We operate truthfully, honestly and ethically.  We commit to transparency in our communications and reliability in our work.

We respect the confidential nature of our work and where appropriate, operate and communicate with openness and full transparency.  We apply prudence where the application of transparency may cause embarrassment, hurt or harm, or be a breach of confidentiality.  We are mindful of the importance of considering many factors including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles, and apply this lens in considering how we operate as an organization, our investment decisions and in the granting we facilitate.

We value, seek out and encourage diverse voices and diverse ways of knowing.  We commit to continuously learn and grow in our understanding of equity and belonging in our community through meaningful collaboration with others.

Through our Vital Signs research and reports, we identify community level social needs and priorities.  We gather research data and learn through the programs and actions of our increasingly diverse and changing community.  Our community impact work is informed and guided by those with lived experience and we aim to meet the diverse needs of all groups in the community through the grants we facilitate. We are on a journey to build a more inclusive Board with a diverse range of personal and professional experiences and perspectives.  Through our continuous learning efforts, we seek to become and be recognized as a leader in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in our community.

We take our responsibilities and decisions seriously and are willing to be held to account by all of our stakeholders and the community.  We take responsibility for not just our successes, but our failures too and treat them as learning tools for change and growth.

We make commitments that we believe we can achieve.  We assess and manage potential risks, report on our activities to the community, donors and other stakeholders and respond to questions and concerns.  We make sure we are compliant with all legal and financial reporting requirements as well as restrictions imposed by donors on the use of their contributions.

We safeguard the current and future vitality of our community by protecting the resources entrusted to us, shepherding important issues in our community and enhancing relationships with all constituents.

Ensuring we are worthy of investments from funders and donors is key to ensuring long term community health.  Sustaining and growing our resources requires that we build lasting relationships with those who understand and care about our community.  This is about connecting current and future donors with our mission, vision, values and the community needs identified through our Vital Signs research.  We are committed to actively building and preserving the financial resources necessary to support the accomplishment of our mission, both for the short term and the long term.

We commit to working with community stakeholders to amplify their efforts. We appreciate that partnership and active participation are essential to innovation and better outcomes.

The complexity of the social and economic issues organizations are tackling in our community is tremendous.  We support these efforts through collaborative capacity building initiatives that focus on growing their collective impact.  We work with our community partners to better understand the issues and to address them as a capacity builder, organizer, and ally.