The Adams County Community Foundation recently received accreditation by National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®, a program established by the Council on Foundations to uphold legal, ethical, effective practices for community foundations everywhere. The National Standards accreditation is the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. The Accreditation Seal is only achieved by those foundations that comply with 26 distinct standards of excellence.
“Meeting the National Standards benchmarks is a rigorous, comprehensive process,” said Randy Royster, board member of the Council on Foundations. “This accreditation is a significant accomplishment that indicates the Adams County Community Foundation demonstrates a commitment to transparency, quality, integrity and accountability as it carries out its mission.”
The National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® program requires community foundations to document their policies for donor services, investments, grantmaking and administration. With over 500 community foundations accredited nationwide, the program provides quality assurance to donors, as well as to their legal and financial advisors. Of the 36 Community Foundations in Pennsylvania, Adams County Community Foundation becomes the 18th to have achieved National Standards since 2005.
“This is critically important to our donors,” said Ralph M. Serpe, Adams County Community Foundation president & CEO. “When people make a charitable bequest or establish a fund, they are putting their trust in us. They are counting on us to manage the investment wisely, honor their charitable intent now and for many decades to come and, in some cases, provide lifetime income to a loved one. The National Standards accreditation says our house is in order.”
The Adams County Community Foundation offers a range of charitable funds, allowing donors to advance a cause, support an individual organization, provide flexible support for community needs or recommend individual grants. In addition to affirming the organization’s philanthropic services, the accreditation validates the Adams County Community Foundation’s grantmaking practices for the nonprofit community.
The Adams County Community Foundation works to meet critical community needs and support local causes. Its @Home in Adams County initiatives coordinates resources and advocates for solutions to the most complex issues facing Adams County residents: safe and affordable housing, transportation, and workforce development.
“Grantmaking is a lot like investing,” said Loni Buck, Adams County Community Foundation board chair. “We need to assess risks, weigh potential gains, diversify assets, monitor performance and operate fairly. With our National Standards accreditation, you can be assured that we’re doing just that.”
Through philanthropic services, strategic investments and community leadership, the Adams County Community Foundation helps people support the causes they care about, now and for generations to come.
The Community Foundations National Standards Board is a supporting organization of the Council on Foundations and is responsible for the quality, value and integrity of compliance with National Standards. For more information on the National Standards Board, visit its website at www.cfstandards.org
The Adams County Community Foundation was created to promote and facilitate charitable giving and to build a permanent civic endowment for Adams County. While the Community Foundation’s Adams County Grants are focused locally, the Community Foundation also provides a home for charitable funds created by donors which may make distributions anywhere in Pennsylvania or across the country. The Adams County Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire people and communities to build and distribute charitable funds for good, for Adams County, for generations.
