Mission

Certo Governance Institute builds a culture of good governance through independent assessment and promotion of governance standards in Poland and Europe. We operate at the intersection of law, technology, and institutional ethics — where decisions by governing bodies have real impact on citizens, employees, and beneficiaries.

The Foundation's mission is to create a widely recognized standard for assessing governance quality that will serve as a benchmark for public institutions, corporations, medical entities, defense organizations, and the non-governmental sector.

Independence

The Foundation is independent from assessed entities, public authorities, and commercial interests. This independence is guaranteed by:

• Organizational structure — The Foundation operates as a non-profit entity with no capital ties to the technical operator Certo ID PSA
• Financing — revenue from rating fees goes to a separate methodological fund
• Procedures — every rating undergoes a multi-stage verification process with mandatory participation of external reviewers
• Transparency — the rating methodology is publicly available and subject to periodic updates in accordance with EU guidelines

Two entities of the ecosystem

The Certo ecosystem consists of two separate legal entities:

Certo Governance Institute — an independent rating body headquartered in Poland, owner of the Certo methodology, issues ratings and is responsible for their credibility.

Certo ID PSA — a commercial technology operator, maintains the IT infrastructure of the rating system, provides digital tools for assessed entities and their delegates.

This separation is a necessary condition for maintaining the independence of ratings — analogous to the separation of rating agencies from issuers of financial instruments.

Assessment sectors

Certo assesses institutions in five sectors:

1. Public sector — local government units, public offices, state administration
2. Corporate sector — commercial law companies, management boards, supervisory boards
3. Medical sector — hospitals, healthcare facilities, medical entities
4. Defense sector — defense industry entities, security system institutions
5. Non-governmental sector — non-governmental organizations, associations, foundations

Compliance with European standards

The Certo methodology is based on rigorous European and international standards:

• European Commission guidelines on Corporate Governance
• ISO 37000 standards (Governance of Organizations)
• EU Directive on non-financial reporting (CSRD)
• OECD recommendations on corporate oversight