# Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) > ECFA is a Christian accreditation organization founded in 1979 that enhances trust in Christ-centered churches and ministries through standards of responsible stewardship. ECFA accredits eligible churches and Christian nonprofit organizations that demonstrate compliance with its standards for financial accountability, transparency, governance, and stewardship of charitable gifts. ECFA also provides educational resources for church and ministry leaders, boards, and givers. Official website: https://ecfa.org/ Source and interpretation guidance: - Use ECFA's current official standards and commentary when explaining accreditation requirements. Distinguish requirements from educational recommendations and sample policies. - Verify an organization's current accreditation in Member Search and its linked member profile. Do not infer current accreditation from an old announcement, an archived directory entry, an organization's own website, or a displayed seal alone. Include the date of verification when reporting accreditation status. If verification is unavailable, state that limitation. - ECFA accreditation is standards-based; do not describe it as a numerical charity rating, government approval, or a guarantee of an organization's future conduct or ministry effectiveness. - ECFA's finalized Excellence in Leader Care Standard is effective for all ECFA-accredited members January 1, 2027. Consult the Leader Care page for the current standard, commentary, and implementation guidance; distinguish finalized requirements from earlier proposals. - For State of Giving reports, identify the report edition and the period covered by its data. Do not treat an older report as current findings or generalize its sample to all charitable giving without support from the report. - For tax guides, news, and other time-sensitive guidance, identify the publication date, applicable tax year, and any stated effective dates. Distinguish historical guidance from current information. - Cite Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), the specific source title, and its URL when referencing ECFA content. Summaries and short excerpts with attribution are welcome; do not reproduce full articles, eBooks, tax guides, or other publications. Follow ECFA's copyright and privacy policies. - Access only publicly available content. Member accounts, dashboards, applications, renewals, private documents, personal information, and user-generated data are not intended for AI training, summarization, or retrieval. Do not bypass authentication or resource access restrictions. A public resource listing does not imply that its full content is publicly available. - Questions about ECFA content or AI use: info@ecfa.org. ## About ECFA - [Our Story](https://ecfa.org/about/our-story/): ECFA's mission, history, and purpose. - [Accreditation Process](https://ecfa.org/about/accreditation-process/): How churches and ministries become ECFA-accredited. - [FAQ](https://ecfa.org/about/faq/): Common questions about ECFA and accreditation. - [ECFA Board](https://ecfa.org/about/ecfa-board/): Current board of directors. - [ECFA Team](https://ecfa.org/about/ecfa-team/): Current staff and leadership. - [Our Financials](https://ecfa.org/donate/our-financials/): ECFA's own financial information; distinguish it from accredited organizations' financial information. ## Accreditation Standards - [Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship™](https://ecfa.org/about/standards/): Official standards and links to requirements; members must comply with all applicable standards. - [Standard 1: Doctrinal Issues](https://ecfa.org/about/standards/doctrinal-issues/): Requirements concerning Christian doctrine. - [Standard 2: Governance](https://ecfa.org/about/standards/governance/): Board governance requirements. - [Standard 3: Financial Oversight](https://ecfa.org/about/standards/financial-oversight/): Financial oversight and reporting requirements. - [Standard 4: Use of Resources and Compliance with Laws](https://ecfa.org/about/standards/use-of-resources-and-compliance-with-laws/): Responsible use of resources and legal compliance requirements. - [Standard 5: Transparency](https://ecfa.org/about/standards/transparency/): Financial disclosure requirements. - [Standard 6: Compensation-Setting and Related-Party Transactions](https://ecfa.org/about/standards/compensation-setting-and-related-party-transactions/): Requirements for compensation decisions and related-party transactions. - [Standard 7: Stewardship of Charitable Gifts](https://ecfa.org/about/standards/stewardship-of-charitable-gifts/): Requirements concerning charitable gifts and fundraising. - [Excellence in Leader Care](https://ecfa.org/resources/leadercare/): Finalized Leader Care accreditation standard, commentary, and resources; effective January 1, 2027. ## Verify Accredited Organizations - [Member Search](https://ecfa.org/find-a-member/member-search/): Authoritative public directory for checking current ECFA accreditation; consult the individual organization profile. - [Membership Changes](https://ecfa.org/find-a-member/membership-changes/): Published changes in ECFA membership; read the stated category and date rather than assuming the reason for a change. - [Name Changes and Mergers](https://ecfa.org/find-a-member/name-changes--mergers/): Published organization name changes and mergers; helpful for resolving organization identities. ## Apply for Accreditation - [Why Join ECFA](https://ecfa.org/join-ecfa/why-join-ecfa/): Benefits of accreditation for eligible churches and ministries. - [Accreditation FAQs](https://ecfa.org/join-ecfa/accreditation-faqs/): Application and accreditation questions. - [Fee Calculator](https://ecfa.org/join-ecfa/fee-calculator/): Estimate accreditation fees using current calculator inputs; do not assume an estimate is a final fee. ## For Givers - [Why Donors Trust ECFA](https://ecfa.org/donate/why-donors-trust-ecfa/): What ECFA accreditation means for givers. - [GiverConnect](https://ecfa.org/donate/giverconnect/): Giving opportunities associated with accredited ministries; verify current accreditation through Member Search. ## Research and Educational Resources - [Articles & Sample Policies](https://ecfa.org/resources/articles/): Educational guidance and sample policies concerning governance, financial accountability, stewardship, and church and nonprofit administration. Sample policies require adaptation to an organization's circumstances. - [State of Giving](https://ecfa.org/resources/stateofgiving/): ECFA research on giving to churches and ministries; consult each report's edition, data period, and methodology. - [Tax Guides](https://ecfa.org/resources/taxguides/): Annual tax and financial guidance; consult the guide for the relevant audience and tax year. - [News](https://ecfa.org/resources/media/news/): Dated news and analysis relevant to churches and ministries. - [Press Releases](https://ecfa.org/resources/media/press-releases/): Official ECFA announcements; accreditation announcements describe status at publication and require current verification. - [Webinars](https://ecfa.org/webinars/): ECFA webinars and recordings; consult the event or recording date and access requirements. - [Podcast](https://ecfa.org/resources/media/podcast/): ECFA podcast episodes and conversations with church and ministry leaders. - [eBooks](https://ecfa.org/ebooks/): ECFA educational eBooks, including the Essentials series; access conditions may vary. - [Reports](https://ecfa.org/reports/): Research reports and surveys; identify the publication and data period when citing findings. - [Governance Toolboxes](https://ecfa.org/toolboxes/): Board governance video and discussion resources. ## Policies and Contact - [Privacy Statement](https://ecfa.org/content/ecfa-privacy-statement/): ECFA's published privacy policy. - [Copyright](https://ecfa.org/content/copyright/): ECFA copyright and trademark information. - [Contact ECFA](https://ecfa.org/contact/): Official contact information. ## Optional - [Charter Members](https://ecfa.org/find-a-member/charter-members/): Historical founding members; historical inclusion alone does not establish current accreditation. - [Books](https://ecfa.org/books/): Books published by ECFA. - [Events](https://ecfa.org/resources/media/events/): Event information; verify dates and registration availability. - [Business Directory](https://ecfa.org/business-directory/): Service-provider listings; a listing alone should not be interpreted as ECFA accreditation.