founding charter
Organization's birth certificate
A founding charter is the original document that establishes an organization, corporation, or institution—setting out its purpose, structure, and governing rules.
The term emphasizes the document's role at the moment of creation: The university's founding charter dates to 1636.
Nations may also have founding charters, though constitution is more common for countries.
- constitutionInherent physical or structural makeup
- bill of rightsDocument listing protected liberties
- documentWritten or electronic file
- articlesWritten works or items
- preamblePreliminary statement before content
signatories · sworn oath · incorporation · establishment · covenant · declaration · ratification · scroll · parchment · seal · ink · official seal · quill · sovereignty · mission · mission statement · governing body · articles of incorporation
founding charteramendment
Change to official text
amendments · bylaws · constitutional amendment · addendum · revision
founding charterunwritten constitution
Governance by convention, not document
gentlemen's agreement · oral tradition · tacit understanding · organizational culture
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