.foundations

Building trust. Demonstrating impact. Foundations today face growing expectations from the public, partners and communities. Beyond supporting projects, they are increasingly asked to demonstrate the value they create, communicate their mission clearly and show how their actions contribute to social change. The research aims to help foundations to build credibility, transparency and public recognition in an environment where trust and accountability are key. .foundations 2026, developed by Lundquist in collaboration with Assifero, explores how foundations communicate their role, identity and impact through their digital channels.

“Beyond supporting projects, foundations are increasingly asked to demonstrate their role in society. .Foundations explores how foundations communicate their purpose, demonstrate their impact and strengthen their public legitimacy.”

Our experience supporting foundations

Our work with foundations builds on more than twenty years of experience analysing how organisations communicate their purpose, strategy and impact.

Through our research programmes and advisory work, we help organisations translate mission and commitments into clear narratives, credible reporting and meaningful stakeholder dialogue.

A research
in two phases

The .foundations study is structured in two phases.

The first phase analyses foundations’ presence on Wikipedia, assessing the visibility and quality of publicly available information.
The second examines foundations’ digital channels, exploring how they communicate their mission, activities and impact. Together, these two steps provide a broader view of how foundations build their public reputation.

How .foundations build credibility, demonstrate impact and strengthen public trust

Through a structured research protocol, we analyse how foundations communicate their mission, actions and results through publicly available digital content. Our analysis is structured around three key dimensions.

Mission & Identity

How clearly does the foundation define and communicate its purpose and role in society?

We assess whether the organisation presents a coherent vision of the challenges it aims to address, the priorities guiding its work and the stakeholders it seeks to support. A clear mission and identity are essential for foundations to position themselves as credible actors within the broader philanthropic ecosystem.

Strategy, Actions & Results

How does the foundation translate its mission into concrete initiatives and measurable outcomes?

Our analysis explores how programmes and projects are presented, how strategic priorities are reflected in activities and whether foundations provide evidence of results and progress. Beyond describing initiatives, effective communication should demonstrate the value generated for communities and beneficiaries.

Openness to the Public

How accessible and stakeholder-oriented is the foundation’s communication?

We evaluate how foundations make information available, how they engage with their audiences and whether their digital channels facilitate dialogue and transparency. Clear navigation, accessible content and openness towards stakeholders all contribute to building trust and reinforcing a foundation’s public role.

How we
can help

Our work with foundations builds on Lundquist’s experience in analysing and supporting organisations in communicating their purpose, strategy and impact. We help foundations translate their mission and activities into clear narratives, credible evidence and meaningful dialogue with stakeholders.

Mission & Identity

We support foundations in defining and strengthening their mission and identity as strategic drivers of positioning and recognition.

Our work helps organisations clarify the challenges they aim to address, articulate their distinctive role within the philanthropic ecosystem and translate this identity into a coherent communication framework.

This includes defining purpose and priorities, shaping institutional narratives and developing visual systems that reflect the foundation’s values and long-term vision.

Editorial Strategy & Content

We help foundations transform their institutional objectives into clear narratives and coherent content strategies.

Building on insights from our research and benchmarking activities, we support organisations in developing editorial frameworks, storytelling approaches and digital content that make their role and activities understandable and relevant to different audiences.

This work is complemented by workshops and materiality analyses to identify strategic priorities, the planning of events that strengthen public positioning, and the engagement of partners and communities in dialogue and collaboration. Together, these activities help ensure that the foundation’s voice is recognisable, authoritative and aligned with its mission.

Communicating Impact

Communicating impact is essential for strengthening credibility and public trust.

We help foundations translate complex information into accessible narratives that demonstrate the value generated by their programmes and initiatives.

Our work includes developing impact reports, transforming technical documents into engaging storytelling and creating materials that highlight projects, results and social value in a clear and compelling way.

Stakeholder Engagement

Foundations operate at the intersection between organisations, communities and institutions. Building meaningful relationships with stakeholders is therefore essential.

We design and facilitate engagement processes that encourage dialogue, collaboration and shared understanding. This includes stakeholder mapping, workshops, interviews and events aimed at strengthening relationships and reinforcing the foundation’s public role.

Wikipedia Management & Training

Wikipedia is one of the most widely consulted sources of information about organisations.

We support foundations in managing and improving their presence on the platform, ensuring that information is accurate, balanced and aligned with Wikipedia’s editorial standards.

Our work includes monitoring and improving existing articles as well as providing training to internal teams on how to interact with the Wikipedia ecosystem responsibly.