Community Foundation of Waterloo/Cedar Falls and Northeast Iowa Meets National Standards

The Community Foundation of Waterloo/Cedar Falls and Northeast Iowa was one of the first Community Foundations recognized for having met practices that are in compliance with the Council on Foundations` National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. The National Standards were developed in 2000 to aid community foundations in establishing legal, ethical and effective operating practices that would show the foundations` transparency and financial responsibility.

Of the 700 community foundations nationwide, nearly 500 have pledged to comply with the National Standards. In order to achieve Confirmation of Compliance with the National Standards, community foundations must undergo an extensive review of their organizational and financial polices and procedures. The 43 National Standards address key areas of community foundations` operations.

The Standards were developed to aid community foundations in establishing legal, ethical and effective operational practices that would show the foundationsŐ 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 43 National Standards address such areas as governance; resource development; stewardship and accountability; grantmaking and community leadership; donor relations; and communications.