Governance
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Kent Community Foundation is a registered company limited by guarantee and a registered charity with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, established in 2001. As an incorporated charity we have a board of trustees who serve as our company directors.
Kent Community Foundation's governing document outlines the charity objectives:
"The promotion of any charitable purposes for the benefit of the community in the County of Kent and the Borough of Medway and in particular the advancement of education the protection of good health both mental and physical and the relief of poverty and sickness; other exclusively charitable purposes in the United Kingdom and elsewhere which are in the opinion of the Trustees beneficial to the community including those in the area of benefit."
The governing document also grants Kent Community Foundation the authority to accept donations, provide grants and loans for charitable purposes, and invest funds with a professional investment manager. Donors who establish funds with us entrust stewardship of those funds to our trustees, and the proceeds become assets of the charity. Consequently, we have robust policies surrounding gift acceptance, financial procedures, investments, and grant-making.
Our board of trustees delegate responsibilities to sub-committees in areas such as:
Finance and operations
Investments
Staffing and remuneration
Grants
Environment, social and governance.
All sub-committees have terms of reference that are regularly reviewed along with trustee membership. Some committees include trusted external advisers who specialise in certain areas to enhance our trustees' skills and experience. All discussions and recommendations are reported back to the board at quarterly meetings.
Good governance is crucial. The board observes recommendations from the charity governance code as appropriate. As a charity registered with the Fundraising Regulator, we follow the Fundraising Code.
Kent Community Foundation is a fully accredited member of a UK network of community foundations. UK Community Foundations conducts an accreditation process for all members every three years which ensures that all community foundations in the network are operating to a minimum standard in five core areas: strategy, governance and risk; financial and information management; philanthropy services and donor management; grant-making and community participation; and organisational and network development.
Kent Community Foundation is registered as a Living Wage Employer, committing to pay all staff at least the Real Living Wage.
As part of our environmental strategy, we are a signatory on the Funder Commitment on Climate Change.
