In
November 2005, the Council on Foundations recognized The Community
Foundation of Westmoreland County for having organizational and
financial practices that are in accordance with the National Standards
for U.S. Community Foundations. The
Council on Foundations and leaders of the community foundation field
created the National Standards in 2000 to aid community foundations in
establishing legal, ethical and effective operational practices that
would show the foundations’ transparency and financial
responsibility in light of the increased public scrutiny of foundation
practices.
Intended
both as a blueprint for internal organizational development and as a
tangible set of benchmarks for external assessment of performance, the
42 National Standards address six key areas of community foundation
operations. In
order to achieve Confirmation of Compliance with the National
Standards, community foundations must undergo an extensive review of
their organizational and financial policies and procedures.
The review is performed by trained, experienced community
foundation practitioners.
