Principles for Minnesota Grantmakers

1. To sustain public trust by adhering to the highest ethical principles and practices and abiding by all state and federal laws that govern philanthropy.

2. To achieve effective governance by ensuring performance in the areas of stewardship of assets, donor intent, fiduciary responsibility and sound decision-making.

3. To be purposeful in our philanthropy by having a clearly stated mission and explicit goals.

4. To foster continuous learning and reflection by engaging board members, staff, grantees and donors in thoughtful dialogue and education.

5. To build constructive relationships with applicants, grantees and donors by ensuring mutual respect, candor, confidentiality and understanding.

6. To achieve transparency in our relationships with the public, applicants, grantees and donors by being clear, consistent and timely in our communications with them.

7. To reflect and engage the diversity of the communities we serve in our varying roles as grantmakers, boards and employers, economic entities and civic participants.

8. To uphold the highest standards by regularly assessing ourselves against these principles and committing to implement them.

A printable PDF version is available online at the Minnesota Council on Foundations website.