Voted and approved November 24, 2025

The Burlington City Arts Foundation is committed to lawful and ethical conduct in all of its operations. Directors, officers, employees, volunteers, and contractors are expected to report in good faith any concerns regarding suspected wrongdoing, including violations of law, financial improprieties, misuse of organizational assets, or breaches of Foundation policy.

The Foundation prohibits retaliation against any individual who, in good faith, submits a complaint or participates in an investigation. All reports will be handled as confidentially as practical, and concerns may be raised to the Executive Director, the Board Chair, or any member of the Executive Committee

The Foundation will promptly review all credible reports and take appropriate corrective action when warranted.

Voted June 5, 2017

It is essential that the work of the Burlington City Arts Foundation (BCAF) not be compromised by any conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest. Therefore, the following policy is adopted to assist all persons holding positions of responsibility and trust in the organization, including Burlington City Arts Foundation Board members, advisors or employees (herein collectively and individually (“Burlington City Arts Foundation Associate”) to avoid any actions or relationships that might give rise to a conflict of interest or to the appearance of a conflict of interest. All Burlington City Arts Foundation Associates have the affirmative duty to avoid conflicts of interest and where one arises or becomes known to the Burlington City Arts Foundation Associate, the Associate has the affirmative duty to disclose such conflict.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the BCAF is conscious of the possible conflicts of interest that may arise as the result of a BCAF Associate being on the board of or otherwise connected with BCAF vendors, donors or grant applicants. To effectively discharge its mission, the BCAF values Board representation drawn from the most capable and committed members of all affected segments of Vermont communities, including persons who may be involved with other non-profit organizations. At the same time, the BCAF recognizes it is inherent in the process of the selection of board members, advisors and staff that they are and will continue to be active in the community and BCAF is desirous of fostering community participation. Board members who represent a diverse constituency are desirable and valuable to the BCAF. It is the policy of the BCAF that such potential conflicts of interest be disclosed in the same manner as any other conflict of interest.

Definition 

1.          Conflict of Interest transaction is one in which a BCAF associate or his or her household member or immediate family (spouse, parent, sibling, child) has a material financial or personal interest.

2.         Material interest or affiliation consists of professional or institutional involvement as either an incorporator, member, director, trustee, officer, partner, proprietor, employee or owner (with 5% or more ownership share) in an entity which may be subject of direct Board action, which competes with the BCAF , or which may be the recipient of a grant or other financial transaction with the BCAF.

3.         A personal interest exists when, as a result of or in connection with a transaction, a BCAF Associate or a member of his/her family or other household member could incur some benefit either for him/herself, a family member or other member of the household or to the entity which provides employment to such family member or other household member, or to any entity in or with which he/she or a family member or other household member has a material interest or affiliation.

4.         A transaction is an arrangement, agreement, purchase, sale, contract or other similar event in which the BCAF is involved, including but not limited to: the sale, purchase lease or rental of any property or other asset; employment or rendition of services, personal or otherwise; the award of any grant, contract or subcontract; or the investment of deposit of any funds of the BCAF.

5.         Direct participation exists in transactions between the BCAF and a BCAF Associate.

6.         Indirect participation exists in transactions between the BCAF and entities in or with the BCAF Associate has a material interest or affiliation.

Guidelines/Procedures

1.          BCAF Associates shall not directly or indirectly participate in any transaction involving the BCAF in which they have a material interest or affiliation and/or from which they or a family member or other household member may realize a benefit to their personal interests without full disclosure as provided herein.

2.         Any BCAF Associate who is aware of a conflict or potential conflict, involving him/herself or another BCAF Associate, or the appearance of a conflict of interest, including applications for grants, has a duty to disclose the same to the President of the Board, in case of a director, and to the Executive Director/ in all other cases.

3.         A conflict of interest transaction may be approved by the Board of the BCAF in the case of a board member and by the Executive Director, in the case of an employee or advisor In such cases, the minutes of the meeting in which a conflict of interest transaction is approved shall reflect that a conflict of interest disclosure was made, that the conflict was discussed and approved , that the BCAF Associate abstained from voting and whether the BCAF Associate was absent during discussion and voting.

4.         In the case of the approval of grants, it is assumed that any director that annually discloses his or her affiliation with a non-profit, abstains from a vote on a grant for that non-profit and it does not need to be specifically noted in the minutes.

5.         All BCAF Associates who are expected to recognize that the best interests of the BCAF require that the utmost confidentiality be observed in safeguarding information obtained by being a BCAF Associate.

6.         Regardless of disclosure, a BCAF Associate has an unavoidable duty at all times to act with complete fidelity to the interests of the BCAF. Failure to do so, including failure to disclose, shall warrant termination of employment, removal of a Board or committee member, or such other lesser or greater action that the Board and/or management deems appropriate.

7.         Each BCAF Board member will annually affirm that such person

(a)       Has received a copy of the conflict of interest policy,

(b)       Has read and understands the policy,

(c)       Has agreed to comply with the policy.

(d)          Has agreed to disclose membership on other boards served  

The Board Burlington City Arts Foundation recognizes the importance of charitable giving to the well being and future of the organization, and encourages its community, staff, neighbors and other friends to contribute generously to its annual fund, capital campaigns, endowment campaigns, and other purposes.  These policies describe the ways Burlington City Arts Foundation can accept these gifts.  In case of any questions not answered by these policies, Burlington City Arts Foundation will abide by generally accepted charitable giving accounting standards. The Board of Burlington City Arts Foundation will appoint a standing Gift Acceptance Committee, or the Executive Committee will meet in its stead, to review any and all gifts that fall within the categories described below.

1. Burlington City Arts Foundation welcomes gifts of cash, mutual funds, publicly traded bonds and stock, paid-up insurance policies, real and personal property and pledges, as well as deferred gifts such as trusts, charitable gift annuities, and bequests.  All gifts are accepted according to standards below. Gift donation date is considered to be when they leave the donor’s possession.

2. Gifts of cash, mutual funds, securities and paid insurance policies are accepted immediately upon receipt. Burlington City Arts Foundation also welcomes deferred gifts such as bequests, trusts, charitable gift annuities and life estates;  refer to the Burlington City Arts Foundation Gift Counting Policies to understand when these gifts can be acknowledged and counted.  Burlington City Arts Foundation will work with potential donors to structure these in ways that meet applicable tax regulations and further the donor’s wishes.

3. Once each year Burlington City Arts Foundation will list all donors whose gifts have been received in the fiscal year. At the end of each special campaign, a listing of donors will be published.  Requests for anonymity will always be honored.

4. Burlington City Arts Foundation will maintain a Legacy Society which acknowledges the generosity of those who have left a bequest, or communicated their intention to leave a bequest to Burlington City Arts Foundation;  this implies no financial accounting or tax benefit for revocable gifts. Donor requests for anonymity will always be honored.

5. Gifts of real estate and other property are accepted provided they can be used to advance Burlington City Arts Foundation’s mission, or sold by Burlington City Arts Foundation; the customary procedure will be to sell these immediately, but Burlington City Arts Foundation retains the right to postpone sale;  the donor may not stipulate the timing of a sale.  Any appraisal and environmental assessments found necessary will be conducted at the expense of the donor prior to acceptance of the gift.  Gifts or real estate and other property valued at $5000 or more will only be accepted after approval by the Burlington City Arts Foundation Gift Acceptance Committee. 

6. Gifts for restricted purposes will be accepted when those restrictions are a component of the budget, the strategic plan, or of an active campaign.  Gifts for other restricted purposes will be accepted only after the approval of the Gift Acceptance Committee.  Gifts restricted for endowment or another special purpose fund may only be applied to a new named fund if the initial gift is $100,000 or more.  Additions to existing named funds will be accepted in any amount.

7. Gifts that might require any special action or change in procedures at Burlington City Arts Foundation will be considered by the Gift Acceptance Committee prior to acceptance.  In general, Burlington City Arts Foundation will not accept gifts with conditions that require changes in basic elements of the Burlington City Arts Foundation program unless those conditions had already been approved by the Board during a planning process.

8. Burlington City Arts Foundation may occasionally accept gifts with the provision that an endowment or scholarship fund, building, or other property be named in honor of the donor, a member of the donor’s family, an honored friend of the organization, or another individual.  Such naming opportunities will be discussed by the Gift Acceptance Committee and approved by the Board prior to gift acceptance.  The Board will set and approve the appropriate gift level for these naming opportunities.   Funds or buildings or other spaces may customarily only be named for individuals or families, and with Board approval, local businesses or some local organizations;  not for themes, or other entities. 

9. Burlington City Arts Foundation will not directly manage charitable gift annuities, and therefore any such gifts must be made with the understanding that a third party will manage the charitable gift annuity and make income payments directly to the donor.

10. Burlington City Arts Foundation will not serve as sole trustee for any Trust for which Burlington City Arts Foundation is the beneficiary, and in cases of shared trusteeship, Burlington City Arts Foundation will not be responsible for managing the trust or fulfilling payment requirements.

11. Tax deductible charitable gifts cannot be applied to individual expenses such as residence fees, tuition, room, board or related expenses for personal benefit of a specific individual. 

12. Gifts may not be restricted for any purposes contrary to the values or mission of the organization, or for any purposes that would discriminate against any person or groups by reason of race, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability or other basis prohibited by law.

13. Most gifts offer some tax advantages to donors, and Burlington City Arts Foundation urges each donor to seek the most appropriate ways to maximize these advantages.  While Burlington City Arts Foundation is anxious to discuss gift planning with each donor in so far as it applies to their gift to Burlington City Arts Foundation, Burlington City Arts Foundation will not offer financial or estate planning advice on these giving methods, on gift or financial management, or on other aspects of the donor’s charitable gift planning. 

Burlington City Arts Foundation is appreciative of every gift and every donor and will work to maximize the value of any gift.  Each donor is urged to seek financial counsel.  As necessary in negotiating the terms of a gift, Burlington City Arts Foundation will also retain counsel for gift management advice.