CFO announces it has met accreditation goal

Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. has achieved national accreditation from the Community Foundations National Standards, a program offered by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Council on Foundations Inc.

CFO, which had $549 million in assets under management as of June 30, 2025, announced the accreditation June 1 and noted that it is one of more than 450 community foundations to have achieved that distinction through National Standards.

A community foundation is a public grantmaking charity that pools donations from individuals, families and businesses to support nonprofits within a specified geographic area, according to the Council on Foundations. The CFO website notes that the organization serves donors, nonprofit partners and 55 regional affiliates within a 63-county region.

CFO’s mission is to improve the quality of life for everyone in central and southern Missouri through resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration and public leadership, the release states.

The accreditation standard requires community foundations to document their policies for donor services, investments, grant-making and administration, according to a news release from CFO.

Accreditation was a goal of the CFO Board of Directors for fiscal 2026, the release states. To achieve accreditation, CFO staff spent the past year updating policies and procedures to align with quality assurance standards of the accrediting body.

“Our work is entirely driven by trust, especially with donors and professional advisers who are considering charitable legacies as part of an estate plan,” said Winter Kinne, president and CEO of the CFO, in the release. “National Standards accreditation gives everyone we serve a clear sign that the CFO pursues our mission with excellence. I’m grateful to our staff for ensuring our policies meet the highest standards.”

Michelle Foster, board president of National Standards, described meeting the benchmarks as a rigorous process.

“This accreditation is a significant accomplishment that indicates the Community Foundation of the Ozarks demonstrates a commitment to transparency, quality, integrity and accountability as it carries out its mission,” she said in the release.

The Community Foundations National Standards Board is a supporting organization of the Council on Foundations, the release states.

In addition to its new accreditation, the CFO holds a platinum Candid Seal of Transparency, awarded through Candid, a nonprofit organization that provides data about the social sector and was formed in 2019 through the merger of GuideStar and Foundation Center.