Gift Acceptance Policy
The purpose of this policy is to define the principles by which a donation will be accepted, or if it does not meet certain criteria, returned, repurposed, or redirected. This policy is written to ensure that gifts are only accepted if donor restrictions and requirements can be met; that gifts are accepted and administered in a manner appropriate for a tax-exempt institution; and that the gift is consistent with the mission of the First Responders Children’s Foundation.
First Responders Children’s Foundation (FRCF) seeks unrestricted gifts, and gifts for specific programs and purposes, provided that such gifts are not inconsistent with the Foundation’s stated mission, purposes, and priorities, and provided acceptance of the gift does not violate any applicable local, state or federal laws, or regulations. The Foundation will not accept gifts that violate the terms of FRCF’s by-laws, or gifts that are too difficult or too expensive to administer.,
Consistent with its mission to support and improve the lives of children of First Responder; to support families of First Responders who become critically ill or die in the performance of their duties; and to support First Responder educational and community programing, FRCF will generally not accept gifts from entities whose primary business is the manufacture, distribution or sale of firearms or tobacco products. FRCF reserves the right to refuse or return any gift from an individual, foundation, corporation, government or other entity that is inconsistent with its mission or values; that could cause a conflict of interest; that is prohibitively restrictive in use of fund;, that could expose the Foundation to liability or adverse publicity; that endangers the public’s trust in the Foundation; or that infringes on its ability to provide
services.
This policy must be followed and implemented by the Executive Director and staff, the Board of Trustees, and any member of the FRCF community who engages in acceptance, management or solicitation of gifts on behalf of First Responders Children’s Foundation, including consultants, contractors and professional fund raisers acting on behalf of FRCF.
As a matter of regular practice, the Executive Director will review all gifts and grants. In all circumstances, staff shall notify the Executive Director of any actual or potential gift that in her or his judgment should be reviewed by the Executive Committee of the Board, which shall be responsible for the faithful application of the guidelines in this policy.
The Executive Committee will review potential gifts inconsistent with these guidelines. If proposed gifts present complex or unforeseen situations or present the potential for reputational or other risk, the Committee will work to reach a unanimous decision as to whether the proposed gift will be accepted. Failing unanimity, a majority vote of the Executive Committee will control the decision. In the event a questionable gift is initially accepted without having gone through this review process, the Executive Director, or any member of the Board may bring such gift to the attention of the Executive Committee for review, and, after such review said gift will be returned to the donor if a majority of the Executive Committee determines that is required by this policy.
These policies and guidelines have been reviewed and accepted by the FRCF Board of Trustees which must approve any changes to, or deviations from, these policies.