Process of accountability in third sector organizations in Brazil

Abstract

This article examines the accountability process of private foundations that are overseen by the Public Prosecutor's Office for the Federal District and Territories (MPDFT) in Brazil. Accountability is a process that provides credibility to the management of nonprofit organizations. Private foundations and nonprofit civil associations use public resources by means of tax exemptions and fiscal immunity when they perform their statutory activities, mainly those related to education, health and social assistance. The research analyzes accounting reports of a sample of 31 private foundations to verify compliance to eight basic requirements of the accounting regulation ITG 2002/12 applicable to third sector nonprofit organizations. By using comparative and quantitative methodology, the research identifies robust evidences that the private foundations overseen by the MPDFT do not fully comply with basic regulatory requirements and produce incomplete accountability.