The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County has recently completed an intensive four-month financial and business audit. The Foundation undergoes a comprehensive audit annually to ensure best practices and full compliance. As is common practice in the industry, the Foundation this year employed a new and highly reputable audit firm, UHY, to provide fresh perspective in its comprehensive evaluation.
The Foundation received a clean unqualified opinion from UHY. This means that the Foundation’s financial statements are free of material misstatements based on work performed. This audit was perhaps the most extensive that has been performed in its history, as the Foundation voluntarily delivered to the audit team an anonymous packet of unauthorized Foundation information that had been accessed without authorization and distributed anonymously to media and online. The auditors determined that none of the information in the packet changed anything about their opinion on the financials of the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County.
“We are pleased that following the audit, which was expanded beyond its original scope to consider the anonymous packet of information, the Foundation received an unqualified opinion from its auditor, UHY,” said Board of Directors Chair William Scales.
Packet Release Leads to Investigation
Due to the disclosure of internal documents and the misrepresentation of data included in those documents, the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County engaged legal counsel Barton LLP. On behalf of the Foundation, Barton LLP engaged the IT forensics firm Arete Advisors to determine whether the unauthorized access of data was conducted by external third parties.
Arete Advisors confirmed that no outside actors gained unauthorized access to Heritage Foundation systems. The files that were implicated in the packet were accessed internally. Further, the documents implicated did not contain any sensitive personal information of any third parties, including any of the Foundation’s members, sponsors, or volunteers.
The Foundation will continue to monitor the situation given the cost to the organization in expenses with outside counsel and the expansion of the audit.
Heritage Foundation Continues its Mission
The Foundation continues to advance its important initiatives within the community.
This weekend, the Foundation will host the 52nd Annual Heritage Ball, and very soon, Pumpkinfest® and Dickens Of A Christmas will bring the holidays in downtown Franklin to life once again. In addition, the Foundation continues its vital preservation and advocacy work, with several exciting project announcements to come.
The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County continues to live by its mission. Its leaders and members recognize the immense potential within the Williamson County community and look forward to a future of shared achievement, working together to strengthen this region and beyond.