This study analizes the participation of private business in the Third Sector. It is based on research carried out in four of the seven `gaucho' institutions, affiliated to GIFE, an institution that congregates outstanding business initiatives in the social field in Brazil. The article reveals the move from the `logic of charity' to that of social investment. Thus, the act of giving gains strategic connotations setting a priority on actions and projects that, due to their features, may be interpreted as being capable of contributing more effectively towards the solution of social problems. At the same time, the `gaucho' private business institutions associated to GIFE show a clear preference for preventive actions such as those that aim at keeping children and adolescents from becoming outcasts. Schools providing professional traineeship are among such initiatives.
Third sector; private business; Civil Society Organization for Public Interest (OSCIP); Institutions and Business Foundations Group (GIFE)
