March 25, 2025
Our mission and impact statement
The Terra Agora Foundation is a private non-profit foundation that combines the conservation, regeneration and management of natural landscapes, as well as real estate assets, with innovative entrepreneurial projects and local communities, who act as guardians with the objective of protecting, conserving and regenerating natural and human ecosystems.
The Foundation fulfils its mission through guardian projects of local regenerative development, carried out by guardian entities, across several generations (“very long term”).
- We support conscious action that favours the conservation and regeneration of land and natural landscapes in conjunction with the needs of human communities
- We support guardian entities that are entrepreneurial teams that enhance collective intelligence and the creation of multi-generational capacity
- We support Guardian Projects in Regenerative Development as a form of intervention in each place, mobilising local communities and creating value for all Life
Our focus and approach
Lands in perpetual ownership +
Cared for by Guardian Entities +
That carry out Guardian Projects over a very very long term +
Impact and Regenerative Investment
=
Restoration and Protection of Lands/Landscapes +
Regenerative Human Communities
Our Objectives
- Inspire individuals and organisations to donate land
- Support the establishment and evolution of guardian entities with guardian projects for these lands that empower local communities
- Nurture a network of multidisciplinary experts who can serve the guardian entities and the foundation
- Inspire individuals and organisations to invest in the foundation and guardian projects
- Disseminate our learnings, cases and knowledge to encourage their use by other projects
We support the SDGs
- GOAL 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
- GOAL 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact
- GOAL 15 – Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forest, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss
- GOAL 17 – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.
Our vision for 2025
Embedding the Foundation in the national ecosystem and raising the funds needed to support the Foundation’s objectives; making itself known to different stakeholders, in Portugal and in the World.
Introduction
The Terra Agora Foundation’s 2025 Activity Plan reflects a commitment to focus and prioritisation, as highlighted by the Board of Trustees in its opinion of April 2024 regarding the Strategic Plan for 2024-2028 (5 years) and 2024 Budget. Following the observations made in 2024, the importance of aligning the Foundation’s ambitions with its human capabilities and available resources is recognised, while effectively responding to the organisation’s immediate needs.
During this period, leadership adopts a predominantly fundraising focus and the definition of procedures and practices that will allow the Foundation to grow with agility in the future. This approach aims to secure financial assets through the practical and experimental implementation of various public relations, communication and events initiatives, and to make the Foundation and its objectives known. The Foundation, still in its early stages, aims for small wins that will allow for tangible progress and whose objective will be to consolidate a relationship of trust with internal and external stakeholders.
Regarding the budget, it is built considering the Foundation’s current operational capacity, evidencing, however, its limitations. This scenario reinforces the urgency of prioritising fundraising, previously identified as one of the main goals for 2024.
In alignment with strategic objectives and based on the Terra Agora Foundation’s Statutes, four strategic areas of action were defined. For 2025, two of these areas will receive greater attention and focus, represented with a star in the image:
- Protection and Management of Strategic Assets
- Communication, Organisation and Event Participation
The other strategic areas – Public Policies, Regulation and Legislation and Education and Literacy of Terrestrial Ecosystems – remain as important pillars of the long-term vision, but this year the focus will be on the priority areas. This strategic alignment reflects the need to concentrate efforts on actions that maximise impact within current capabilities, ensuring concrete and sustainable steps.
Lines of action
Structuring and Consolidating the Foundation’s Operations – “Getting the House in Order”
This line includes the migration of institutional documentation to a centralised digital space for the foundation.
Additionally, the implementation of an asynchronous communication tool, promoting collaboration between teams.
Another milestone is the adoption of an agile project management solution, which will allow for better coordination of activities and greater visibility on the progress of work.
In parallel, team reorganisations and reviews of external collaboration agreements will be carried out.
We also seek to identify and address possible blind spots that had not been previously considered, such as civil liability insurance or general data protection regulation.
Partnerships, raising awareness of the foundation, presence at events
The objective is to promote the Foundation’s mission, strengthen partnerships and increase its visibility.
Event attendance begins on 22 January, at the conference “Lisboa Viva – Evoluir Juntos para Co-criar o Futuro de Lisboa e Inspirar Portugal”.
Throughout the year, the Foundation will be present at relevant events aligned with its 2025 objectives, such as the Planetiers World Gathering, the Serralves Foundation initiatives, the Lisbon/Estoril Conference, Greenfest and SSE Commons in November.
In parallel, during the first semester, visits to guardian project candidates will be carried out, which will serve as opportunities to present the Foundation, connect with local stakeholders and identify possible synergies. These visits will also play an important role in developing strategic contacts that can be integrated into fundraising efforts.
Fundraising
In line with the Board of Trustees’ recommendation, a Fundraising and Resource Mobilisation (FMR) Task Force is created, with the mission of structuring and operationalising an effective fundraising strategy.
The first milestone of this initiative will be the completion and presentation of the fundraising plan by the end of the second quarter of 2025. This plan will detail the actions to be implemented.
Terra Agora Forum
In line with the Board of Trustees’ recommendation, a Steering Committee will be established for the Terra Agora Forum – Regenerating Portugal.
The first milestone of this Steering Committee will be the presentation of the Projeto Terra Agora Forum by the end of the second quarter of 2025. This deliverable will include a detailed project and financing plan for the Forum, addressing the steps necessary for its successful execution and the mobilisation of resources.
Milestones
- M1: “Getting the House in Order” by 31 May
- M2: July – Launch of FTA at public event with stakeholders and media
- M3: November – Terra Agora Forum (or in 2026)
FTA Forum – Steering Committee (SC)
Proposed members:
- André Vizinho
- Ivan Sellers
- Filipe M Alves
- Sara Simões
- Susana Carvalho
- Claudian Dobos
Working team that starts on 1st of April and will be dissolved by 15th of April 2025, with the vote on the Forum Action Plan, which must necessarily include a proposal for an implementation team that will follow up on the SC.
FTA Fundraising – Taskforce
Proposal:
- Ivan Sellers
- Mar Hausler
- Pedro Rocha Vieira
- André Costa
- Antonio Veiga Pinto
- Rita Gil Mata
Working team that starts on 1st of April and will be dissolved by 15th of April 2025, with the vote on the Fundraising Action Plan, which must necessarily include a proposal for an implementation team that will follow up on the Taskforce’s activities.
March 25, 2025