An annual report that uses editorial language and form to capture the progress of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, one of the largest private philanthropic foundations in the U.S., dedicated to helping vulnerable children through engagement with communities.

With the help of Otherwise, W.K. Kellogg Foundation spent nearly a year and a half illuminating its identity — reflecting on and reaffirming its core convictions and aspirations, and exploring ways to communicate them more effectively and with greater clarity. The 2011 annual report, with the focus on “Who Knows What: Understanding Vulnerable Children,” is one of the first products of that process.

In its news-like layout and application of the foundation’s new visual identity and vibrant, warm color palette, the report conveys the foundation’s forward-facing culture, and the premium it places on creating conditions for voices to be heard both inside the foundation and in the communities it serves.

The key to the success in delivering a rich collection of points of view and stories through the WKKF annual report was fundamentally a process of curating content — identifying and soliciting the contributors to the WKKF annual report. The exploration of topics and talkers was rich and multidimensional, and involved a collaboration between the foundation’s communications team, its program staff, grantees and subject matter experts, all the while maintaining a focus on seeking diverse voices in the conversation surrounding vulnerable children.

At the heart of the foundation’s emphasis on working in community is respect for the people who comprise a community, and belief in the value of their insights and collective wisdom. By capturing voices representing the “community” surrounding a vulnerable child – some of them belonging to grantees (who are identified as such), others belonging to engaged community members – this report seeks to share that wisdom, acknowledge that respect, and illustrate the reasons for it. By incorporating the sophisticated-yet-accessible work of some of the best illustrators working today, the spirit and sensibility of the foundation are illuminated.