Foundation Openness Cohort Report

Over two years, the Iowa Council of Foundations (ICoF) engaged 23 funders in a journey to improve openness and transparency with grantseekers and our communities. While they joined funders across the country pursuing this shared goal, the cohort set out to try new methodologies. Importing user experience (UX) techniques from the high-tech and human-centered design world, the cohort focused on the experience of users (grantseekers) to put grantseekers in the center of the foundations' design, strategy, and culture. The following report details two years of research, analysis, and learning as Iowa funders explored foundation openness and transparency through user experience.