Customer success story
Streamlining prospect research at the National Gallery with Xapien

Background
The National Gallery is one of the UK's most prominent cultural institutions, responsible for safeguarding a renowned collection of artworks and advancing public engagement through exhibitions, education, and philanthropy. As part of its fundraising and donor engagement strategy, the Gallery’s Development Research team supports a wide range of activities including prospect research, due diligence, wealth screening, and network mapping.
The Gallery was evaluating ways to increase efficiency and reduce reliance on paid subscriptions and manual processes.
The challenge
The Development Research team at the National Gallery has a broad remit, including research into individuals, trusts and foundations, and corporate donors, as well as conducting risk assessments and compiling prospect lists. This work had previously relied on a variety of research tools and manual searches via search engines and resources such as Companies House.
While the existing tools each provided value in specific areas, the use of multiple platforms made it challenging to maintain consistency and fully optimize team-wide efficiency. To build on their foundations and further enhance their workflow, the Gallery began exploring a solution that could streamline operations, consolidate tools, and uphold their high standards of research integrity.
A new approach with Xapien
The National Gallery has now launched with Xapien, a comprehensive AI-driven research platform that merges prospect research and due diligence into a single workflow. The platform enables teams to rapidly assess whether a potential supporter or partner aligns with the institution’s values and due diligence standards, while saving significant time on manual information gathering.
With Xapien in place, the Development Research team can now conduct thorough, accurate, and consistent research in a fraction of the time, making it easier to support fundraising efforts and strategic decisions.
Results and early benefits
Since implementing Xapien, the Gallery has already seen results:
- Time savings: Research tasks that previously involved multiple tools or manual steps can now be completed more quickly within a single platform.
- Simplified workflows: Consolidating key functions like background checks, media review, and network insights has helped reduce duplication and streamline the research process.
- Support for risk-aware decisions: The tool aids in identifying potential reputational or ethical concerns, helping the team align research outputs with the Gallery’s values and policies.
Conclusion
Xapien is providing an efficient, integrated solution that meets the National Gallery’s Development Research team’s evolving needs. By streamlining complex research tasks and delivering clear, actionable insights, Xapien is helping the team work smarter, save time, and maintain a high standard of due diligence and donor engagement.
As the Gallery continues to refine its approach in a more resource-conscious environment, Xapien is positioned to support long-term efficiency and impact across development operations.
Xapien streamlines due diligence
Xapien's AI-powered research and due diligence tool goes faster than manual research and beyond traditional database checks. Fill in the form to the right to book in a 30 minute live demonstration.