| Financial Information : Audit Committee Charter
The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.
The Audit Committee
is a committee of the Board of Directors, constituted under authority
of
Article IV, Section 4 of the by-laws of The People-to-People Health
Foundation, Inc (Project
HOPE - hereinafter the Foundation). Its primary function is to assist
the Board in fulfilling its
oversight responsibilities by reviewing the financial information
which will be provided to
grantors, contributors and others, the systems of internal controls
which management and the
Board of Directors have established, and the audit process.
In meeting its
responsibilities, the audit committee is expected to :
1. Provide an
open avenue of communication between management, any internal audit
activity, the independent accountant, and the Board of Directors.
2. Review and
update, if necessary, the committee's charter annually.
3. Confirm and
assure the independence of the independent accountant, including
a review
of management consulting services and related fees provided by the
independent
accountant.
4. Recommend
annually to the Board of Directors the independent accountants to
be
nominated, approve the compensation of the independent accountant,
and review and
approve the discharge of the independent accountants
5. Inquire of
management and the independent accountant about significant risks
or
exposures and assess the steps management has taken to minimize
such risks and to
timely detect any material error or irregularity.
6. Consider
in consultation with the independent accountant and management,
the audit
scope and plan for any internal audit activities to be undertaken
and audit scope and plan
for the independent accountant.
7. Consider
with management and the independent accountant any rationale for
employing
audit firms other than the principal independent accountant.
8. Review with
management and the independent accountant the coordination of audit
effort
to assure completeness of coverage, reduction of redundant efforts,
and the effective use
of audit resources.
9. Consider
and review with the independent accountant:
a. The adequacy
of the Foundation's internal controls including computerized
information system controls and security.
b. Any related
significant findings and recommendations of the independent
accountant together with management's responses thereto.
c. Any difficulties
encountered in the course of audits, including any
restrictions on the scope of their work or access to required information.
d. Any changes
required in the planned scope of audit plans.
10. Consider
and review with management:
a. Significant
findings during the year and management's responses thereto.
b. Any difficulties
encountered in the course of audits, including any
restrictions on the scope of their work or access to required information.
c. Any changes
required in the planned scope of audit plans.
11. Review with
management and the independent accountant at the completion of the
annual
examination:
a. The Foundation's
annual financial statements and related footnotes.
b. The independent
accountant's audit of the financial statements and its
report thereon.
c. The Foundation
annual federal compliance audit
d. Any significant
changes required in the independent accountant's audit
plan.
e. Any serious
difficulties or disputes with management encountered during
the course of the audit.
f. Other matters
related to the conduct of the audit which are to be
communicated to the committee under generally accepted auditing
standards.
12. Review published documents containing the company's financial
statements and consider
whether the information contained in these documents is consistent
with the information
contained in the financial statements.
13. Review policies
and procedures with respect to officers' expense accounts and
perquisites, including their use of corporate assets, and consider
the results of any review
of these areas.
14. Review policies
and procedures designed to address corporate and employee ethics.
15. Review legal
and regulatory matters that may have a material impact on the financial
statements, related Foundation compliance policies, and any programs
or reports received
from regulators.
16. Meet with
the independent accountant and management in separate executive
sessions to
discuss any matters that the committee or these groups believe should
be discussed
privately with the audit committee.
17. Report committee
actions to the Board of Directors with such recommendations as the
committee may deem appropriate.
18. Prepare
a letter for inclusion in the annual report that describes the committee's
composition and responsibilities, and how they were discharged.
19. The audit
committee upon consultation with the Executive Committee of the
Board or the
Chairman of the Board shall have the power to conduct or authorize
investigations into
any matters within the committee's scope of responsibilities. The
committee shall be
empowered to retain independent counsel, accountants, or others
to assist it in the
conduct of any investigation.
20. The committee
shall meet at least three times per year or more frequently as
circumstances require. The committee may ask members of management
or others to
attend the meeting and provide pertinent information as necessary.
21. Audit Committee
will perform such other functions as by law, the company's charter
or
bylaws, or the Board of Directors.
The membership
of the audit committee shall consist of at least five independent
members of the
Board of Directors who shall serve at the pleasure of the Board
of Directors. Audit committee
members and the committee chairman shall be designated by the full
Board of Directors upon the
recommendation of the nominating committee. The committee shall
ensure that the Board of
Directors minutes will include an annual independence determination
relative to the Audit
Committee's members, role, and function.
The duties and
responsibilities of a member of the audit committee are in addition
to those duties
set out for a member of the Board of Directors. |