Skip navigation links
News Room
Knowledge
Networking
Capacity-Building
Foundation Law
EU Affairs
Membership
About EFC
Skip navigation links
Vision and Mission
What we offer
Our standards
Programme committees
Governance
Staff
Jobs
Contact us
Skip Navigation LinksEFC > About EFC > Our standards
Our standards 

European Foundation Centre (EFC) members adhere to the EFC Principles of Good Practice. They provide a basis for open and ongoing dialogue among independent funders by building on the EFC Prague Declaration, a statement of principles and reciprocal commitments for independent funders. The Principles constitute a general recommendation to reinforce good practice, openness and transparency in the European independent funding community. They are subject to regular review and modification.

EFC Principles of Good Practice

The EFC Principles encompass a set of seven Principles of Good Practice based on an identified set of core values that every foundation in Europe should aspire to embrace. They are designed to apply across a variety of cultures and jurisdictions and to an even larger variety of foundations. They are intended to be of application both within the European Union and in the context of the wider Europe.
EFC Principles of Good Practice (690kb)

Implementing EFC Principles:  Illustrative Practice Options for Foundations

The Illustrative Practice Options for Foundations recognise the diversity of legal requirements and operating practices across Europe. They aim to enable foundations to adopt and adapt those that will assist them in facilitating their implementation of the Principles within the context of their own environments and organisational circumstances.
EFC Illustrative Practice Options for Foundations

Background

The EFC Principles of Good Practice were originally drafted in October 1994, and subsequently revised in 1996 and 2006. The current version of the Principles, which was approved by the EFC Governing Council in November 2006, is the result of a two-year review  process and consultation of EFC members and other stakeholders led by the EFC Code of Practice Working Group.

Contact

For further information please contact:  eu@efc.be

EFC Code of Practice Working Group Members 

Working Group meetings (members only)

Events

Download presentations and read related articles:

Roundtable discussion: implementing the Principles of Good Practice, 10 March 2009, Brussels, Belgium

Accountability in International Giving

Principles of Accountability in International Giving

The EFC and the US Council on Foundations launched in May 2005 a joint initiative that developed a set of stewardship principles and guidelines for accountable international grantmaking and operating activities that are relevant to their respective memberships as well as the broader international donor community.

>For more information and to download the Principles of Accountability in International Giving

For further information please contact: international@efc.be

Further resources

These resource documents include a number of codes, standards, and principles of good practice developed for foundations across Europe and a selected bibliography which pinpoints some useful documentary resources relating to self-regulation and good practices.

Foundation codes in Europe: An overview

The EFC has gathered information on codes and principles of good practice from foundation networks in Europe:

>Go to European overview

Selected bibliography

The EFC compiled a selected bibliography of publications about self-regulation and good practices in the non-profit sector:

 EFC Principles of Good Practice

 

Principle n°1: Compliance
Foundations comply with the laws of the state in which they are based, and act in accordance with their bylaws. They comply with the international and European conventions to which their country of residency is party.

Principle n°2: Governance
Foundations have an identifiable decision-making body whose members and successors should be nominated in accordance with established principles and procedures, and act with the highest ethical standards.

Principle n°3: Informed policies, operations and support programmes
Foundations define a clear set of basic policies and procedures specifying their mission, objectives, goals and related programmes and review these on a regular basis.

Principle n°4: Stewardship: management and finance
Foundations promote efficient organisation and work while ensuring prudent and sustainable management, investment strategies and procedures, and use of resources for public benefit. Foundations ensure proper accounting/bookkeeping according to established rules in the state in which they are headquartered. They may complement such rules with additional measures on a voluntary basis.

Principle n°5: Disclosure and communication
Foundations act in a transparent manner and comply with the regulations concerning transparency in force in the countries in which they operate. They may complement such regulations with additional measures on a voluntary basis.

Principle n°6: Monitoring and evaluation
Foundations organise appropriate monitoring and regular evaluation of their action and programmes.

Principle n°7: Cooperation
Foundations share their know-how and experience with peer organisations and other relevant stakeholders to advance good practice and cooperate whenever appropriate, to maximise their impact in their respective fields of activity.

Download the full document: EFC Principles of Good Practice (690kb)