resource: Glasspockets.org

Just this spring, the Foundation Center launched a new project devoted to increasing transparency and accountability among U.S. foundations. Within the framework of its mission to explore openness, best practices, relevancy, and collaboration in the realm of online foundation presence, Glasspockets.org provides a variety of tools to examine trends in foundation giving.

Several features of Glasspockets.org are particularly relevant to local organizations interested in or working under foundation funding:

• Who Has Glass Pockets?: Provides foundation profile listings including criteria such as governance and financial information, grantmaking details, performance metrics, and communications outlets. Invaluable for quick access to critical foundation data without sifting through the foundation website.
• Individual Grantmaker Analysis: Review and compare assets, expenditures, and giving information for up to five foundations at once. Select your timeframe and display method, then easily export data. Great for gathering and presenting information on foundation giving trends.
• Key Statistics: Detailed statistics on grantmakers and their grants. Foundation data from the last decade is organized into every category imaginable. (Examples: aggregate financial information for Boston metro foundations, or foundation grants designated for ethnic or racial minorities.) If you have a question about the breakdown of foundation dollars spent, chances are you’ll find the answer here.
• Foundation Transparency 2.0: A chart of online transparency tools in use by top foundations, along with fiscal year overviews for assets and giving. An inspiring list of eighteen different online tools lets you view and track each foundation’s cyber-presence.

In addition to these features, the site provides podcasts, links to relevant literature and resources, and extensive blog commentary on various issues related to transparency, accountability, and the current foundation giving scene. Links to partner organizations provide access to their information and databases as well.

With such a wealth of accessible information, along with a partner organization right here in Cambridge (Center for Effective Philanthropy), Glasspockets.org warrants a thorough exploration. It might take a little digging here and there to find exactly what you’re looking for, but take some guidance from the links above and rest assured that any efforts will be well rewarded.