The goal of a non-profit organization or private foundation in developing a branded podcast can be a bit different than the approach of a for-profit company. Rather than focus on awareness of a brand or product, the non-profit may be looking to raise awareness about the importance of an issue or cause. And rather than looking to chance perception of the brand itself, they may be aiming to influence opinion about the cause more than the organization’s brand. Let’s take a look at:

How We’re Wired

The show is from The Bertarelli Foundation, a family foundation in Switzerland, and produced with UK-based production agency Fresh Air. The show takes a science-heavy look at how our brains work and what makes us who we are, thanks for host and evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Anna Machin.

It’s a good fit for the foundation, which has life science and neuroscience as one of its key pillars of investment. The other scientific pillar of the foundation is marine biology, and they also have a parallel show Ocean Matters to solidify a nice match between podcasts and foundation goals.

How We’re Wired takes an interesting approach for how to include research and expertise into the show. On “regular” episodes, the foundation is just named as the show’s sponsor, but guests come from external experts. These are alternated with “focus” episodes where the show’s producer and scientist Dr. Eva Higginbotham joins for a deep dive into relevant research.