The Council on Foundations and Community Foundations National Standards Board Announce Next Steps for National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations

ARLINGTON, Va., August 3, 2009 — Even before calls for increased transparency and accountability among foundations, community foundations led the way in self-regulation with the establishment in 2000 of the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations, a first-of-its-kind voluntary program. Today, with more than 450 community foundations in compliance with the National Standards, the Council on Foundations announces the creation of the Community Foundations National Standards Board – a new organization that will now administer the National Standards accreditation process.

“We view the launch of the new Community Foundations National Standards Board as the next step in the growth of the National Standards accreditation program,” said Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. “A separate organization led by community foundation practitioners and representatives from organizations that support community foundations will enhance the benefits, identity and self-sufficiency of the program for years to come.”

As part of the unveiling of the Community Foundations National Standards Board,a new Web site has been created: CFStandards.org. It’s designed to be the one-stop-shop for all the support tools community foundations need for the National Standards accrediting program. While some community foundations will be working toward National Standards compliance for the first time, 2010 marks the first year that others who were previously confirmed are required to reconfirm their accreditation. National Standards compliance is valid for five years, after which it must be renewed through a separate process of reconfirmation. The cost of the compliance confirmation for the full five-year period is $2,000; reconfirmation is $1,800.

As with any standards program, review and revisions need to be made so they remain relevant. Since the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations were initially released in 2000, the philanthropic world has changed, as have the rules that apply to community foundations. For this reason, the National Standards and the confirmation process were updated in 2008 to ensure that they continue to be current and robust.