KUALA LUMPUR: Research group Wiki Impact has revealed that 64 per cent of Malaysian non-profit foundations have not made sufficient information available to the public and scored a low transparency rating.
In its April 2023 report on the "Transparency Score of Malaysia's Foundations", only 32 foundations out of the 1,567 foundations in Malaysia received the minimum A rating for transparency, with scores of 75 per cent or above.
These 32 foundations made public information about their programmes and finances, provided information about their trustees or board members on their website and regularly updated their social media.
Among the criteria Wiki Impact reviewed includes publicly available financial reports, publicly available impact reports, an active website, and an updated social media presence.
Only seven foundations scored a 100 per cent. They are WWF Malaysia, TFM Foundation, Yayasan Bank Rakyat, Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan, Yayasan Generasi Gemilang, Yayasan Johor Corporation and Yayasan Sime Darby.
The report also shows that half of the foundations in Malaysia achieved a transparency score of only 10 per cent, indicating that they do not have publicly available information about their programmes and financials, or information about their trustees or board on their website.
In terms of digital presence, 37 per cent of foundations do not have a published website.
Only 28 per cent of foundations updated their social media accounts within the past three months, and 131 foundations have not posted an update for over a year.
The report also highlights that only 2.94 per cent released an Impact Report within the past five years, and only 31 foundations (2.3 per cent) have ever published a financial report publicly.