An analysis of 100 foundations in the UK found that on average, most foundations have poor practice when it comes to diversity.

This finding was published in Foundation Practice Rating, a detailed assessment of foundation practices on accountability, diversity, and transparency conducted by Giving Evidence – the first report that has ever independently assessed UK charitable foundations against these criteria.

Most foundations provided so little information on diversity that it was not possible to gather information about diversity for the foundations included in the sample. And very few foundations had mechanisms to communicate with people that have visual or hearing impairments.

‘It is clear from this report that we as foundations have much to do to bring us up to the standards of practices and disclosures on diversity that are expected of organisations with public purposes,’ said Danielle Walker Palmour, Director of Friends Provident Foundation and a driving force behind the Rating said. ‘There are myriad sources of excellent help and advice specifically for foundations available to us and I challenge my colleague’s trusts to grasp the nettle and join us on our journey to not just give more but give in a way that is fairer, more accountable, and transparent.’

Reviewing publicly available data, Foundation Practice Rating’s research found that foundations collectively scored better on accountability and transparency. Most foundations stated who their staff are, a measure of accountability. And most published at least some information about their funding priorities, as well as previous and existing grantees, a measure of transparency.

In many cases, community foundations scored better than average across the project than other foundations. The same was true of the foundations that funded the Foundation Practice Rating project, a list which includes the Friends Provident Foundation, Barrow Cadbury Trust, Blagrave, Esmee Fairbairn, John Ellerman Foundation, Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Lankelly Chase, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and Power to Change.

Read the full article about diversity practices in foundations by Charles Keidan and Elika Roohi at Alliance Magazine.