The verdict in three sentences
A corporate foundation's website serves three audiences at once: applicants submitting proposals, partners and regulators judging impact, and the founding company whose reputation is on the line. The decisive features are online grant applications for its funding rounds, an interactive impact report and full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, with right-to-left support where Arabic is needed, as in Rabat. At Kolonell, this kind of institutional site is quoted on request, with a 12 to 16 week timeline.
What the foundation has to prove online
A London corporate foundation granting 4 M GBP a year is watched closely. Charities want to understand selection criteria, co-funders want impact indicators, and journalists check whether the parent company's messaging matches what it funds. If the foundation is a registered charity, the Charity Commission's public register already shows its income and spending, so the website must tell a consistent story. The site becomes the foundation's accountability tool, alongside its annual report.
UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 apply to every application received. Proposals contain data on applicants and sometimes on beneficiaries: hosting, retention periods and access rights must be set before launch. In Rabat, Law 09-08 and the CNDP play the same role.
| Foundation budget line (2026 ballpark, London) | Annual amount | Share | What the website should show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education and scholarships | 1.4 M GBP | 35% | Number of scholars, completion rates |
| Health and wellbeing | 1.0 M GBP | 25% | People reached, partner charities, regions |
| Open funding rounds (3 a year) | 0.8 M GBP | 20% | Grants awarded, amounts, follow-up |
| Arts and heritage | 0.4 M GBP | 10% | Events, restorations, audiences |
| Operations and evaluation | 0.4 M GBP | 10% | Governance, audit, reports |
| Total | 4.0 M GBP | 100% | Consolidated impact report |
The Rabat case in the French version follows the same split on a 40 M MAD budget. Publishing it, with the results attached, answers questions before they are asked.
The functional scope of a foundation website
The grants module covers the whole cycle: round publication with guidelines and criteria, multi-step application form with save and resume, document upload (governing documents, budget, latest accounts), automatic acknowledgement, then a scoring area for the panel. A foundation receiving 300 to 500 applications per round can no longer run it through email.
The interactive impact report replaces the 80-page PDF few people read. Map of areas served, indicators per programme, beneficiary stories with consent, year-on-year comparison. For a foundation working in Arabic, as in Rabat, the Arabic version is not just translated: the layout is mirrored (RTL), charts and figures are adapted and the Arabic typeface is chosen for on-screen legibility.
| Requirement | What it involves | Check before launch |
|---|---|---|
| Multilingual, with RTL where needed | Mirrored templates, dedicated typefaces, professional translation | Native speaker review on every template |
| WCAG 2.1 AA | Contrast, keyboard navigation, alt text, video captions | Accessibility audit with report |
| Editorial governance | CMS with writer, approver and director roles | Two-level approval workflow test |
| Online applications | Multi-step forms, attachments, acknowledgements | Load test at 500 applications |
| Data protection (UK GDPR) | Defined hosting, limited retention, privacy notice | Review by the foundation's legal adviser |
| Security | CSP headers, backups, monitoring | Security audit before launch |
Kolonell handles this project in its institutional practice, always quoted on request: the price depends on the number of templates, translation volume, the complexity of the grants module and the integrations required. Languages, options and hosting are set in the quote.
A 12 to 16 week timeline
Weeks 1 to 3: workshops with the director, legal adviser and the group's communications team, site map and approval workflow. Weeks 4 to 6: design system and templates. Weeks 7 to 11: build, grants module, impact report. Weeks 12 to 14: translation, content entry, accessibility and security audits. Weeks 15 and 16: team training, acceptance testing, launch before the first funding round opens.
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Mini case study
Catherine Hughes directs a corporate foundation in London. Its 3 funding rounds receive 400 applications each, handled by email today: about 45 minutes per application for logging, chasing missing documents and preparing the panel, so 1,200 applications × 0.75 h = 900 hours a year. With online submission, mandatory attachments and automatic acknowledgement, that drops to 15 minutes per application, or 300 hours. The foundation frees 600 hours a year, close to 4 months of a programme officer's time, redirected to monitoring funded projects. At a loaded cost of around 35 GBP an hour, that is about 21,000 GBP of staff time each year.
FAQ
Why is an institutional website quoted on request?
Because scope varies widely: a simple funding round or a 3-level assessment workflow, 20 or 60 templates, static or interactive impact report. The quote itemises each part after a scoping workshop.
Can an Arabic or other language version be added later?
Yes, but planning RTL from the design stage avoids reworking 100% of templates. Languages are set in the initial quote.
How does the panel score applications?
In a protected area, each member scores against the round's criteria, for example 5 criteria out of 20 points. Scores are consolidated automatically for the panel meeting.
What does a WCAG 2.1 AA audit check?
The 50 success criteria at levels A and AA: contrast, keyboard navigation, screen readers, accessible forms. The report lists fixes before launch.
How long can application data be kept?
Only as long as needed and stated in the privacy notice, for example 3 years after a round closes. UK GDPR requires that period to be justified and documented.
Let's scope your project. Share your programmes, funding rounds and approval workflow, and we will define the scope and a 12 to 16 week timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
