Shropshire Community Foundation has been recognised for the excellent work it does as a third sector organisation with the award of the Trusted Standard Level 1 by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).
It means the Foundation has met its legal obligations and has systems and structures in place to protect the rights of users and employees proving it is well run, well managed and committed to providing effective services for internal and external stakeholders.
Selina Graham DL, chair of Shropshire Community Foundation, said: "This is a fantastic result in just under 3 years of our existence. I am extremely proud of the whole team. This is all part of our continuous improvement to serve our community now and in the future."
The Foundation raises and distributes funds to charities and community groups across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. It works in partnership with organisations, individuals and companies across the county to raise money.
It then works with those donor organisations to distribute grants from different funding pots including endowment funds, funds given by local companies and general funds raised by businesses and individuals for a common cause.
The Trusted Standard is the only UK quality standard designed to help third sector organisations operate more effectively and efficiently.
The Foundation was assessed against 11 quality areas including governance, planning, leadership and management, managing money and resources and its external communications.
Trustee Dean Harris, who led the project alongside interim chief executive Maylin Ware, said: Whilst the project had been very rigorous and time consuming it has enabled us to scrutinise all systems, processes and policies across the Foundation to ensure it was effective in all aspects of its operations.
Going through an independent external assessment is not for the faint hearted, especially for such a young charity but we are delighted with the outcome, she said.