Quality Accreditation
BLCF is delighted to announce that following a stringent quality assessment, we have achieved our UK Community Foundations Quality Accreditation.
Quality Accreditation is a programme which endorses and encourages best practice by Community Foundations. This endorsement and recognition has been held by Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation since 2010 and we are delighted that it was renewed after a further rigorous period of assessment in 2021.
The process is a meticulous, thorough, and externally verified quality assessment. It includes an internal audit of our policies and procedures, submission of key documents for external review, and interviews with the independent assessor. BLCF scored particularly highly in our performance in publicising grant-making and seeking to reach all sections of the community.
The assessors also recognised how we are looking to address inequality and improve access to our programmes by global majority led groups. The assessor stated:
“Detailed analyses are prepared to review grants awarded to BAME led organisations and in-depth analyses re. the focus of such projects and whether they targeted the root causes or symptoms of issues facing minoritised groups. This approach has been used across a number of different programmes and emerging needs are being tracked.”
The assessment, which was carried out by Ideas to Impact, on behalf of UK Community Foundations (UKCF) also evaluated the ongoing practices and trajectory of BLCF within core standards of governance, finance, philanthropy, grant making, community participation and organisational development.
The programme is unique to UKCF, providing the only accreditation process internationally that is tailored to and designed by community foundations.
The UKCF Quality Accreditation Programme is an initiative designed to provide due diligence that confirms members have the capacity to deliver grants and programmes on a national level and will last for three years until October 2024. It promotes excellent practice across community foundations to ensure that they can utilise their resources most effectively to listen to, support and advocate for their communities.
“We are delighted and proud to have again achieved the Quality Accreditation. The last eighteen months have been particularly challenging, and achieving this Accreditation is testament to the dedication and hard work of our staff and trustees, as well as our ability to ensure quality in all that we do.”
Karen Perkins, Chief Executive of BLCF
Vivianne Vayssieres, Chair of Trustees of BLCF
“Yet again the staff and trustees of BLCF have shown that quality is at the heart of our work and our processes. We are proud that our policies and processes are externally verified to be of a high standard. This supports our work in inspiring people to give, helping the communities in Bedfordshire to thrive and change lives together.”