Client Overview
The Nathan Cummings Foundation (NCF) is a philanthropic organization that stands at the intersection of social justice, economic equity, and environmental sustainability. Founded in 1949, Nathan Cummings Foundation has been committed to addressing pressing global issues such as racial injustice, climate change, and economic disparity. Their mission is not only to fund initiatives that address these issues but also to model how institutions can align their financial investments with positive social impact.
Nathan Cummings Foundation focuses on advancing mission-aligned investing—a strategy that ensures investments promote social change while generating financial returns. This vision led to their request for Creative Repute’s expertise in designing both a print PDF Impact Investing Report and a dynamic, interactive website. The report and website (impact.nathancummings.org) needed to engage Nathan Cummings Foundation’s stakeholders—investors, grantees, and the broader public—in a way that conveyed the organization’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and social justice.
Additional NCF History: It was endowed by Nathan Cummings (1896–1985), founder of Consolidated Foods, later renamed Sara Lee. Cummings was also a prominent art collector and supporter of Jewish causes. In his lifetime, Cummings made contributions to hospitals, universities, and the arts. His endowment created the Nathan Cummings Arts Center at Stanford University and the Joanne and Nathan Cummings Art Center at Connecticut College in New London. He made major contributions to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and to the Art Institute of Chicago. The foundation received most of his estate (then estimated at $200 million) upon his death in 1985.
The Challenge
When we began working on this project, the world was in the midst of significant socio-political shifts that influenced how people engage with issues of race, equity, and the environment. The summer of 2020 saw widespread protests for racial justice, following the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent global movement of Black Lives Matter. These events highlighted longstanding inequities, pushing racial justice to the forefront of the national conversation. Meanwhile, the ongoing global pandemic—COVID-19—had already underscored the deep, systemic inequalities in public health, social safety nets, and access to resources in America and around the world.
Against this backdrop of heightened awareness and social movements, Nathan Cummings Foundation sought to communicate how their impact investing strategy aligns with their mission, particularly during a time when social responsibility in investment was more crucial than ever. Their challenge was twofold:
- Communicating Complex Data: Nathan Cummings Foundation’s Impact Investing Report is not just about showcasing financial performance. It needed to present a story—one that ties investment decisions to outcomes in the communities they serve. Translating these financial results into an accessible, visually compelling format was critical.
- Engagement Through Digital Platforms: While the PDF report would serve as a comprehensive resource for investors and partners, Nathan Cummings Foundation also needed an interactive digital platform—a website—that would allow users to engage deeply with the data. They envisioned a platform where users could explore the impact of each investment in detail, track metrics, and visualize outcomes.
Our goal was to not only meet these challenges but to do so in a way that reflected Nathan Cummings Foundation’s values—transparency, justice, and long-term sustainability.
Our Approach
1. Design for the Print PDF Report
The print version of Nathan Cummings Foundation’s Impact Investing Report was designed to be a polished, high-quality PDF document intended for distribution to key stakeholders, including investors, philanthropic partners, and board members. The report needed to showcase both the depth of Nathan Cummings Foundation’s financial investment strategy and the impact of these investments on the communities they aim to serve.
- Visual Hierarchy and Layout
- We started by designing a clear visual hierarchy that would guide the reader through complex information seamlessly. The report spans 30+ pages, combining financial data with stories of social change. The layout was meticulously structured to ensure that each section flowed logically. We used color coded sections, grid systems and modular designs to ensure consistency and coherence across the document, while typographic variation ensured that the report remained engaging without feeling cluttered.
- Infographics and Data Visualization
- As part of our design strategy, we incorporated multiple infographics to present financial data, portfolio allocations, and impact outcomes in a way that was easy to understand. Bar charts, pie graphs, and interactive maps were used to display key figures such as the amount invested in specific sectors (e.g., clean energy, racial justice, healthcare) and the projected returns—both financial and social. We also ensured that the infographics and illustrative visuals reflected metaphors found in the copy, such as a drawing of someone literally casting a net filled with information, and a rendering of a child gazing at his reflection and the moon in a body of water, symbolizing Rey Ramsey, President and CEO of NCF, letter about his reflections.
- Photography and Illustration
- The report’s design included imagery and custom illustrations that communicated the human side of the data. Through our photo research, we sourced images of communities benefiting from Nathan Cummings Foundation’s investments from social media and paid each photographer to license their work so that we had authentic photos to use—focusing on diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment. These visual elements helped contextualize the financial data, reinforcing the notion that social equity and environmental sustainability were central to Nathan Cummings Foundation’s mission.
2. Design for the Interactive Website
While the print report served as a more formal, static representation of Nathan Cummings Foundation’s work, the website was designed as an engaging, interactive platform where users could dive deeper into the report’s data. Our team built a website that not only mirrored the design aesthetics of the PDF report but also allowed users to engage dynamically with the content’s UX/UI.
- User-Centered Design
- At the core of our website design process was a focus on usability. We adopted a user-centered design approach, identifying key user personas and ensuring that the website was intuitive and easy to navigate. The target audience for the website included investors, community stakeholders, and the general public—all with varying levels of familiarity with Nathan Cummings Foundation’s investment strategy.
- Interactive Data Visualization
- One of the standout features of the website was the integration of interactive data visualizations. Unlike the static charts in the print report, these visuals allowed users to filter and manipulate data based on their interests. Whether it was tracking specific investments, examining the regional impact of funding, or visualizing the portfolio’s growth over time, users could engage with the content in real-time.
- We employed JavaScript and CSS animations to create fluid transitions and ensure the website felt dynamic and responsive. The goal was for the user experience to feel like a guided journey—leading users through Nathan Cummings Foundation’s investment story step by step, while providing them with the tools to explore deeper levels of detail.
- Responsive Web Design
- Recognizing that more and more users were accessing content on mobile devices, we ensured the website was responsive—optimizing the design for a seamless experience across desktops, tablets, and smartphones. This ensured that whether users were viewing the site on a desktop or on the go, the experience remained consistent and engaging. Users could also download a copy of the PDF version of the report from the website for offline viewing.
Results
The outcome of this project was a highly successful dual-delivery solution that met the specific needs of both Nathan Cummings Foundation’s stakeholders and the broader public.
- Engaging Stakeholders: Nathan Cummings Foundation’s investors and partners were able to interact with both the PDF report and the website to better understand the impact of their investments. The use of data visualizations, infographics, and interactive elements helped break down complex financial information and made the report more engaging.
- Enhanced Accessibility: The website’s interactive features and mobile responsiveness meant that users could access key information anywhere, anytime, leading to higher engagement rates and better dissemination of Nathan Cummings Foundation’s impact.
- Increased Transparency: Both the report and website positioned Nathan Cummings Foundation as a leader in transparency in the philanthropic space. The design clearly communicated how each investment aligned with their mission, helping to build trust and credibility with their stakeholders.
In conclusion, Creative Repute successfully delivered two complementary formats—an in-depth print PDF Impact Report and an interactive website—for the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Both deliverables seamlessly blended aesthetics with functionality, providing clear, engaging, and interactive platforms for Nathan Cummings Foundation’s stakeholders to explore the full breadth of their mission-aligned investing strategy.
In a moment of heightened awareness around social justice and equity—amid a global pandemic and national protests—the design work we produced for Nathan Cummings Foundation was more than just a visual identity; it was a tool for engagement and empowerment. By providing transparent, data-driven insights into the foundation’s investments and impact, we were able to help Nathan Cummings Foundation further its mission of creating a more equitable and sustainable world for all.
Project Summary
- Client: Nathan Cummings Foundation
- Services: Report Design (Print & Digital PDF), Data Visualization & Infographic Design, Interactive Web Design & Development, Strategic Creative Consulting, Style Guide Expansion, SEO Optimization, Light Copywriting, and Content Updates
- Platform: Custom-designed WordPress CMS (Elementor Pro) for the digital report
- Tools Used: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, WordPress CMS, Elementor Pro, Yoast SEO, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Adobe InDesign
Read the Case Study too!
In 2018, the Nathan Cummings Foundation (NCF) committed to aligning 100% of its nearly half-billion-dollar endowment with its mission and values—a bold step in the world of philanthropy. By 2020, NCF partnered with Frontline Solutions, a Black-owned national consulting firm, to conduct field research into the mission-aligned investing practices and capacities of Outsourced Chief Investment Officers (OCIOs). Drawing from this new research—combined with nearly two decades of experience, lessons learned, and insights from its own impact investing journey—NCF developed a comprehensive report designed to guide foundation leaders in aligning their investments with their organizational values.
This is where Creative Repute, an award-winning social justice design and strategy agency, came in. We were tasked with transforming 30+ pages of dense research, insights, and data into a visually compelling, accessible experience across both digital and print formats. Through detailed market research and the strategic application of design theory, we developed a visual style that seamlessly blended powerful photography—highlighting themes of public protest, community, and social justice—with conceptual illustrations that captured the Foundation’s commitment to social and environmental equity. Complex information was thoughtfully divided into color-coded sections, with infographics distilling key findings into digestible visuals, making the report not only easier to navigate but more impactful for its target audiences.
For more information about the work Creative Repute did for the Nathan Cummings Foundation, please read the Case Study.
