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Highly Trusted

The EPICENTER

Edgewood, MD

Community Development Family, Marriage and Children's Services Leadership Training Support Services Medical, Dental and Health Services Children's Ministry Financial Services Student and Youth Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Sports

About The EPICENTER

The EPICENTER is a faith-based community center that exists to serve Edgewood, Aberdeen, Fallston/Joppa, Maryland and the surrounding areas. The EPICENTER's goal is to offer resources and programs that will act as a catalyst to improve everyday lives of the community by improving education, reducing crime, drug usage and poverty, and increasing employment opportunities. Our mission is to Empower People, Strengthen Families, and Build Community & Trust. We want to transform the lives in, for, and by the communities we're planted in.As a strategic way to expand impact, Tabitha’s House merged with The EPICENTER, a nonprofit community center with locations in Edgewood and Joppa. The EPICENTER also has a proud history and reputation for serving the community and is deeply engaged with many of the families that we serve, many of whom live in the Rt 40 area. This partnership and integration into the good work that The EPICENTER is doing makes us even more effective in our mission to empower people, strengthen families, and build a sense of community and trust.

What “Highly Trusted” Means

Highly Trusted reflects a ministry's commitment to operating transparently and accountably beyond Christian-specific stewardship standards alone. This ministry has been verified against fourteen of fifteen criteria of The Most Trusted Standard — demonstrating biblical financial integrity, sound governance, and a complete framework of governance policies.

What distinguishes Highly Trusted is the additional commitment to public transparency. This ministry has made its financial records, governance information, and program reporting accessible to the public, putting its operations in the open where any donor can examine them.

What We've Verified

This ministry has been verified against 14 of 15 criteria in The Most Trusted Standard.

Faith Foundation

  • Christian Statement of Faith Affirms a clear, public statement of faith aligned with historic orthodox Christian doctrine. Verified
  • Biblical Mission and Stewardship Operates with a mission explicitly grounded in Christian principles and biblical stewardship of resources entrusted to it. Verified
  • Christian Accountability Maintains accountability to recognized standards of Christian financial integrity and ministry stewardship. Verified

Financial Integrity

  • Independent Financial Review Undergoes annual independent financial audit, review, or compilation appropriate to organizational size and complexity. Verified
  • Reasonable Compensation Practices Discloses executive compensation and demonstrates compensation practices appropriate to the organization's size, scope, and sector. Verified
  • Donor Intent Honored Honors donor intent on designated and restricted gifts, ensuring contributions are used as donors directed. Verified

Governance and Leadership

  • Independent Governing Board Operates under an independent governing board with a majority of members who are not staff, related to staff, or otherwise compromised in independence. Verified
  • Documented Conflict-of-Interest Policies Maintains and follows documented conflict-of-interest policies to protect the organization and those it serves. Verified
  • No Outstanding Concerns Shows no unresolved regulatory, legal, or accountability concerns that would compromise donor trust. Verified

Transparency and Effectiveness

  • Truthful Communications Communicates truthfully and accurately in fundraising appeals, public communications, and donor reporting. Verified
  • Active Program Activity Consistent with Mission Demonstrates active program activity consistent with the organization's stated mission and purpose. Verified
  • Comprehensive Public Financial Disclosure Makes complete financial records and Form 990 (or applicable equivalent) accessible to the public through recognized third-party platforms. Verified
  • Public Governance and Program Reporting Publicly discloses board composition, key leadership, and detailed program information so donors can see how the organization is run and what it does. Verified
  • Full Suite of Governance Policies Maintains and discloses a complete framework of governance policies, including whistleblower and document-retention policies in addition to conflict-of-interest protections. Verified
  • Independent Performance Evaluation Has undergone independent evaluation of financial efficiency, program spending, and operational performance against rigorous sector benchmarks, with results confirming performance at the highest standard. Not verified at this tier

The EPICENTER meets our Highly Trusted tier standards. Most Trusted ministries additionally demonstrate independently evaluated performance against sector benchmarks.