HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION 

POLICY ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO FOUNDATION INFORMATION

Houston Community College Foundation (Foundation) is a non-profit corporate entity committed to providing ongoing support to the Houston Community College (HCC) in areas such as student scholarships and endowments, capital projects and program support, and faculty grants and awards. Recognizing that the Foundation is a non-governmental entity operating separately from HCC, while at the same time supporting the mission of a public community college, the Foundation seeks to strike a balance between maintaining its separateness and providing certain information to the public. This policy establishes the Foundation’s guidelines and practices in providing public access to information maintained by the Foundation.

 

I. INTRODUCTION

This policy reflects the Foundation’s commitment to approaching disclosure of information in a fair and balanced manner. The Foundation generally categorizes information as (1) legally required to be disclosed to the public; (2) voluntarily disclosed to the public; or (3) not disclosed to the public. Any person may seek information by contacting the Foundation at 713.718.8595 or by email at info@hccsfoundation.org. Responses will be prompt and complete as feasible.

II. LEGALLY REQUIRED PUBLIC INFORMATION

a. Foundation’s annual information return (IRS Form 990) – for at least the previous 3 years

b. Foundation’s tax-exempt application and accompanying documents

c. Foundation’s tax-exempt status determination letter

III. VOLUNTARILY DISCLOSED PUBLIC INFORMATION

 a. Foundation’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws

b. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Houston Community College and the Foundation

c. Foundation’s organizational chart

d. Financial information:

i. Audited Financial Statements

ii. Foundation’s annual Gratitude Report

e. Policies and Procedures:

i. Gift Acceptance Policy

ii. Investment and Spending Policy

iii. Donor Bill of Rights

iv. Statement of Ethics (CASE)

f. Contracts between Houston Community College and the Foundation

g. Payments between the Foundation and Houston Community College

h. Gift Club and donor recognition procedures  

IV. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION (NOT PUBLIC)

Confidential information which is not available for public inspection or copying includes the following:

a. Information regarding donors and/or donor contributions (unless expressly consented to by the donor)

b. Records received from a donor or prospective donor regarding such donor’s prospective gift or pledge

c. Records that discloses a donor or prospective donor’s personal, financial, estate planning, or gift planning matters

d. Records containing communications or correspondence between one seeking a donation and a donor or a prospective donor

e. Information related to fundraising plans or strategies

f. Individual student information

g. Individual employee information (other than name and title)

h. Information related to trusts and annuities administered by the Foundation

i. Other information – to the extent the Foundation receives requests for information not specifically addressed in this Policy, the information will be   presumed not public, but the Foundation reserves the right and authority to evaluate such requests and determine, within its sole discretion, whether to disclose the information.

V. REPRODUCTION AND ADDITIONAL FEES

If an information request requires the retrieval and reproduction of documents, a reasonable per page copying fee and hourly labor charge applies (unless limited by federal law for legally required documents), such total charge not to exceed the actual cost to the Foundation of satisfying the request. All fees must be paid by the requesting party to the Foundation prior to the retrieval and reproduction of the requested information.

 

Adopted by the HCC Foundation Board of Directors on April 1, 2021.

© 2011 HCC Foundation

3100 Main, Suite 12B12, MC 1148, Houston, Texas 77002
Phone: 713-718-8595 | Fax: 713-718-8631