Since the 1990 s, a series of important transformations has occurred in the NGO field in Brazil. The current context is characterized by a great heterogeneity of the field and by growing formal partnerships involving the transfer of financial resources between NGOs and the State, companies and philanthropic entities linked to the private sector. The complexification of the NGO field demands that greater attention is given by academics to the new diversity of actors, mainly regarding the central aspect of how to conciliate political autonomy with the issue of financial sustainability. The present study has the objective of analyzing the potential of social transformation, in the sense of promoting greater equality and justice, of NGOs today, through the case study of Redes de Desenvolvimento da Maré.