Foundation Center Puts Improved Transparency Resources Into the Hands of Foundations

Redesigned Glasspockets Web Site Makes Openness Easier Than Ever

New York, NY — November 14, 2013. The Foundation Center, the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide, has launched a new version of glasspockets.org, a web site that is home to the organization’s efforts to encourage greater foundation transparency.

“Created in the wake of McCarthy era congressional inquiries into the activities of foundations, the Foundation Center has always been about transparency,” said its president, Bradford K. Smith. “That legacy continues today, and now more than ever Glasspockets provides the data, resources, and action steps foundations need in order to be more transparent in an era of 24/7 digital information.”

Four features anchor the redesigned site:

• An interactive collection of "Who Has Glass Pockets?" profiles showcase the online transparency and accountability practices of more than 50 of the largest U.S. foundations based on 23 indicators that can be used to benchmark one’s own foundation and identify ways to be even more open.
• Foundation Transparency 2.0 lets visitors explore the online communications tools that foundations are using every day and provides direct access to more than 1,600 foundations’ blogs, social media profiles, YouTube channels, and myriad other digital platforms. An accompanying infographic reveals what’s trending with foundations and social media.
• The Reporting Commitment shows how America’s leading foundations are meeting the challenges of our time. Users can track grants information in near-real-time through interactive maps and download the data in open, machine-readable form.
• Eye on the Giving Pledge offers an in-depth picture of how more than 100 of the world’s billionaires are participating in the Giving Pledge, in which they have committed to devote the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.

The new Glasspockets web site is further enriched by voices from the field and practical action steps any foundation can adopt. The Transparency Talk blog showcases best practices in foundation transparency and illuminates successes, failures, and ongoing experimentation so foundations can build on each other’s efforts to use transparency to increase impact. Additional knowledge tools — including a step-by-step approach to transparency, FAQ sections, and webinars — help foundations translate “openness” from a mindset to an everyday practice with long-lasting benefits.

“In a field where fewer than 10 percent of foundations have their own web sites, it is important to provide tools that help foundations tackle transparency in an online world,” said Janet Camarena, director of the Foundation Center’s San Francisco office and Glasspockets project lead. “With the redesign of Glasspockets, it’s easier than ever for foundations to understand the power transparency has to increase effectiveness, from improving grantee relationships and increasing public trust to facilitating collaboration and building a community of shared learning.”

Additional resources are scheduled to launch in the coming months, including a video that makes the case for transparency and a new GrantCraft guide on the topic of transparency that includes discussion questions, action steps, and multimedia content.

The new site, which was made possible by support from the Carnegie Corporation and the James Irvine Foundation, can be accessed at glasspockets.org.

Cheryl Loe
Communications Project Manager
The Foundation Center
(888) 356-0354 ext. 701
communications@foundationcenter.org

Janet Camarena
Director, San Francisco Office
The Foundation Center
(415) 397-0902 ext. 100
jfc@foundationcenter.org

About the Foundation Center
Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Thousands of people visit the Center's web site each day and are served in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of more than 470 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions nationwide and around the world. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call (212) 620-4230.

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