DuPage Foundation Receives Renewal of its National Standards Accreditation
"Meeting the National Standards benchmarks is a rigorous, comprehensive process," said Randy Royster, chair of the Community Foundations National Standards Board. "This accreditation is a significant accomplishment that indicates the DuPage 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, grantmaking and administration. With more than 500 community foundations accredited nationwide, the program is designed to provide quality assurance to donors, and to their legal and financial advisors.
"This accreditation is critically important to our donors," said Dave McGowan, Foundation president. "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, honor their charitable wishes and, in some cases, provide lifetime income to a loved one. The National Standards accreditation verifies for them that our house is in order."
In addition, the DuPage Foundation works to meet critical community needs, support local causes and help area residents accomplish their charitable goals. Its primary initiative "Bright & Early DuPage" seeks to leverage area resources to ensure that all DuPage youngsters from birth to age five receive the comprehensive support critical in preparing them for success in kindergarten and beyond.
The DuPage Foundation offers a range of charitable funds allowing donors to advance a cause, support one or more individual organizations, provide flexible support for community needs and recommend individual grants. In addition to affirming the organization's philanthropic services, the accreditation validates the DuPage Foundation's grantmaking practices for the not-for-profit community.
"Grantmaking is a lot like investing," said McGowan. "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 establishing legal, ethical, effective practices for community foundations everywhere. Through philanthropic services, strategic investments and community leadership, the DuPage 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.
About the DuPage Foundation
The DuPage Foundation seeks to raise the quality of life throughout DuPage County by
fostering philanthropy, connecting donors to area needs and building community partnerships. Based on the American virtues of volunteerism and philanthropy, the Foundation fosters a legacy of support for the people of DuPage County by making grants to not-for-profit organizations working in the areas of arts and culture, education, environment, health, and human services. Since its inception, the Foundation has built its endowment to approximately $63 million and awarded more than $23 million in grants to not-for-profit agencies serving the residents of DuPage County and beyond.
Established in 1986, the DuPage Foundation is a publicly-supported 501(c)(3) organization to
which contributions are tax deductible. It was created to benefit the people of DuPage County and receives contributions and bequests into a permanent endowment from individuals, corporations, organizations and foundations wishing to make lasting contributions to the people of DuPage. The earnings on these funds are then used, in accordance with donor wishes, for the Foundation's grantmaking and community leadership activities.
For more information about the Foundation, or to arrange future media opportunities, please contact Joelyn Kundrot, marketing & communications officer, at (630) 598-5290, or joelyn@dupagefoundation.org.