Evidence before assertion
We connect factual statements to their supporting records and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Purpose and public benefit
FIGURE ELEVEN FOUNDATION establishes the broader direction, goals and public-benefit commitments of the FIGURE ELEVEN organization. Education, scholarships and careful inquiry support a shared purpose: clearer understanding, institutional accountability and informed improvement.
Purpose
An individual experience can reveal a problem with wider consequences. Yet the information needed to understand it may be scattered across records, correspondence, policies and competing explanations.
The FOUNDATION sets the direction for work that serves a broader public purpose. FIGURE ELEVEN RESEARCH carries out the research and analysis that help put those commitments into practice.
Institutional practices
We are interested in the relationship between a particular problem and the system surrounding it.
Does a policy work as intended? Are standards applied consistently? Can people understand and use the processes available to them? When something goes wrong, is there a meaningful opportunity for correction?
These questions guide an approach that looks beyond an isolated outcome to the practices that may produce similar outcomes for others.
RESEARCH
FIGURE ELEVEN FOUNDATION establishes the broader direction and public-benefit commitments of the FIGURE ELEVEN organization. FIGURE ELEVEN RESEARCH conducts its research and analysis work.
That work includes examining records, comparing stated policies with documented practices, organizing complex information and identifying questions that warrant further investigation.
Explore the RESEARCHPublic benefit
Public benefit begins with making consequential problems easier to understand.
It can mean identifying an unclear process, documenting inconsistent treatment, explaining a gap between policy and practice, or establishing a stronger factual basis for correction. It also means considering how improvements could prevent future harm.
The measure of useful work is whether it helps people understand a problem and gives those positioned to address it a sound basis for doing so.
Standards
Context and fairness
We consider relevant explanations and contrary evidence, including information that challenges an initial concern.
Clarity about uncertainty
We identify gaps and unresolved questions rather than presenting an incomplete record as a settled conclusion.
Care with sensitive information
We share information according to its purpose, sensitivity and the needs of authorized participants.
Attention to correction
We look for findings that can support practical improvement, informed decisions and the prevention of similar problems.
Areas of interest
Institutional accountability
How organizations exercise responsibility, explain decisions and respond when their practices are questioned.
Fair and accessible processes
Whether people can understand procedures, participate meaningfully and obtain consideration of their concerns.
Consumer protection
How representations, disclosures and business practices affect the choices people make and the consequences they bear.
Public information and transparency
Whether access to information supports meaningful understanding of institutional conduct and decisions.
Learning from experience
How documented individual experiences can identify questions with broader public significance.
Education and scholarships
Education develops the knowledge and judgment needed for careful inquiry and public benefit. The FOUNDATION’s scholarship framework connects relevant study with a thoughtful contribution to the wider community.
Published opportunities set their own eligibility, dates and award terms. Registering interest is not an application for an award and does not reserve funding.
Funding and independence
FIGURE ELEVEN FOUNDATION’s work is supported through self-funding, allocations from its endowment and selectively accepted grants from eligible private sources.
We evaluate funding sources with the same care we bring to our research. Financial support must be consistent with our mission and preserve our discretion over what we examine, how we evaluate the evidence and what conclusions the work supports.
Expertise contributed in the public interest
Our work combines paid positions with contributed professional expertise. Volunteer and pro bono services are an important part of our ability to sustain careful, consequential work.
We welcome relevant contributions from professionals whose experience can strengthen research, analysis, education and public understanding. Contributions are considered according to project needs, professional qualifications and potential conflicts of interest.
Independence from financial influence
We do not accept client funding, donations from the general public, or funding from governments or governmental organizations.
We do not receive advertising revenue, referral commissions or other payments that could compromise our mission, the selection or conduct of an investigation, or its findings.
Financial support does not purchase influence over our work. We do not accept conditions requiring a predetermined conclusion, the suppression of relevant evidence or preferential treatment of a person or institution.
Careful selection of funding sources
Grant funding is considered selectively. We research prospective funding sources and exercise substantial discretion in deciding whether to accept support.
Our assessment considers the source of the funds, relevant affiliations, proposed conditions and potential conflicts with current or prospective work. A proposed contribution may be declined even when it would otherwise provide useful resources.
Our responsibility is to preserve the integrity of the work throughout the funding relationship.
Fees and direct expenses
We do not charge professional-service fees to fund our investigations. Where appropriate, we may arrange reimbursement of actual third-party expenses, such as records-production or filing costs.
These pass-through charges are identified and agreed upon in advance, carry no markup and do not purchase influence, access to findings or a particular outcome.
Supporting relevant higher education
The FOUNDATION makes scholarships available to advance higher education relevant to its mission.
Scholarship opportunities support the development of knowledge and professional capabilities that can contribute to careful inquiry, institutional accountability and public benefit. Eligibility, application requirements and award terms are provided for each opportunity.
Contributing professional services
Our ability to advance the mission relies in part on people willing to contribute their expertise.
Professionals interested in volunteer or pro bono participation may introduce themselves, describe their qualifications and identify the areas in which they could contribute. Assignments are established according to the needs of the work, availability and appropriate conflict review.
Participation
Meaningful inquiry benefits from different forms of experience.
Researchers, journalists, attorneys, educators, students and people with relevant subject knowledge may introduce themselves and describe how they could contribute. We are interested in careful observation, useful expertise and a shared commitment to accurate work.
Contact and access
Tell us what happened, why it may matter beyond one person, and what information is available to help understand it. Sensitive documents and detailed project information can be discussed through an appropriate exchange.