Bringing transparency to the world of philanthropy
Working transparently is a challenge for the majority of foundations. Despite the ways in which the Internet has opened up many industries, much of the field of philanthropy is sitting out the digital revolution. To help philanthropy tackle the transparency challenge, this infographic shines the spotlight on some sterling examples that may serve as inspiration to others.
Only 10%
of foundations use a website to communicate the story of their work.*
Only 14%
of foundation evaluation staff prioritize externally sharing knowledge gained.**
1out of
every100
foundations share recent grants data online.*
2out of
every3
foundations only accept applications by invitation.*
* Based on Candid's tracking of all U.S. independent, corporate, community, and grantmaking operating foundations.
** Center for Evaluation Innovation: Benchmarking Foundation Evaluation Practices
A growing number of foundations are taking and publicly sharing the results of their GlassPockets transparency self-assessments. The percentages below reflect transparency trends among participating foundations mapped against the benefits to philanthropy, demonstrating the field's strengths and weaknesses when it comes to working more openly.
Where Foundations Are
GOING STRONG
Mission Statement
Board Info
Key Staff Bios
Form 990
Audited Financials
Conflict of Interest Policies
Use your website to share what you do, who is in charge, and how you are doing it.
Where Foundations Encounter
PAIN POINTS
Executive Compensation Process
Committee Charters
Investment Policies
Bylaws
Transparency Policies
Whistleblower Procedures
I know that transparency is not a word many use to describe foundations. For most people, the work of philanthropy is a mystery. There is often confusion and uncertainty about how foundations work and what they fund. They are often disconnected and isolated from the communities they serve. Slowly, this may be changing.
Where Foundations Are
GOING STRONG
Grantmaking Priorities
Grantmaking Process
Transparency helps organizations understand at a much deeper level what a foundation does, why it does it, and who it funds; and that helps people identify whether it's a foundation they want to engage with.
Use your website to establish important grantee/grantmaker ground rules and as a means to invite and share feedback.
Where Foundations Encounter
PAIN POINTS
Grantee Surveys
Transparency makes our grantees more at ease because they understand better where we come from. They have a better understanding of our culture as a foundation, and what drives us in terms of our programmatic thinking.
Where Foundations Are
GOING STRONG
Contact Information
Key Staff List
Searchable Grants Database
Use your website to make it easy for peers and partners to find you, and to understand and build on your body of work.
Where Foundations Encounter
PAIN POINTS
Transparency is an essential part of increasing effective collaboration among foundations. We are better stewards of our charitable resources if we share what we learn - our successes as well as our failures - and are open to learning from each other.
Where Foundations Are
GOING STRONG
Since 2016, the number of participating foundations actively curating a knowledge center on their websites has jumped from 40% to 70%.
Use your website to share strategies, lessons learned about successes and failures, and how you are measuring your progress.
Where Foundations Encounter
PAIN POINTS
Sustainable Development Goals
Strategic Plan
Foundation Websites
Don't have a website? Don't let that stop you! Design and host your Foundation's website the easy way with Candid's Foundation Website service.
eReporting
Sharing your grants data with us electronically helps the public understand your work. We make it easy with the Reporting Commitment and eReporting.
IssueLab
Help build the collective knowledge of the social sector by sharing your knowledge from reports, evaluations, and lessons learned in IssueLab's open collections.
