Geneva Foundation for the Future

Work plan

Admin — 2022-07-17T22:12:07Z

To move from an imaginative world to a more down-to-earth vision, it is necessary to:

take stock of the work tools that already exist on the subject,
create those that are missing,
make these work tools compatible,
disseminate them,
ensure their proper and appropriate use,

and last but not least, turn them into a user-friendly and popular toolbox.
Our timeline for this work plan is structured as follows:

design of the toolset,
application and testing on a selection of concrete projects with close support (tool consolidation and maintenance),
improvement, validation, and release of the toolset by making it available to interested organizations,
establishment of training programs for expert-consultants who know how to use the toolset.

The next steps will, of course, follow the standard process of continuous improvement.

State of completed and ongoing work

Objective: Take stock of existing work tools

Completed: International benchmark conducted on impact evaluation tools (ESG, SDG, OECD-DAC, IRIS, SROI, etc.)
Ongoing: Enhanced mapping in the White Book and internal documents
Upcoming: Dynamic integration into the website and AGILE platform

Objective: Create the missing tools

Completed: Development of the AGILE tool prototype (2022–2025) and comprehensive evaluation grid (scoring 1 to 6) tested
Ongoing: Application on 10+ pilot projects with feedback from philanthropy, finance, and incubator stakeholders
Upcoming: Public version of the tool (AGILE v1) by the end of 2025

Objective: Make the tools compatible with each other

Completed: Alignment of the AGILE framework with ESG, SDG, and legal taxonomies
Ongoing: Integration with monitoring platforms (e.g., Smart Campus, Objectif Sciences International...)
Upcoming: Deployment within institutional calls for projects

Objective: Disseminate the tools

Completed: Presentations at the Geneva Forum, Top Initiative at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco, and release of the 2025 White Book
Ongoing: Harmonization of documents in French and English
Upcoming: Open-source publication and interoperable APIs

Objective: Ensure proper use of the tools

Completed: Inclusion of usage models in the White Book
Ongoing: Design of time, space, and collaborative evaluation dashboards
Upcoming: Creation of an inter-user audit committee (2026)

Objective: Create a user-friendly and popular toolbox

Completed: AGILE Toolbox beta version: grids, project sheets, matrices
Ongoing: UX/UI redesign toward an ergonomic digital version
Upcoming: Multilingual public rollout with tutorials and interactive materials

Objective: Design and test the toolset (initial plan)

Completed: Prototype delivered summer 2025
Ongoing: Testing on pilot projects and feedback collection
Upcoming: Full validation and open-access availability

Objective: Train AGILE expert-consultants

Completed: Inclusion of the AGILE model in preliminary academic seminars
Ongoing: Partnerships underway with universities (UNIGE, Zurich, EDHEC)
Upcoming: Launch of certification programs (2026)

Objective: Legal structuring and governance of the platform

Completed: Drafting of statutes (FR / EN), Presentation to the Steering Committee
Ongoing: Consultation with legal advisors on the optimal legal model
Upcoming: Official registration

Objective: Institutional relations and strategic partnerships

Completed: Creation of a strategic presentation triptych (vision / method / tools)
Ongoing: Discussions with EIB, DXtera Institute, Smart Campus, OSI, 2% for the Future, Identification of first major donors
Upcoming: Consolidation of alliances and co-funding agreements

Reporting and impact audit: Formats and tools

Admin — 2022-07-17T22:10:42Z

Impact Reporting and Audit: Formats and Tools Serving Transparency and Transformation

At a time when impact finance seeks to reconcile performance, social utility, and traceability, reporting formats and impact audit systems play a central role. These mechanisms no longer simply check boxes; they are becoming true levers for governance, accountability, and, above all, co-construction between investors, project leaders, territories, and citizens.

A Diversity of Formats to Meet Multiple Requirements

ESG Reporting (Environmental, Social, Governance): often used by investors, it helps document non-financial risks and opportunities, and is now embedded in regulatory obligations (EU Taxonomy, CSRD, etc.).

SDG Reporting: links projects to specific targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Increasingly adopted by public institutions and foundations seeking to align their commitments with universal targets.

Integrated Impact: a cross-cutting approach combining financial, non-financial, qualitative, and quantitative data within an integrated impact logic, with dynamic and evolving dashboards.

Technological Sources: Toward Intelligent Platforms

Smart Campus SDG Platform: an interoperable environment for monitoring academic and territorial projects related to the SDGs, with collaborative features and multi-criteria traceability.

G17-SDG Tracker Platform: an advanced digital tool to measure the impact of businesses and projects on the 17 SDGs, with real-time visualization, verifiable metadata, and compatibility with international standards.

Accessibility and Sharing: At the Core of the Architecture

To make impact reporting a reflex rather than a burden, user-friendliness is crucial:

Platforms with ergonomic user interfaces (UI/UX).
Clear presentation formats, accessible to both field stakeholders and analysts or funders.
User surveys and prototype testing are regularly organized to ensure that the tools developed are relevant, intuitive, and useful.

An active strategy of institutional sharing with sustainable finance and SDG networks (Building Bridges, EU SDG Platform, etc.) enables harmonization of standards and expanded usage.

To discover the full vision, proposed tools, and use cases, we invite you to consult the White Book of the Geneva Foundation for the Future.

AGILE Tool – "Re-enchanting Finance: Toward a Convergence of Philanthropy, Investment, and Impact"

From Complexity to Operational simplicity

Admin — 2022-07-17T22:10:03Z

Manifesto for Clear-Sighted and Efficient Impact Governance

The project undertaken by the Foundation addresses three major challenges:

Ensuring a strategic transition toward a future aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
Developing an institutional framework conducive to intersectoral collective action,
Deploying concrete, scalable, and accessible operational tools.

In the face of increasing complexity, the response must be structured and clear-sighted:

Make the right choices of impact finance instruments, in collaboration with credible and committed institutional partners
Design simple tools that are understandable, usable, and transferable
Distinguish between complication and complexity:
- Complications can be resolved with the right tools
- Complexities must be escalated to leadership for strategic arbitration
Allocate resources prudently, in line with the maturity of the projects
Define a clear, phased, realistic implementation agenda aligned with governance cycles

This manifesto is part of the Foundation's AGILE approach, at the intersection of strategic alignment, participatory governance, and operational efficiency.

To explore these elements in more depth, you may also consult the White Book of the Geneva Foundation for the Future.

Organisation chart of the Foundation

Admin — 2022-07-17T22:06:11Z

Structure and Functions of Institutional Bodies

1. Foundation Council

general governance responsibilities
overall work guidelines
strategic collaborations (wise individuals and goodwill ambassadors)
approve the general work plan of the management committee
approve budget proposals
oversee execution

2. Institutional and Scientifical Advisors (in an executive staff)

either in-house or external

3. Steering Committee

At the origin of the project or having subsequently joined it

4. Operational Peers advisors-experts:

either in-house or external

5. Management Committee

coordinates and leads various functions
invites the different bodies to meetings
receives advisory services from the different bodies
circulates minutes, works, and decisions made in meetings with the Foundation Council
oversees the completion of work assigned to the different bodies

6. Services Department

structure, methodology, and project pipeline for the SDGs
advocacy to raise funds for SDG projects
fund management model with financial institutions
model for operational controls, portfolio investments, and dashboard

7. Areas of Intervention

thematic and geographic differentiations
each area executes the instructions received from the management committee and informs it of any problems, dangers, or opportunities within its domain

8. Research & Development and Impact Evaluation Department

scientific partnerships with the Geneva ecosystem

Expertise on the ground

Admin — 2022-06-20T08:53:06Z

Skills shared by the Geneva Foundation for the Future for the set-up, monitoring, and evaluation of impact projects.

The Foundation has aggregated and structured a comprehensive range of skills to cover the entire life cycle of impact projects: from emergence to capitalization. These skills are embedded in an interdisciplinary and international ecosystem.

1. Seeding – Emergence and initial structuring of projects

Support for project initiation.
Assistance in formalizing ideas (ideation, theory of change, impact narrative).
Coaching during the early stages and incubation aligned with regenerative economy principles.
Support for the legal, financial, and governance structuring of projects.
Connection with coaches, incubators, and seed funding.
Integration of ESG / SDG criteria from the design stage (intentionality).

2. Mentoring – Strategic and operational support

Providing support to drive projects to success.
Personalized mentoring and ongoing training for project leaders.
Industrialization of impact projects, support for defining viable economic models (social business, hybrid models).
Transition to impactful functional industrial infrastructures.
Capacity building: training, shared tools, agile framework.
Synchronization meetings with multiple stakeholders (foundations, family offices, incubators).
Coaching for scaling (scalability and replication).

3. Verification – Verification of objectives and milestones

Validating the degree of achievement of objectives.
Progress dashboards (KPI, milestones, organizational maturity).
Integration of AGILE criteria (Alignment, Governance, Intention, Leadership, Efficiency).
Coherence analysis between intended impact, deployed resources, and obtained results.
Qualitative and quantitative audit missions (internal or by independent third parties).

4. Evaluation – Global and systemic evaluation

Assessing the usefulness of projects in a global context.
Cross-evaluation grids (AGILE + ESG + SDG + OECD DAC).
Evaluation of social, environmental, and territorial usefulness.
Measurement of additionality, systemic transformation, and project resilience.
Comparison with other projects in the portfolio (benchmarking, clustering).

5. Reporting – Communication and accountability

Informing donor bodies and/or investment agencies.
Development of transparent and multi-audience reports (funders, territories, citizens).
Highlighting results through storytelling and impact mapping.
Narrative building for stakeholders: donors, investors, media.
Participation in portfolio reviews or inter-institutional impact panels.

Complementary cross-cutting skills in continuous development

Facilitation of learning communities (think tanks, methodology workshops).
Training of future impact analysts (master's programs, summer schools).
Shared tools: platforms, collaborative dashboards, dynamic QR codes for real-time participation.
Interoperability with ESG/SDG/EU taxonomies, and adaptation to local contexts (Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, Middle East, etc.).
Detection of weak signals and early warning indicators to anticipate project deviations or failures.

The Foundation continues to develop and enhance these skills as part of its involvement in the fields of Finance, Philanthropy, Impact, and Resource Center management.