The Piedmont Community Foundation (PCF) board of directors is pleased to announce that the PCF recently received confirmation of PCF's compliance with National Standards of operation for U.S. Community Foundations which is philanthropy's most rigorous. National Standards were developed by community foundation practitioners within the Council on Foundations to serve as a roadmap for legal, ethical, and effective practices within a philanthropic environment increasingly affected by technology, competition for donors, and political and media scrutiny.

There are 43 National Standards which address 6 key areas of community foundation operations. 1.) Mission, Structure and Governance, 2.) Grantmaking and Community Leadership 3.) Resource Development, 4.) Donor Relations, 5.) Stewardship and Accountability, 6.) Communications. Since the standards were adopted, community foundations of all sizes, ages, and locations have committed to operating practices which demonstrate a foundation's transparency and financial responsibility under increased public scrutiny of foundation practices.

Currently, U.S. community foundations serve tens of thousands of donors and administer more than $39 billion in charitable funds. Of the nearly 700 community foundations in the United States, over 530 have pledged to comply with the National Standards. To date, over 260 community foundations have been found in compliance with National Standards and PCF is proud have achieved success in operational excellence which allows use of the national certification seal.