Statement of Values

The values of The Community Foundation include:

  • Commitment to the public good
  • Accountability to the public
  • Commitment beyond the law
  • Respect for the worth and dignity of individuals
  • Inclusiveness and social justice
  • Respect for pluralism and diversity
  • Transparency, integrity and honesty
  • Responsible stewardship of resources and,
  • Commitment to excellence and to maintaining the public trust.

These values lead directly to the Code of Ethics for The Community Foundation that follows. The values inform and guide the actions that the Foundation should take in developing its policies and informing its practices.
Code of Ethics

The Community Foundation Code of Ethics:

I. Personal and Professional Integrity
All staff, board members and volunteers of The Community Foundation ("Foundation") act with honesty, integrity and openness in all their dealings as representatives of the Foundation. The Foundation promotes a working environment that values respect, fairness and integrity.

II. Mission
The Foundation has a clearly stated mission and purpose, approved by the Board of Directors, in pursuit of the public good. All of its programs support the mission and all who work for or on behalf of the Foundation understand and are loyal to the mission and purpose. The mission is responsive to the constituency and communities served by the Foundation and of value to the society at large.

III. Governance
The Foundation has an active governing body that is responsible for setting the mission and strategic direction of the Foundation and oversight of the finances, operations and policies of the Foundation. The governing body:

  • Ensures that its board members have the requisite skills and experience to carry out their duties and that all members understand and fulfill their governance duties acting for the benefit of the Foundation and its public purpose
  • Has a conflict of interest policy that ensures that any conflicts of interest or the appearance thereof are avoided or appropriately managed through disclosure, recusal or other means
  • Is responsible for the hiring, firing and regular review of the performance of the chief executive officer, and ensures that the compensation of the chief executive officer is reasonable and appropriate
  • Ensures that the CEO and appropriate staff provide the governing body with timely and comprehensive information so that the governing body can effectively carry out its duties
  • Ensures that the Foundation conducts all transactions and dealings with integrity and honesty
  • Ensures that the Foundation promotes working relationships with board members, staff, volunteers and program beneficiaries that are based on mutual respect, fairness and openness
  • Ensures that the Foundation is fair and inclusive in its hiring and promotion policies and practices for all board, staff and volunteer positions
  • Ensures that policies of the Foundation are in writing, clearly articulated and officially adopted
  • Ensures that the resources of the Foundation are responsibly and prudently managed; and
  • Ensures that the Foundation has the capacity to carry out its programs effectively.

IV. Legal Compliance
The Foundation is knowledgeable of and complies with all laws, regulations and applicable international conventions.

V. Responsible Stewardship
The Foundation manages its funds responsibly and prudently;

  • The Foundation spends a reasonable percentage of its annual budget on programs in pursuance of its mission
  • The Foundation spends an adequate amount on administrative expenses to ensure effective accounting systems, internal controls, competent staff and other expenditures critical to professional management
  • The Foundation compensates staff, and any others who may receive compensation, reasonably and appropriately
  • The Foundation has reasonable fund-raising costs
  • The Foundation prudently draws from endowment funds consistent with donor intent and to support the public purpose of the Foundation
  • The Foundations ensures that all spending practices and policies are fair, reasonable and appropriate to fulfill the mission of the Foundation; and,
  • All financial reports are factually accurate and complete in all material respects.

VI. Openness and Disclosure
The Foundation provides comprehensive and timely information to the public, the media, and all stakeholders and is responsive in a timely manner to reasonable requests for information. All information about the Foundation will fully and honestly reflect the policies and practices of the Foundation. Basic informational data about the Foundation, such as the Form 990, reviews and compilations, and audited financial statements will be posted on the Foundation's website or is otherwise available to the public. All solicitation materials accurately represent the Foundation's policies and practices and will reflect the dignity of program beneficiaries. All financial, organizational, and program reports will be complete and accurate in all material respects.

VII. Program Evaluation
The Foundation regularly reviews program effectiveness and has mechanisms to incorporate lessons learned into future programs. The Foundation is committed to improving program and organizational effectiveness and develops mechanisms to promote learning from its activities and the field. The Foundation is responsive to changes in its field of activity and is responsive to the needs of its constituencies.

VIII. Inclusiveness and Diversity
The Foundation has a policy of promoting inclusiveness and its staff, board and volunteers reflect diversity in order to enrich its programmatic effectiveness. The Foundation takes meaningful steps to promote inclusiveness in its hiring, retention, promotion, board recruitment and constituencies served.

IX. Fundraising
The Foundation is truthful in its solicitation materials. The Foundation respects the privacy concerns of individual donors and expends funds consistent with donor intent. The Foundation discloses important and relevant information to potential donors. In raising funds from the public, the Foundation respects the rights of donors, as follows:

  • To be informed of the mission of the Foundation, the way the resources will be used and their capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes
  • To be informed of the identity of those serving on the Foundation’s governing board and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities
  • To have access to the Foundation’s most recent financial reports
  • To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given
  • To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition
  • To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by the law
  • To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature
  • To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the Foundation or hired solicitors
  • To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from lists that the Foundation may intend to share; and,
  • To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

X. Grant-Making Guidelines
In making grants, the Foundation respects the rights of grant seekers and grantees as follows:

  • The Foundation has constructive relations with grant seekers based on mutual respect and shared goals
  • The Foundation communicates clearly and on a timely basis with potential grantees
  • The Foundation treats grant seekers and grantees fairly and with respect
  • The Foundation respects the expertise of grant seekers in their fields of knowledge
  • The Foundation seeks to understand and respect the organizational capacity and needs of grant seeking organizations; and,
  • The Foundation respects the integrity of the mission of grant seeking organizations.

 

Statement of Ethical Standards

GRANTMAKERS OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA STATEMENT OF ETHICAL STANDARDS

We, the members of Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, as responsible stewards of charitable resources, commit ourselves to the following standards of ethical behavior and excellence in practice:

Members of Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania:

1. Adhere to the highest principles of ethical behavior and to an appropriate conflict-of-interest policy for our organization’s staff and board members.

2. Are mindful of and fulfill our fiduciary and legal responsibilities.

3. Deal respectfully with all applicants, grantees, donors and anyone seeking information about our organization.

4. Provide basic information about programs, funding priorities and application requirements on a timely basis.

5. Respect the confidentiality of donors, grantees and applicants using discretion when communicating information about its organizations or its individuals.

6. Review and evaluate on an ongoing basis the priorities, policies and practices of our organization to insure that the organization’s mission is being fulfilled.

7. Promote inclusiveness as appropriate in our employment, board-recruitment , and grantmaking practices.
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