January 13, 2026
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY – Crown Point Community Foundation recently received re-accreditation with the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. Community Foundations National Standards® establish legal, ethical, effective practices for community foundations everywhere.
“Meeting the National Standards benchmarks is a rigorous, comprehensive process,” said Susie Nelson, board chair of National Standards. “This re-accreditation is a significant accomplishment that indicates the Crown Point Community Foundation continues to demonstrate a commitment to transparency, quality, integrity and accountability as it carries out its mission.”
The Community Foundations National Standards® program requires community foundations to document their policies for donor services, investments, grantmaking and administration. With over 500 community foundations already accredited nationwide, the program is designed to provide quality assurance to donors, as well as to their legal and financial advisors.
“This is critically important to our donors,” said Mary Nielsen, Crown Point Community President. “When people make a charitable bequest or establish a fund, they are putting their trust in us. They are counting on us to manage the investment wisely and honor their charitable wishes. The National Standards accreditation says our house is in order.”
Crown Point Community Foundation works to meet critical community needs and support local causes, including supporting the arts and cultivating community gardens to strengthening veteran services, curing illness, expanding literacy, and programs that address food insecurity.
Crown Point Community Foundation offers a range of charitable funds, allowing donors to advance a cause, support an individual organization, provide flexible support for community needs or recommend individual grants. In addition to affirming the organization’s philanthropic services, the re-accreditation validates Crown Point Community Foundation’s grantmaking practices for the nonprofit community.
“Grantmaking is a lot like investing,” said Mike Dexter, Crown Point Community Foundation Chairman of the Board. “We need to assess risks, weigh potential gains, diversify assets, monitor performance, and operate fairly. With our National Standards accreditation, you can be assured that we’re doing just that.”
Community Foundations National Standards® is the first program of its kind for charitable foundations in the United States.
Through philanthropic services, strategic investments and community leadership, Crown Point Community Foundation helps people support the causes they care about, now and for generations to come.
The Community Foundations National Standards Board is a supporting organization of the Council on Foundations and is responsible for the quality, value, and integrity of compliance with National Standards. For more information on the National Standards Board, visit its website at www.cfstandards.org.
About the Crown Point Community Foundation: The Crown Point Community Foundation connects people who care to causes that matter. Since 1990, we have served the citizens of Crown Point and South Lake County through a range of charitable and civic activities, while helping individual donors achieve their philanthropic goals. As a public charitable organization, the CPCF is dedicated to building permanently endowed funds. The Crown Point Community Foundation will help to positively shape the future of the community and act as a facilitator of community good.
A mark of excellence. Crown Point Community Foundation is proud to be accredited by Community Foundations National Standards®, affirming the Foundation’s commitment to accountability, integrity, and impact in South Lake County.