Building Strong and Ethical Foundations: Doing It Right

About this grant

In response to recent scrutiny and skepticism toward philanthropic institutions, the Council on Foundations (COF) has developed a two-year program, "Building Strong and Ethical Foundations: Doing It Right." The goal of the program is to strengthen the accountability and ethical performance of the foundation community.Multiyear funding will address two areas: developing new guiding principles and governance standards that add specifics to the current COF principles and practices for effective grantmaking; and increasing professional development and improving educational materials and outreach to foundation professionals, advisers, and state and federal charity officials. Activities will include creating a committee on ethics and enforcement to examine and revise COF’s current policies; convening at least 12 meetings across the United States to address legal and ethical practices; and enhancing COF’s educational programs to include more coverage of standards for ethical conduct by foundations.COF is a membership organizations of private, community and corporate foundations established to promote responsible and effective philanthropy.