Golden Belt Community Foundation recently received accreditation with the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® establish legal, ethical, effective practices for community foundations everywhere.  

“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 Golden Belt 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, grant making and administration. With nearly 500 community foundations already accredited nationwide, the program is designed to provide quality assurance to donors, as well as to their legal and financial advisors. 

“This is critically important to our donors,” said Christy Tustin, Golden Belt Community Foundation executive director. “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 and honor their charitable wishes. The National Standards accreditation says our house is in order.” 

Golden Belt Community Foundation works to meet critical community needs and support local causes, including helping those in need, the health and well-being of youth, the arts, and philanthropic economic development. 

Golden Belt 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 Golden Belt Community Foundation’s grant-making practices for the nonprofit community. 

“Grant making is a lot like investing,” said Tyler Alpers, Golden Belt Community Foundation board president. “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.” 

National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations is the first program of its kind for charitable foundations in the United States. Through philanthropic services, strategic investments and community leadership, Golden Belt 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.