Governance & build · Document 05

The NAP Standards Council Founding Charter

THE NAP

STANDARDS COUNCIL FOUNDING CHARTER The Constitutional Document Establishing the Governance, Authority, and Operating Framework of the NAP Standards Council Companion Document to The NAP Manifesto Establishing an Independent, Multi Stakeholder, Globally Representative Governing Body Authored by Michael Andrew Feller Jones Founder, Nutraceutical Assisted Programs Category Inaugural Chair, NAP Standards Council

PREAMBLE

"NAP is offered to the world as a public good. It belongs to no one and to everyone who advances its mission with integrity. The NAP Standards Council exists to ensure that the category remains independent of any single company, any single nation, any single tradition of medicine, and any single political agenda, governed transparently for the benefit of every patient, practitioner, and population the framework serves."

Purpose of This Charter

This document is the Founding Charter of the NAP Standards Council. It establishes the legal foundation, governance structure, decision making authority, conflict of interest framework, ethical commitments, and operational procedures of the body that will steward the Nutraceutical Assisted Programs category as a global independent clinical paradigm.

This Charter functions as the constitutional document of the Council. It supersedes informal arrangements, founder discretion, and provisional structures that have characterized the founding period of the NAP category. From the date of its adoption, the Council operates under the authority and within the limits established by this Charter, with all subsequent rules, policies, and procedures derivative from and subordinate to it.

The Charter is designed to accomplish four foundational objectives. First, to establish the institutional credibility necessary for NAP to be recognized as a legitimate clinical category by medical professionals, researchers, regulators, and policymakers globally. Second, to protect the intellectual integrity of the NAP framework against dilution by commercial, political, or ideological pressure including, explicitly, pressure that might originate from the founder. Third, to enable the multi stakeholder, multi tradition, multi national governance that distinguishes NAP from category structures controlled by single entities. Fourth, to provide the institutional permanence that ensures NAP outlasts its founding generation and continues to serve future generations of patients and practitioners.

Foundational Premises

This Charter is grounded in several premises that inform every subsequent provision.

The first premise is that no clinical category of global scope can sustain itself credibly under single founder control. History demonstrates that personality dependent organizations either fail when their founder departs or become commercially captured under pressure of growth and resource needs. The Council is structured to avoid both fates by establishing independent governance from the founding moment.

The second premise is that the integrity of any clinical category depends on the rigor of its conflict of interest management. The Council operates under explicit conflict of interest provisions that apply to every member regardless of seniority or contribution, including the founder.

The third premise is that diversity of representation is essential to a category claiming to federate multiple traditions of natural medicine across multiple regions of the world. The Council composition is structured to ensure that no single tradition, region, or stakeholder type can dominate decisions affecting the global category.

The fourth premise is that institutional permanence requires planned succession. The Council operates under term limits, rotation requirements, and succession planning that ensure continuous leadership renewal across the decades of category development that lie ahead.

The fifth premise is that transparency is the foundation of public trust. The Council operates under explicit transparency requirements covering decisions, conflicts, deliberations, and outcomes.

ARTICLE I. ESTABLISHMENT, NAME, AND PURPOSE

Section 1.1 Establishment

The NAP Standards Council, hereafter referred to as the Council, is established as the independent governing body of the Nutraceutical Assisted Programs category, hereafter referred to as NAP. The Council operates as a multi stakeholder international body with the authority and responsibilities set forth in this Charter.

Section 1.2 Legal Status

The Council is established with the intent to be incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization in a jurisdiction selected by the founding membership of the Council. Pending formal incorporation, the Council operates under the institutional sponsorship of an interim host organization that holds resources and capabilities of the Council in trust for the Council itself, with all such resources to be transferred to the Council upon incorporation. Incorporation shall be completed within twenty four months of the adoption of this Charter.

Section 1.3 Mission

The mission of the Council is to steward the NAP category as a global independent clinical paradigm. This stewardship encompasses the establishment and maintenance of clinical protocol standards, the credentialing of NAP practitioners, the accreditation of NAP centers, the integrity of the NAP knowledge infrastructure, the direction of the NAP research agenda, the engagement with regulators and policymakers across multiple jurisdictions, and the protection of NAP's intellectual independence against commercial, political, ideological, or geographic capture.

Section 1.4 Vision

The vision of the Council is a global healthcare landscape in which the foundational paradigm of medicine is terrain first, natural first, system oriented, integration based, and community grounded, with pharmaceutical interventions integrated as situational tools within this foundational framework. The Council operates to advance this vision through institutional credibility, evidence based practice, federated tradition representation, and the long term institutional permanence necessary to translate paradigm change into durable global standard of care.

Section 1.5 Public Good Commitment

The Council holds the NAP category as a public good. The intellectual content of the NAP framework, as articulated in The NAP Manifesto, the NAP Evidence Compendium, the NAP Standards Library, and derivative public reference materials, is offered to the world without proprietary restriction beyond what is necessary to maintain the integrity of the credentialing and accreditation systems. The Council does not exist to extract value from the framework. The Council exists to steward the framework for the benefit of the populations it serves.

ARTICLE II. AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Section 2.1 Scope of Authority

The Council holds and exercises the following authorities on behalf of the NAP category.

Maintenance of the NAP Standards Library, including the establishment, periodic review, and revision of clinical protocol standards across all clinical territories within the NAP framework.
Oversight of the NAP Practitioner credentialing program, including the establishment of training requirements, examination standards, continuing education requirements, and ethical conduct standards for credentialed practitioners.
Oversight of the NAP Center accreditation program, including the establishment of facility standards, staffing standards, outcome measurement requirements, and operational standards for accredited centers.
Direction of the NAP research agenda, including identification of research priorities, oversight of outcome data collection across accredited centers, partnership with academic and clinical research institutions, and validation of the framework's foundational claims.
Stewardship of the NAP Evidence Compendium and supporting evidence appendices, including periodic review, updates as new research emerges, and maintenance of evidence classification standards.
Engagement with regulatory bodies, governmental agencies, and policymakers across jurisdictions to advocate for appropriate recognition and integration of NAP within national and regional healthcare frameworks.
Adjudication of ethics complaints against credentialed practitioners and accredited centers, including the establishment of due process procedures and the imposition of sanctions including credential revocation where warranted.
Protection of the NAP name, the NAP credential designations, and the NAP center accreditation designations against misuse, dilution, or misappropriation.
Publication of an Annual Report documenting Council activities, financial position, outcome data aggregations, governance changes, and strategic direction for the coming year.

Section 2.2 Limits of Authority

The Council operates within explicit limits that protect the integrity of the category and the autonomy of the traditions and practitioners federated within it.

The Council shall not absorb, replace, or diminish the credentialing systems of existing traditions of natural medicine. The NAP credential is added to primary credentials. NAP standards interoperate with primary tradition standards. The Council respects the sovereignty of existing tradition credentialing bodies.
The Council shall not establish exclusive licensing arrangements or commercial partnerships that grant any single entity preferential access to NAP infrastructure, credentials, or recognition.
The Council shall not endorse, recommend, or otherwise grant preferential treatment to any specific commercial product, brand, or company within the broader nutraceutical, botanical, or related industries. Specific ingredients, compounds, and intervention modalities may be incorporated into NAP standards based on peer reviewed evidence and traditional knowledge, but specific commercial implementations remain neutral within the framework.
The Council shall not align with, advocate for, or oppose specific political parties, candidates, or ideological positions outside of the policy advocacy directly relevant to the recognition and integration of natural medicine within healthcare frameworks.
The Council shall not concentrate authority in any single individual, geographic region, or stakeholder bloc. All major decisions require multi stakeholder deliberation and authorized voting procedures as established in this Charter.

Section 2.3 Relationship to Other Authorities

The Council recognizes that its authority operates within and alongside other legitimate authorities affecting the practice of medicine.

The Council respects the regulatory authority of national, regional, and state or provincial governments over healthcare practice within their jurisdictions. NAP credentialed practitioners and accredited centers operate in compliance with the regulatory frameworks of the jurisdictions in which they practice. NAP standards are designed to interoperate with regulatory frameworks rather than to supersede them.

The Council respects the credentialing authority of established medical and natural medicine professional bodies. The NAP credential supplements rather than replaces primary credentials issued by such bodies.

The Council respects the autonomy of patients to make informed decisions about their own healthcare. NAP standards inform clinical practice but do not override patient autonomy or informed consent. The Council operates with explicit commitment to patient agency and engagement throughout its standards.

ARTICLE III. COUNCIL COMPOSITION AND REPRESENTATION

Section 3.1 Council Size

The Council shall consist of fifteen voting members and three non voting advisory members. This composition is sized to enable substantive deliberation while ensuring representation across the diversity of stakeholders the Council serves.

Section 3.2 Voting Member Composition

The fifteen voting seats on the Council are designated to ensure multi tradition, multi region, and multi stakeholder representation. The designated seats are as follows.

Seat Designation Number

Ayurvedic Tradition Representative 1 Traditional Chinese Medicine Representative 1 Naturopathic Medicine Representative 1 Functional Medicine Representative 1 Western Clinical Herbalism Representative 1 Indigenous Healing Traditions Representative 1 Environmental Medicine and Toxicology 1 Somatic and Contemplative Traditions 1 Integrative Endocrine and Hormonal Practice 1 Academic Research 1 Clinical Practice (Mixed Tradition) 2 Patient Advocacy 1 Ethics and Governance 1 At-Large (selected for skill gap or regional coverage) 1 Each designated tradition or stakeholder seat is filled by a qualified individual from that domain. Where multiple sub-traditions exist within a designated category, the holder of the seat is selected to represent the broader category rather than a specific sub-tradition, with the expectation of consultation with the broader community of practitioners within that domain.

Section 3.3 Geographic Representation Requirements

In addition to the tradition and stakeholder designations above, the Council operates under the following geographic representation requirements that apply to its overall composition.

No single nation may hold more than four voting seats simultaneously.
No single continental region (defined as North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, or Oceania) may hold more than six voting seats simultaneously.
Each of the populated continental regions must hold at least one voting seat at all times.
Indigenous representation seats may be filled from any region and contribute to that region's representation count.

These geographic distribution requirements are the responsibility of the Nominating Committee in seat assembly and the Membership Committee in seat replacement. Failure to maintain these requirements requires Council action to restore compliance within a defined remediation period.

Section 3.4 Non Voting Advisory Members

Three non voting advisory seats are established on the Council to provide specialized expertise without diluting the multi stakeholder voting structure.

Legal Counsel Advisor: A qualified legal professional with expertise in healthcare regulation, medical credentialing, intellectual property, or related domains. The Legal Counsel Advisor provides counsel on legal implications of Council decisions but does not vote on substantive matters.
Financial Officer Advisor: A qualified financial professional responsible for oversight of Council financial operations, audit relationships, and financial sustainability planning. The Financial Officer Advisor reports financial information to the Council but does not vote on substantive matters.
Founder Emeritus: This seat is held in perpetuity by the founder of the NAP category, Michael Andrew Feller Jones, in recognition of the founding contribution. Following the founder's term as Inaugural Chair under transitional provisions, the Founder Emeritus seat is non voting and serves an advisory role on questions of foundational intent and category integrity. The Founder Emeritus may participate in deliberations but does not vote on Council matters. The Founder Emeritus seat does not transfer or pass to designees.

Section 3.5 Member Qualifications

Voting members of the Council must demonstrate the following qualifications.

Recognized standing within the tradition, stakeholder community, or domain represented by the seat. Standing is established through credentials, publications, clinical or research practice, advocacy or institutional leadership, or other documented contribution to the represented domain.
Professional integrity demonstrated through clean professional disciplinary history and absence of disqualifying conflicts of interest as defined in Article VII.
Capacity to commit the time and attention required by Council service, estimated as approximately one hundred hours annually for active Council service plus committee work as assigned.
Agreement to operate within the Code of Conduct, the Conflict of Interest Policy, and other Council governance documents.
English language proficiency sufficient to participate in Council deliberations, as English is the working language of the Council. Translation support is available for written materials. The Council acknowledges this requirement as a current operational constraint and commits to expanded language accessibility as resources allow.

ARTICLE IV. TERMS, ELECTIONS, AND SUCCESSION

Section 4.1 Term Length

Voting members of the Council serve four year terms. Terms are staggered so that approximately one quarter of the Council seats turn over each year, ensuring continuity while preventing concentration of long term influence.

Section 4.2 Term Limits

Voting members may serve a maximum of two consecutive four year terms. After two consecutive terms, a member must rotate off the Council for at least four years before becoming eligible for a third term. This rotation requirement applies to all voting seats including officer positions.

The Founder Emeritus seat is exempt from term limits and rotation requirements, as it is held in perpetuity by the founder. All other seats including any future founder roles are subject to the term limit and rotation requirements.

Section 4.3 Officer Positions and Terms

The Council elects from its voting membership the following officers who serve two year officer terms within their underlying member terms.

Chair: Presides over Council meetings, represents the Council externally, sets meeting agendas in collaboration with the Vice Chair and Secretary, and exercises authority delegated by the Council in this Charter.
Vice Chair: Supports the Chair, presides in the Chair's absence, leads designated working groups, and is positioned to succeed the Chair in normal succession.
Secretary: Maintains official records of Council deliberations, decisions, and votes, manages official correspondence on behalf of the Council, and oversees Charter and policy document maintenance.
Treasurer: Oversees financial operations under the support of the Financial Officer Advisor, presents quarterly financial reports to the Council, and oversees the annual external audit process.

Officer positions rotate among voting members. No single member may hold the Chair position for more than two consecutive officer terms (four years total). This rotation requirement applies to all officer positions and is independent of underlying member term limits.

Section 4.4 Founding Period Transitional Provisions

During the founding period of the Council, defined as the period from Council establishment through the third year of operation, the following transitional provisions apply.

Michael Andrew Feller Jones serves as Inaugural Chair of the Council for a single transitional term not to exceed three years from the date of Council establishment. This Inaugural Chair term is recognition of the founding contribution and does not establish a precedent for subsequent Chair terms. Upon completion of the Inaugural Chair term, Mr. Feller Jones transitions to the Founder Emeritus seat as established in Section 3.4.

The first Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer are appointed by the Inaugural Chair from the founding membership of the Council in consultation with that membership. Following the founding period, all officer positions are filled through standard election procedures.

The first cohort of voting members is selected through a Founding Membership process in which the Inaugural Chair, in consultation with founding partners and convened representatives of the federated traditions, identifies and invites qualified individuals to fill the designated seats. The first cohort serves staggered initial terms ranging from one to four years to establish the staggered rotation pattern. Following the founding period, all member positions are filled through standard nomination and election procedures.

Section 4.5 Standard Nomination and Election Procedures

Following the founding period, voting members of the Council are selected through the following procedure.

The Nominating Committee, composed of three Council members appointed by the Council on staggered three year Nominating Committee terms, identifies candidates for each seat that becomes available.
The Nominating Committee solicits nominations from the broader community of practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders within the relevant tradition or stakeholder domain for each open seat. Nominations are solicited at least ninety days before the seat is to be filled.
The Nominating Committee evaluates candidates against the qualifications established in

Section 3.5 and the geographic distribution requirements established in Section 3.3, and

presents a slate of qualified candidates for each open seat to the Council.

The Council elects from the slate by majority vote. In the event of contested elections among multiple qualified candidates, the Council may use ranked choice or runoff procedures as established in Council Rules.
Newly elected members are installed at the next regular meeting of the Council following their election, with appropriate orientation procedures preceding their first vote on substantive matters.

Section 4.6 Vacancy and Removal

Vacancies on the Council may occur through completion of term, resignation, removal for cause, or death of a member. Vacancies are filled through the standard nomination and election procedures established in Section 4.5, with the new member completing the remainder of the unexpired term, which counts toward the term limit calculation.

Removal of a member for cause requires a two thirds vote of the remaining Council membership. Cause for removal includes but is not limited to substantial violation of the Code of Conduct, undisclosed conflict of interest as defined in Article VII, conviction of a serious criminal offense, professional disciplinary action by a primary credentialing body, or persistent failure to participate in Council activities. The member subject to removal proceedings has the right to be heard before the Council and to receive written reasoning for any removal decision.

ARTICLE V. MEETINGS, DELIBERATION, AND DECISIONS

Section 5.1 Regular Meetings

The Council shall convene regular meetings according to the following schedule.

Quarterly Council Meetings: Four regular meetings per year, conducted via secure video conference with optional in person attendance, with each meeting lasting approximately two days for substantive deliberation.
Annual Plenary Meeting: One annual in person plenary meeting held in rotating geographic locations to support the multi region representation of the Council, lasting approximately three to four days and including stakeholder engagement sessions.
Special Meetings: Special meetings may be called by the Chair, by request of one third of voting members, or pursuant to Council Rules, with appropriate notice provided to all members.

Section 5.2 Quorum

A quorum for Council meetings consists of two thirds of voting members or ten members, whichever is greater. Substantive votes may not be conducted without a quorum present. Procedural matters may proceed with a simple majority of attending members in attendance.

Section 5.3 Voting Procedures

Substantive Council decisions are made through the following voting procedures.

Standard Decisions: Most Council decisions including approval of standards, credentialing decisions, accreditation decisions, financial decisions within established budget parameters, and routine governance matters require a simple majority of voting members present.
Supermajority Decisions: Charter amendments, removal of members, dissolution of the Council, and other matters specified in this Charter or Council Rules require a two thirds vote of the full voting membership.
Unanimous Consent Items: Routine procedural matters and uncontested administrative items may be addressed through unanimous consent without formal vote, recorded in meeting minutes as such.

Voting may be conducted in person at meetings, via secure electronic voting between meetings on matters appropriately handled in such manner, or via mail ballot for matters of unusual significance. All voting is recorded with member positions documented in official minutes, except in cases of secret ballot specifically authorized by the Charter for elections of officers and removal proceedings.

Section 5.4 Deliberation Standards

The Council operates under the following standards for substantive deliberation.

Information Sufficiency: Substantive decisions are not conducted without adequate information including, where applicable, peer reviewed evidence, traditional knowledge consultation, stakeholder input, financial impact analysis, and legal review.
Deliberation Time: Substantive matters are typically deliberated across at least two meetings, with first reading and discussion at one meeting and decision at a subsequent meeting, allowing time for member reflection and stakeholder consultation. Urgent matters may be addressed in single meeting under expedited procedures established in Council Rules.
Minority Voice: Members holding minority positions on substantive matters have the right to record dissenting positions in official minutes and to provide written dissent statements that accompany majority decisions in published Council records.
Stakeholder Input: Major decisions affecting practitioners, accredited centers, or patients are typically preceded by formal public comment periods during which the broader stakeholder community provides input that is documented and considered in deliberations.

Section 5.5 Public and Stakeholder Engagement

The Council operates with substantial public and stakeholder engagement to maintain its accountability to the populations it serves.

Open Meeting Provisions: Quarterly Council Meetings include public observation periods during which non Council participants may observe deliberations on matters of broad interest, with executive sessions limited to specific categories of confidential matters as established in Council Rules.
Annual Plenary Stakeholder Sessions: The Annual Plenary Meeting includes formal stakeholder engagement sessions during which representatives of practitioner communities, patient advocacy organizations, and partner institutions may address the Council on matters of common interest.
Public Comment Periods: Major decisions affecting practitioners, accredited centers, or patients are preceded by formal public comment periods of at least sixty days during which the broader stakeholder community may submit input.
Annual Report: The Council publishes an Annual Report each year documenting Council activities, financial position, governance changes, outcome data, and strategic direction. The Annual Report is freely available to the public.

ARTICLE VI. COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS

Section 6.1 Standing Committees

The Council establishes the following standing committees to manage ongoing operational responsibilities.

Standards Committee

Responsible for the maintenance of the NAP Standards Library, including periodic review of clinical protocols, evaluation of proposed protocol additions or modifications, and recommendations to the full Council on Library evolution. Standards Committee composition reflects the multi tradition representation of the Council. The Standards Committee operates with substantial input from credentialed practitioners actively delivering NAP protocols and from research partners generating outcome data.

Credentialing Committee

Responsible for oversight of the NAP Practitioner credentialing program, including review of training program standards, examination procedures, continuing education requirements, and individual credentialing decisions. The Credentialing Committee operates due process procedures for credentialing decisions including denial and revocation, with appeal rights to the full Council.

Accreditation Committee

Responsible for oversight of the NAP Center accreditation program, including review of facility standards, accreditation site visits, accreditation tier decisions, and ongoing compliance monitoring. The Accreditation Committee operates due process procedures for accreditation decisions including denial and revocation, with appeal rights to the full Council.

Research Committee

Responsible for direction of the NAP research agenda, oversight of outcome data collection across accredited centers, partnership with academic and clinical research institutions, periodic review of the NAP Evidence Compendium, and identification of research priorities. The Research Committee operates with substantial input from academic researchers and from clinical outcome data.

Ethics and Conflict Committee

Responsible for adjudication of ethics complaints against credentialed practitioners and accredited centers, oversight of Council member compliance with the Conflict of Interest Policy, and recommendations to the full Council on ethics matters affecting the broader category. The Ethics and Conflict Committee operates due process procedures for ethics matters with appeal rights to the full Council.

Nominating Committee

Responsible for identification of candidates for Council seats and presentation of nominee slates to the full Council for election. The Nominating Committee operates as established in Section 4.5.

Audit Committee

Responsible for oversight of Council financial operations, oversight of the annual external audit process, review of financial controls and risk management, and recommendations to the full Council on financial integrity matters. The Audit Committee operates with substantial input from the Financial Officer Advisor and from the external audit firm engaged by the Council.

Section 6.2 Working Groups

The Council may establish time limited working groups to address specific topics requiring focused attention beyond the scope of standing committees. Working groups are chartered by Council action with explicit scope, deliverables, timeline, membership, and dissolution criteria. Working groups may include non Council participants with relevant expertise on a non voting basis.

Section 6.3 Committee Membership and Procedures

Standing committees consist of at least three voting Council members, with chairmanship rotating among members. Committee members are appointed by the Chair in consultation with the Vice Chair and the Secretary, with attention to expertise alignment with committee mandate and equitable distribution of committee service across Council members. Committee operating procedures are established in Council Rules.

ARTICLE VII. CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

Section 7.1 Purpose and Scope

This Conflict of Interest Policy applies to all voting members of the Council, all non voting advisory members, all members of standing committees and working groups, all officers, all employees of the Council, and all agents acting on behalf of the Council. The Policy is designed to protect the integrity of Council decisions and the credibility of the NAP category against actual, apparent, and potential conflicts that could compromise the Council's mission.

Section 7.2 Categories of Conflict

The Council recognizes the following categories of conflict of interest that require disclosure and management.

Direct Financial Interest

Direct financial interest exists when a member or member's immediate family has a financial position in a company, organization, or activity whose value would be affected by Council decisions. This includes ownership interests, employment relationships, consulting arrangements, royalty or licensing arrangements, or other compensation that is contingent on Council action.

Indirect Financial Interest

Indirect financial interest exists when a member's professional or organizational affiliations create financial alignment with parties whose interests might be affected by Council decisions. This includes academic appointments funded by relevant industries, professional society leadership in organizations with industry funding, or board service in organizations with material financial relationships to NAP relevant entities.

Professional and Reputational Interest

Professional and reputational interest exists when a member has professional commitments, public positions, or reputational stakes that could create bias in Council decisions. This includes prior public statements about specific protocols or interventions, prior research findings whose validity might be affected by Council decisions, or professional rivalries or alliances that could affect impartial judgment.

Tradition and Affiliation Interest

Given the federated nature of NAP and the explicit multi tradition representation on the Council, members hold tradition affiliations that are not in themselves disqualifying conflicts. However, members must distinguish between advocacy for their tradition's appropriate representation within NAP, which is expected, and advocacy for their specific tradition's positions over evidence based or consensus based determinations, which would constitute a conflict requiring management.

Section 7.3 Disclosure Requirements

All Council members complete the following disclosure procedures.

Annual Disclosure: Each year, all Council members complete a comprehensive Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form documenting all relevant financial interests, professional affiliations, and other relationships that could create actual, apparent, or potential conflicts. Annual disclosures are reviewed by the Ethics and Conflict Committee.
Specific Matter Disclosure: For each substantive matter before the Council, members disclose any conflicts specific to that matter at the beginning of deliberations. Specific matter disclosures are documented in meeting minutes.
Updates: Members update their disclosures within thirty days of any material change in financial interests or professional affiliations that could affect prior disclosures.
Public Availability: Council member disclosure summaries are made publicly available, with appropriate protection of confidential financial details consistent with the Council's transparency commitments.

Section 7.4 Management of Conflicts

Identified conflicts are managed through the following procedures depending on the nature and severity of the conflict.

Recusal

Members with material conflicts on a specific matter must recuse themselves from deliberation and voting on that matter. Recused members may answer factual questions from non recused members but do not participate in deliberation or voting. Recusal is recorded in official minutes.

Limited Participation

In some cases, the Ethics and Conflict Committee may determine that a member with a conflict may participate in deliberation while abstaining from voting, where the member's expertise contributes significantly to deliberation but voting would be inappropriate. This determination is made in advance of the deliberation and recorded in official minutes.

Disqualification from Service

Members with persistent or systemic conflicts that affect substantial portions of Council work may be required to resign from the Council under procedures established in Section 4.6. This is reserved for cases where the member's continued service would substantially compromise the Council's mission rather than being applied for ordinary individual matter conflicts.

Section 7.5 Founder Specific Provisions

The founder of the NAP category, Michael Andrew Feller Jones, holds the Founder Emeritus seat in perpetuity following the Inaugural Chair transitional period. The Founder Emeritus is subject to the following specific conflict provisions, which the founder accepts as condition of category establishment.

The Founder Emeritus is non voting and therefore does not vote on any Council matters.
The Founder Emeritus must disclose all commercial activities, business interests, organizational affiliations, and professional relationships that relate to the broader natural medicine, nutraceutical, or holistic health space. This disclosure is updated annually and is publicly available.
The Founder Emeritus must recuse from any deliberation in which products, companies, organizations, or initiatives connected to the founder's commercial or professional activities would be specifically affected by Council decisions.
The Council shall not grant preferential treatment within NAP standards, credentialing, accreditation, or research priorities to any product, company, organization, or initiative connected to the founder. This commitment is enforced through the Ethics and Conflict Committee with appeal rights to the full Council.
The Founder Emeritus may not serve simultaneously as a credentialed NAP Practitioner without explicit Council determination that the dual role does not create unmanageable conflicts. Such determination would be reviewed annually. "The integrity of the NAP category requires that the founder's other activities receive no preferential treatment within the framework. This Charter binds the founder to the same standards every other practitioner and organization must meet. The founder accepts these constraints as the condition of building a category that the world can trust."

ARTICLE VIII. ETHICAL COMMITMENTS AND CODE OF CONDUCT

Section 8.1 Ethical Foundation

The Council operates under a Code of Conduct that articulates the ethical commitments expected of all members, employees, and agents acting on behalf of the Council. The Code of Conduct supplements legal requirements and the conflict of interest provisions of Article VII with positive ethical obligations that reflect the Council's mission.

Section 8.2 Core Ethical Commitments

All Council members agree to the following ethical commitments.

Mission Primacy: Council members serve the mission of the Council and the populations it serves. Personal interests, organizational interests, and tradition specific interests are subordinate to the mission.
Evidence and Integrity: Council members support evidence based deliberation, transparent reasoning, and intellectual honesty about the limits of current knowledge. Members do not advocate positions inconsistent with the available evidence or fail to disclose limitations of evidence underlying their advocacy.
Tradition Respect: Council members respect the integrity of the natural medicine traditions federated within NAP. Members do not denigrate other traditions, appropriate practices without authorization, or undermine the autonomy of tradition specific credentialing and practice frameworks.
Patient Centeredness: Council members maintain patient welfare as the ultimate referent of Council decisions. Decisions are evaluated against their impact on the patients NAP serves, not against narrow institutional or commercial interests.
Cultural Humility: Council members operate with awareness of the cultural, social, and economic factors that affect access to healthcare globally. Members support framework decisions that promote equitable access rather than concentrating benefit in privileged populations.
Confidentiality: Council members maintain appropriate confidentiality regarding deliberations, individual credentialing matters, ethics complaints, and other matters where confidentiality is required for due process or other legitimate reasons. Confidentiality obligations continue beyond Council service.
Public Conduct: Council members conduct themselves in public, including in publications, presentations, and statements identifying themselves with the Council, in a manner consistent with the dignity and credibility of the Council. Members do not use Council affiliation to lend authority to commercial activities or personal positions outside the scope of their Council role.
Whistleblower Protection: Council members support and protect those who in good faith raise concerns about ethics, conflicts, or governance failures within the Council. Retaliation against such persons is prohibited and is itself a violation of the Code of Conduct.

Section 8.3 Patient and Practitioner Ethical Commitments

Through the credentialing and accreditation programs, the Council extends ethical commitments to credentialed practitioners and accredited centers.

Credentialed practitioners agree to a NAP Practitioner Code of Ethics that articulates obligations to patients, to professional integrity, to evidence based practice, to appropriate referral and integration with conventional medical care, and to ongoing continuing education and competency maintenance.
Accredited centers agree to a NAP Center Code of Ethics that articulates obligations to patient welfare, to truthful representation of the center's capabilities and limitations, to appropriate fee practices, to non discrimination in patient access, and to participation in outcome data collection that supports broader category research.

These secondary codes are established through the standard Council deliberation procedures and may be amended by the Council in response to evolving understanding of ethical obligations.

ARTICLE IX. FINANCIAL OPERATIONS AND TRANSPARENCY

Section 9.1 Financial Sources

The Council derives its financial resources from sources that are compatible with its independence and mission. Permitted sources include the following.

Practitioner credentialing fees, set at levels reflecting the operational cost of credentialing rather than as profit centers.
Center accreditation fees, similarly set at operational cost levels.
Educational program fees for NAP related training, certification, and continuing education programs.
Publication revenue from the NAP Standards Library, the NAP Evidence Compendium, and derivative reference materials, with substantial portions remaining freely available consistent with the public good commitment.
Research grants from foundations, governmental agencies, and other funders aligned with the Council's mission, with funding agreements reviewed by the Ethics and Conflict Committee for any provisions that could affect Council independence.
Philanthropic contributions from individuals, foundations, and organizations supporting the Council's mission, with contributions over a defined threshold subject to review by the Ethics and Conflict Committee for conflict implications.
Membership dues from individual or organizational members of the broader NAP community, where such membership structures are established.

Section 9.2 Prohibited Financial Sources

The Council shall not accept financial resources from sources that would compromise its independence. Specifically prohibited sources include the following.

Direct funding from pharmaceutical manufacturers in amounts that could create dependency or apparent influence.
Contributions specifically tied to favorable treatment of specific products, companies, or commercial interests within NAP standards or recognition.
Contributions from sources whose business activities are inconsistent with the Council's ethical commitments.
Contributions structured to evade conflict of interest disclosure requirements.

Section 9.3 Financial Transparency

The Council operates under substantial financial transparency requirements.

Annual External Audit: An external audit firm, engaged on a periodic rotation basis, conducts an annual audit of Council finances with the audit report made publicly available.
Annual Financial Report: The Annual Report includes a financial section documenting revenue sources, expenditure categories, financial position, and significant financial decisions of the year.
Significant Donor Disclosure: Contributions exceeding a defined threshold are disclosed publicly in the Annual Report, identifying the donor and amount, with appropriate protection for individual donor preferences within consistent disclosure standards.
Financial Controls: The Council operates under documented financial controls including separation of authorization and execution authorities, expenditure approval thresholds, and procurement procedures.

Section 9.4 Resource Allocation

Council financial resources are allocated according to priorities established annually through the budgeting process. Major allocation categories include the following.

· Standards Library development and maintenance · Credentialing and accreditation program operations · Research program funding and partnerships · Knowledge infrastructure development and maintenance · Coalition building and stakeholder engagement · Legislative and regulatory advocacy · Public education and communication · Council governance operations · Reserve fund development for institutional sustainability

ARTICLE X. TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Section 10.1 Information Access

The Council operates under a presumption of transparency. Information about Council deliberations, decisions, governance, and operations is publicly available except for specific categories of information appropriately protected.

Section 10.2 Categories of Public Information

The following categories of information are routinely made public.

· This Charter and all governance documents derivative from it · Council member roster, biographies, and conflict of interest disclosures · Meeting agendas and minutes, with appropriate executive session protection · Substantive decisions including standards, credentialing decisions in summary form, and accreditation decisions in summary form · The NAP Standards Library and Evidence Compendium · The Annual Report including financial information and outcome data aggregations · External audit reports · Public comments received on matters under deliberation

Section 10.3 Categories of Protected Information

The following categories of information may be appropriately protected from public disclosure.

· Individual personnel and credentialing decisions, except in summary or aggregate form · Patient information and case details from clinical research, in compliance with applicable privacy regulations · Pre decisional deliberations on matters involving individual due process rights · Confidential information received under nondisclosure provisions of partnerships or research agreements · Personal information about Council members beyond what is necessary for accountability · Litigation strategy and other appropriately privileged matters

Section 10.4 Accountability Mechanisms

Beyond transparency, the Council operates under specific accountability mechanisms.

Stakeholder Petition Process: Members of the broader NAP community, including credentialed practitioners, accredited centers, patient advocacy organizations, and partner institutions, may petition the Council on matters of common concern. Petitions meeting threshold support requirements receive formal Council consideration with response within defined timeframes.
Appeal Rights: Practitioners and centers subject to credentialing or accreditation decisions have defined appeal rights through the Ethics and Conflict Committee with ultimate appeal to the full Council.
Whistleblower Process: Persons within or outside the Council may raise concerns about ethics, conflicts, or governance failures through documented confidential procedures with explicit retaliation prohibition.
Independent Review: Specific Council decisions affecting standards, credentialing, or accreditation are subject to independent review procedures established in Council Rules, providing additional accountability beyond internal Council deliberation.

ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENT AND DISSOLUTION

Section 11.1 Amendment Procedures

This Charter may be amended through the following procedure.

Proposed amendments may be initiated by any voting Council member, by petition of fifteen percent of credentialed NAP Practitioners, or by petition of one third of accredited NAP Centers.
Proposed amendments are reviewed by the Ethics and Conflict Committee for governance integrity implications and by the Legal Counsel Advisor for legal implications.
Proposed amendments are presented at a regular Council meeting for first reading and discussion, followed by a public comment period of not less than ninety days.
Following the public comment period, proposed amendments are deliberated at a subsequent regular Council meeting and submitted to vote.
Charter amendments require a two thirds vote of the full voting membership for adoption.
Adopted amendments take effect on the date specified in the amendment or, if no date is specified, ninety days after adoption.

Section 11.2 Provisions Requiring Special Protection

The following provisions of this Charter are recognized as foundational and require additional protection beyond standard amendment procedures.

The mission and public good commitment of the Council as established in Article I.
The multi stakeholder, multi tradition, multi region representation requirements of Article III.
The conflict of interest provisions of Article VII, including the founder specific provisions of Section 7.5.
The transparency and accountability provisions of Article X.
This amendment procedure itself.

Amendments to these provisions require, in addition to the standard amendment procedures, a public comment period of not less than one hundred eighty days, formal consultation with representatives of all federated traditions, and a three quarters vote of the full voting membership for adoption.

Section 11.3 Dissolution

Dissolution of the Council requires a three quarters vote of the full voting membership, formal review by all federated tradition representatives and major stakeholder organizations, and a public comment period of not less than one year. Upon dissolution, Council assets shall be transferred to a successor organization with mission alignment, distributed to mission aligned organizations, or otherwise dedicated to the continuation of the Council's mission as determined by the dissolution resolution. Council assets shall not be distributed to private parties, including former Council members or the founder, in connection with dissolution.

Section 11.4 Continuity

In the event of governance crisis, dispute over Council legitimacy, or other circumstances threatening Council continuity, the Council operates under continuity provisions established in Council Rules and may invoke external mediation or arbitration procedures to preserve the integrity of the category. The continuation of the NAP framework as a public good takes precedence over any specific organizational form of the Council.

ARTICLE XII. ADOPTION AND EFFECTIVE DATE

Section 12.1 Adoption

This Charter is adopted by the Founding Membership of the NAP Standards Council on the date of its formal ratification. The Founding Membership consists of Michael Andrew Feller Jones as Founder and the initial cohort of voting members invited and confirmed through the Founding Membership process.

Section 12.2 Effective Date

The provisions of this Charter take effect on the date of its adoption, except for provisions whose implementation requires additional preparatory action as identified in transitional provisions throughout the Charter. The Council operates under this Charter from the effective date forward.

Section 12.3 Founding Resolution

By adoption of this Charter, the Founding Membership establishes the NAP Standards Council as an independent multi stakeholder governing body, commits to the governance, conflict of interest, ethical, financial, and transparency provisions herein, and dedicates its work to the stewardship of the NAP category as a public good for the benefit of every patient, practitioner, and population the framework serves.

"This Charter is the institutional expression of the public good commitment that defines NAP. It binds the founder, the Council, and all who operate under the NAP framework to standards of governance integrity that ensure the category remains worthy of the trust placed in it by the populations it serves. The Council exists not to control the category but to steward it, not to extract value from it but to protect it, not to elevate any single voice but to convene the many voices the global mission requires."

ADOPTION AND SIGNATURE

By adoption of this Charter on the date below, the Founder of the Nutraceutical Assisted Programs Category establishes the NAP Standards Council and commits to operating under the provisions of this Charter, including the Founder Specific Provisions of Section 7.5. _____________________________________________ Michael Andrew Feller Jones Founder, Nutraceutical Assisted Programs Category Inaugural Chair, NAP Standards Council Date of Adoption: _______________________ Witness: _____________________________________________ Founding Member of the NAP Standards Council

APPENDIX A. GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS

NAP Standards Council The independent multi stakeholder governing body of the Nutraceutical Assisted Programs category, established by this Charter.

Charter This document, the constitutional foundation of the NAP Standards Council.

Council Rules Operating rules adopted by the Council under authority granted in this Charter, addressing operational details not specified in the Charter itself.

Voting Member A member of the Council holding one of the fifteen designated voting seats with authority to vote on substantive Council matters.

Non Voting Advisory Member A member of the Council in one of the three advisory positions (Legal Counsel Advisor, Financial Officer Advisor, Founder Emeritus) who participates in deliberation but does not vote on substantive matters.

Founder Emeritus The seat held in perpetuity by Michael Andrew Feller Jones following the Inaugural Chair transitional period, in recognition of the founding contribution to the NAP category.

Inaugural Chair The transitional position held by the founder during the founding period of the Council, not to exceed three years from Council establishment.

Standards Library The codified collection of NAP clinical protocols, maintained and updated by the Council under authority granted in this Charter.

Evidence Compendium The peer reviewed research foundation supporting the NAP framework, maintained as a living reference document.

Credentialed Practitioner An individual clinician who has earned a NAP Practitioner credential through the Council's credentialing program.

Accredited Center A clinical facility that has earned NAP Center accreditation through the Council's accreditation program.

Standing Committee A committee of the Council with continuing operational responsibilities as established in Article VI.

Working Group A time limited group convened to address specific topics requiring focused attention beyond standing committee scope.

Conflict of Interest Any actual, apparent, or potential interest of a Council member that could compromise impartial judgment on Council matters, as defined in Article VII.

Recusal The procedural requirement that members with material conflicts on a specific matter abstain from deliberation and voting on that matter.

Public Good Commitment The Council's foundational commitment that the NAP framework intellectual content is held for the benefit of populations served rather than as proprietary intellectual property of any single entity.

Multi Stakeholder Representation The structural composition principle ensuring that Council membership spans the diversity of natural medicine traditions, geographic regions, and stakeholder types affected by Council decisions.

APPENDIX B. CHARTER STRUCTURE QUICK REFERENCE

This Charter is organized into twelve articles plus appendices. The structure is summarized for navigation reference.

Articles

Article I: Establishment, Name, and Purpose - Establishes the Council and its mission, vision, and public good commitment. Article II: Authority and Responsibilities - Defines the scope and limits of Council authority and its relationship to other authorities. Article III: Council Composition and Representation - Establishes the fifteen voting seat structure with multi tradition, multi region representation. Article IV: Terms, Elections, and Succession - Defines four year terms with two consecutive term limits and staggered rotation. Article V: Meetings, Deliberation, and Decisions - Establishes meeting cadence, quorum, voting, and deliberation procedures. Article VI: Committees and Working Groups - Establishes the seven standing committees and working group framework. Article VII: Conflict of Interest Policy - Establishes disclosure, management, and founder specific conflict provisions. Article VIII: Ethical Commitments and Code of Conduct - Articulates the ethical foundation of Council service and practitioner expectations. Article IX: Financial Operations and Transparency - Defines permitted and prohibited funding sources and transparency requirements. Article X: Transparency and Accountability - Establishes information access and accountability mechanisms. Article XI: Amendment and Dissolution - Defines amendment procedures with special protection for foundational provisions. Article XII: Adoption and Effective Date - Establishes the founding adoption procedure.

Appendices

Appendix A provides the glossary of key terms used throughout this Charter. Appendix B provides this structural quick reference. Future appendices may be added through Charter amendment procedures to address operational matters that develop as the Council matures.

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