General operating support
Mission-aligned operating support for standards, accreditation administration and public-interest infrastructure.
Institutional funding · controlled restrictions · independent accreditation
Grants & Institutional Funding
CHSPS may accept eligible general operating, program-restricted, multi-year, government, in-kind and charitable support under CHSPS-DEV-600. Every relationship is screened before acceptance and remains outside standards, technical review and accreditation decisions.
Eligible structuresGeneral · restricted · multi-year · in-kind
ApprovalCEO after conflict review
Board reportingDefined high-risk / material cases
Accreditation influenceNone
Eligible funding structuresPermitted structure Permitted structure Permitted structure Permitted structure Permitted structure Permitted structure
Start with the relationship, then define the restriction and reporting obligations in writing.
CHSPS-DEV-600 permits several forms of mission-aligned external support. Acceptance is never automatic, and the applicable agreement controls purpose, restrictions, reporting, recognition, compliance obligations and termination terms.
Program-restricted grants
Funding restricted to a defined purpose, tracked separately and reported against the written restriction.
Multi-year commitments
Multi-year support may be accepted when the agreement, controls and reporting obligations are workable.
Government grants
Accepted only after CHSPS confirms it can meet the applicable compliance, registration and audit requirements.
In-kind professional support
Professional services such as legal, translation, accessibility, design or other mission-aligned assistance may be accepted in kind.
Charitable gifts & workplace giving
Gifts and workplace-giving designations are covered external support and remain subject to the same impartiality firewall.
No standard grant amount is published. Funding terms are agreement-specific. A conversation does not create an award, commitment, tax determination, recognition right or accreditation-related benefit.
Public-interest funding prioritiesPublic records Candidate protection Open standards Research Accessibility Institutional capacity
What institutional funding may support.
These are mission-aligned areas where external funding can strengthen CHSPS public-interest infrastructure. They are funding priorities, not a statement that every activity is currently grant-funded or that a separate grant program exists for every item.
Verification & accountability infrastructure
Public verification, controlled records, status information and other trust infrastructure that helps employers, candidates and the public check accreditation claims.
Candidate & public guidance
Plain-language educational resources about accreditation, credential claims, due process, verification and responsible program selection.
Standards & public comment operations
Controlled standards-development work, comment handling, disposition records and public participation infrastructure.
Measures & technical research
Methodology, validation, measurement and technical work supporting published standards and quality frameworks without funder editorial control.
Accessible formats & translations
Accessibility improvements, alternative formats, plain-language work and translations where CHSPS approves the scope and quality controls.
Mission infrastructure
Qualified operational capacity that supports standards, accreditation administration and public-interest services while remaining outside applicant outcomes.
Acceptance boundaries
CHSPS can accept support without accepting funder control.
CHSPS may accept
- general operating support;
- program-restricted grants;
- multi-year commitments;
- government grants after compliance review;
- qualified in-kind professional support;
- charitable gifts and workplace-giving designations.
CHSPS declines
- funding conditioned on an accreditation outcome, applicant, volume or timeline;
- funder editorial control over standards, measures, findings or reports;
- support prohibited by the source/exclusion rules in CHSPS-DEV-600;
- anonymity where the controlled policy requires disclosure;
- any arrangement that compromises impartiality or creates the appearance of accreditation influence.
Source restrictions also apply. CHSPS-DEV-600 contains specific acceptance exclusions and authorizes CHSPS to decline or return support.
Accreditation firewallCase files Personnel Information Editorial control Decision bodies
Funding stays outside the accreditation decision path.
The policy separates funding relationships, personnel and information from eligibility, technical review, appeals and accreditation decisions.
Funding status stays out
Sponsor or funder status does not appear in eligibility, review, validation, reconsideration, appeal or decision files.
24-month separation
Personnel who negotiate or manage support have no accreditation-relevant role concerning that supporter, and vice versa, for the relationship plus 24 months.
No confidential access
Funders receive no confidential accreditation information, applicant lists, attendee personal data or advance nonpublic standards content.
No purchased standards authority
Funding cannot buy standards language, measures, findings, interpretations, reports or public-comment outcomes.
No favorable treatment
Decision bodies are not informed of support status before them and funding provides no scheduling, review or decision consideration.
Approval, stewardship & records
The funding relationship has its own controlled lifecycle.
Conflict review
Support relationships are screened for mission consistency and structural conflicts before acceptance.
Written approval
The education and engagement function negotiates; General Counsel performs conflict review; the CEO approves the support relationship.
Restricted-fund stewardship
Restricted grants are tracked as restricted funds, spent only for the stated purpose and reported factually, including shortfalls.
Board reporting & retention
A single commitment of $10,000 or more, any multi-year commitment and support from an applicant or accredited organization are reported to the Board at its next meeting. Policy records are retained for seven years.
Disclosure rules
DEV-600 controls annual disclosure; Funding Disclosures explains the governance framework.
The controlled policy establishes when annual supporter disclosure is required. The public Funding Disclosures page is the governance and independence record and should not be treated as a substitute for the clause-level policy.
$5,000+ aggregate annual support
DEV-600 requires annual disclosure when a supporter’s aggregate support in the year is $5,000 or more, with category of support.
Applicant / candidate / accredited organization
Support from an applicant, candidate or accredited organization is subject to annual disclosure regardless of amount.
Anonymity limits
CHSPS declines funding conditioned on anonymity above the controlled disclosure threshold. Recognition and disclosure are governed by the written agreement and DEV-600.
Funding governance record: Funding Disclosures summarizes funding controls, conflict review and accreditation-independence safeguards. CHSPS-DEV-600 remains the controlling policy for disclosure obligations.
How a funding conversation works1 2 3 4
An inquiry begins diligence; it does not create a grant relationship.
Inquiry
Describe the funder, proposed purpose, expected restrictions and any compliance requirements.
Mission & conflict screen
CHSPS evaluates mission fit, source restrictions, impartiality risks and whether it can meet the proposed obligations.
Agreement & approval
If there is a fit, the parties document purpose, restrictions, budget, reporting and compliance terms before acceptance.
Stewardship & reporting
CHSPS tracks restricted funds, reports against agreed requirements and applies disclosure, Board-reporting and record-retention controls.
Government funding: CHSPS accepts a government grant only after confirming it can meet the applicable compliance, registration and audit requirements.
Institutional funding inquiry
Start with the purpose and restrictions.
Use this form for foundation, agency, institutional, charitable or in-kind funding conversations. No commitment exists until screening is complete and the applicable agreement is approved.
Target initial response: within two business days. This is a general development-inquiry target, not a guarantee of acceptance, proposal delivery, funding agreement execution or any accreditation-related timeline.
Choose the correct relationship
Membership, sponsorship and grants are different relationships.
Membership
Annual dues and published member benefits. Membership does not create accreditation preference or standards authority.
Membership →Sponsorship
Support tied to a defined program or activity with qualified acknowledgment under a written sponsorship agreement.
Sponsorship →Grants & institutional funding
General or restricted mission support governed by funder terms, CHSPS acceptance controls and DEV-600.
Funding inquiry →Fund the mission without crossing the firewall
Define the purpose in writing and let the controlled funding policy govern.
Use the funding inquiry for institutional support, DEV-600 for the controlling rules, and Funding Disclosures for the public governance and independence framework.