Social Capital Foundation

What Social Capital Foundation does

The Social Capital Foundation (TSCF) is a sovereign non-profit institution founded in 2002 and based in the Brussels area, Belgium (La Hulpe), that conducts research, conferences, and quality ratings focused on social capital, civil society development, and community cohesion. Its core offerings comprise five programs: (1) international peer-reviewed conferences on social capital topics curated through an open call for papers; (2) the SQUAS (Service Quality Scale) rating service, a three-month empirical procedure evaluating public and private organizations using direct experience and testimonies; (3) TSCF Editions, an academic publication line for research papers and conference proceedings; (4) a published research model providing the analytical framework for its social capital work; and (5) an Animal Welfare Program concentrated in Malta covering cat welfare, land rehabilitation, and ethical campaigns. TSCF serves three primary constituencies — academics and researchers, rated public and private organizations, and civil society members — and operates under a stated policy of independence from political or economic interests, declining government funding.

TSCF's revenue model is built on conference registration fees, membership dues, and donations solicited through a Partnership page, with conferences not subsidized and charges non-refundable absent cancellation by TSCF. Distribution is primarily through its website (socialcapital.is), email mailing list, and social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter), supplemented by direct sales via international conference venues. The underlying technology stack is conventional web infrastructure with no documented APIs, SDKs, or AI capabilities; the organization's competitive positioning rests on its proprietary SQUAS methodology, sovereign institutional status, and accumulated scholarly reputation rather than on technical differentiation.

Name

Social Capital Foundation

Legal name

The Social Capital Foundation

Website

https://socialcapital.is

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Social Capital Foundation (TSCF) is a sovereign Belgian non-profit, founded in 2002, that runs international conferences, peer-reviewed research, and SQUAS quality ratings on social capital and civil society. It serves academics, public and private organizations, and civil society members, funded by registration fees, dues, and donations without government support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Science Research and Rating Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Social capital research
• Nonprofit think tank
• Quality rating services
• Academic conference organization
• Civil society publications

Headquarters

HQ city

La Hulpe

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TSCF is a sovereign non-profit institution that promotes social capital and social cohesion through international peer-reviewed conferences, independent SQUAS quality ratings of public and private organizations, academic publications via TSCF Editions, a research framework for social capital analysis, and a focused animal welfare initiative. Its offerings are research, events, ratings, and publications bundled into a single interdisciplinary institution.

Product overview

The Social Capital Foundation (TSCF) is a non-profit think tank that operates as a unified research and community engagement institution rather than a technology platform. Its core offerings consist of five interconnected programs: (1) International Conferences that bring together scholars and practitioners on social capital topics through a peer-reviewed paper submission process; (2) SQUAS Quality Ratings that evaluate private and public sector organizations using an empirical methodology based on direct experience and testimonies; (3) TSCF Editions Publications for disseminating research findings from conferences and independent studies; (4) a Research Model providing the analytical framework for social capital analysis; and (5) an Animal Welfare Program focused on practical animal welfare initiatives in Malta. TSCF is fully independent, does not receive government funding, and relies on conference registration fees and member dues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Conferences on Social Capital TSCF international conferences on social capital and community life topics for scholars and practitioners, preceded by an open call for papers with abstracts evaluated by an independent program committee; research presented may be published by TSCF after further elaboration.
• SQUAS Quality Ratings Quality rating service for private and public sector organizations using the SQUAS (Service Quality Scale) methodology, based on pragmatic and empirical approaches using direct experience and testimonies, conducted over a three-month procedure.
• TSCF Editions Publications Academic publications including research papers, reports, and conference proceedings focused on social capital, social cohesion, market economy, middle class, civil society, and cultural identity topics.
• Animal Welfare Program Initiative promoting animal welfare and nature conservation, with specific focus on cats in Malta; includes land rehabilitation, community involvement, ethical codes, and awareness campaigns.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Legatum Institute: A think tank producing research and rankings on prosperity, social cohesion, and governance. Highly comparable to TSCF in combining independent research, indices/ratings (Legatum Prosperity Index), and policy advocacy on societal issues.
• World Values Survey: An international research network conducting surveys on values, social capital, and civic attitudes. Directly comparable to TSCF's empirical, methodology-driven approach to measuring and analyzing social capital across countries.
• Transparency International: An independent non-profit that rates and ranks organizations (Corruption Perceptions Index) and publishes research. Comparable to TSCF in combining sovereign independence, a proprietary ratings methodology, and international research output.

Broad incumbents

• OECD Better Life Index: OECD initiative measuring well-being and quality of life across countries using an index methodology. Comparable to SQUAS in building empirical ratings of public/private performance, though at a much larger institutional scale.
• Brookings Institution: A major policy think tank producing research, hosting conferences, and publishing reports on social and economic issues. Comparable to TSCF in its research-and-conferences model, though at vastly greater scale and scope.
• Aspen Institute: A non-profit focused on values-based leadership, dialogue, and seminars. Comparable to TSCF in its conference/seminar-driven model and emphasis on community and civic life, though broader in thematic scope.
• RAND Corporation: A large research institution producing independent analysis on social, economic, and security topics. Comparable to TSCF in its non-profit research orientation and methodology-driven outputs, though operating at much greater scale.
• Council on Foreign Relations: An independent, nonpartisan think tank publishing research and convening conferences on international affairs. Comparable to TSCF in combining independent research, peer-reviewed publishing, and international conferences.

Emerging players

• Charity Navigator: An independent evaluator that rates non-profit organizations on quality and accountability. Comparable to TSCF's SQUAS rating function, but focused specifically on the non-profit sector and operating at significantly larger scale.
• Saguaro Seminar (Harvard Kennedy School): A Harvard-based research initiative focused on civic engagement and social capital (linked to Robert Putnam's work). Highly comparable to TSCF's intellectual focus on social capital and community life.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_socialcapital_
• Facebookfacebook.com/The.Social.Capital.Foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-social-capital-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Social Capital Foundation