Brazil has always been a country of immigration. Since the mid 1980s, Brazil has also become a country of emigration. Brazilians have migrated to the United States in large numbers throughout the past decades. In the host country, Brazilians experience the same issues inherent in any immigrant community, such as immigration status, education, health, and socio-economic issues. To address these issues and ease immigrants’ stay in the host country, nonprofit organizations and community groups are created. This thesis project examines, identifies, categorizes, and contextualizes the Brazilian-centered nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area of San Francisco. Contrary to existing research on Brazilian immigrants in the United States, this study has found that, in the past forty years, Brazilians have formed voluntary associations ranging from small and informal groups to larger, professionalized, registered nonprofit organizations – what I call the nonprofit continuum. Based on data collected from six months of research, this thesis explains the ‘nonprofit continuum’ and answers the question: How are Brazilian-centered nonprofit organizations and groups addressing the migratory issues (immigration, socioeconomic, educational, cultural, and health issues) facing Brazilian communities in the Bay Area of San Francisco? Although mostly culture and arts groups have existed in the Bay Area since 1968, for over one decade Brazilian-centered organizations have changed their focus and began to provide social and economic services to the Brazilian immigrant communities.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Arts in International Studies
Level thesis:degree_level
Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
International Studies
Year dc:date.available
2012

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Rehill, Caroline
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Cecília MacDowell Santos

Subjects

dc:subject × 12

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/25
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:repository.usfca.edu:thes-1028

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of San Francisco
Base URL
repository.usfca.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Rehill, Caroline. Nonprofit Continuum: Brazilian-centered Organizations in the Bay Area of San Francisco. Thesis thesis, 2012. https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/25