São Paulo, Brazil – Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, recently provided a $30,000 grant from the firm’s Equitable Education Fund (EEF) to Projeto Gauss, a nonprofit organization in Brazil that offers scholarships and mentorships to first-generation college students from underserved communities in Brazil. The firm’s initial grant to Projeto Gauss will cover tuition and education expenses of 15 low-income students, significantly expanding the actual number of beneficiaries under the program.

“The support from Paul Hastings has come in a very special moment for Projeto Gauss,” said Paulo Funari, CFO, Board Member and Founding Associate, Projeto Gauss. “After the strictly on-line experience with the project’s activities in 2020 and 2021, we realized from an operational point of view that it is possible to increase our impact through the on-line model.

With the additional funds from Paul Hastings, Gauss will provide on-line preparatory courses, mentorships, and multidisciplinary support to students from all over Brazil in 2022, including isolated locations with little or no access to quality education, reaching 100 beneficiaries and 200+ volunteers in the country.

“In a country with severe income and wealth inequalities such as Brazil, investing in education can be an essential tool for social transformation,” said Thiago Spercel, a partner in the São Paulo office of Paul Hastings. “As a Brazilian citizen, I am particularly proud that the firm has selected a Brazilian organization to receive our first grant outside the United States under our Equitable Education Fund. Since its foundation in 2014, Projeto Gauss has impacted the lives of over 170 low-income students, preparing them for admission in public universities. Our donation will further expand the impact of Projeto Gauss in Brazil.”

In December 2020, Paul Hastings launched its Equitable Education Fund to invest in primary and secondary schools in traditionally underserved communities with cash grants to support the innovative and vital work of educators. The grant to the Gauss Project marks the first strategic grant from the EEF to an organization outside the United States.

In its first year, the EEF has donated nearly $900,000 in funding to schools and project that reach 16,000 students in underserved communities around the world. More information on the EEF can be found here: https://csr.paulhastings.com/paul-hastings-equitable-education-fund/.

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