Certification Program

Accredited assessors are independent practitioners authorized by Kindred Labs Foundation to administer the Maturity Assessment Rubric and all applicable instruments on behalf of organizations seeking certification. Accreditation is an authorization to administer this framework's assessment instruments. It is not a professional credential in the assessor's field.

Accreditation is obtained in two steps.

• Step 1: Testing. The applicant pays the testing fee and takes the accreditor examination administered through kindredlabsfoundation.org. A score of 85% or higher is required to pass. The testing fee covers one attempt. An applicant who does not pass must wait a minimum of 14 days before retaking the examination and must pay a new testing fee for each attempt. An applicant who fails three times is barred from retaking the examination for one year from the date of the third failure. When the bar has elapsed, the applicant may reapply under the same conditions as any new applicant.
• Step 2: Accreditation. Upon passing the examination, the applicant pays the accreditation fee. Kindred Labs Foundation reviews the application, verifies that the applicant meets the independence and background requirements, and upon approval lists the assessor in the public accredited assessor registry at kindredlabsfoundation.org. Accreditation is valid for one year from the approval date.

To be accredited, an assessor must:

• Demonstrate sufficient background in AI governance, data governance, or a related field to assess organizational governance programs competently.
• Complete the accreditor examination with a score of 85% or higher.
• Attest to independence from any organization they assess. An assessor may not assess an organization with which they have a current employment, consulting, or material financial relationship.
• Agree to the Foundation's assessor code of conduct governing conflicts of interest, documentation standards, and accuracy obligations.

The accreditor examination is administered through kindredlabsfoundation.org. Study materials covering all examination content are published on the Foundation website and are available to all applicants. The examination covers:

• Framework structure and the three-layer domain model.
• Determining which instruments apply to a given organization's deployment profile.
• Rubric administration: scoring each domain, evidence requirements at each maturity level, and common scoring errors.
• Instrument completion standards for the Data Provenance Record, Consent Documentation Record, and Residual Risk Acceptance Record.
• Assessor obligations, conflict of interest rules, and the assessor code of conduct.
• Certification submission package requirements.

Accreditation must be renewed annually. The Foundation sends renewal reminders in advance of the expiration date, and assessors may elect automatic renewal through the Foundation's payment system. The renewal fee is published in the current fee schedule at kindredlabsfoundation.org.

An assessor whose accreditation lapses for any reason, including non-renewal, must reapply as a new applicant, including passing the examination and paying both the testing fee and the accreditation fee. There are no exceptions.

When the framework is updated, the Foundation publishes updated study materials and notifies all accredited assessors. Assessors must review the updated materials and sign an attestation of review through their account on kindredlabsfoundation.org before they may submit any further certification packages. There is no deadline imposed for completing the review; however, submission capability is suspended until the attestation is signed. No retesting is required for framework updates regardless of version increment. Retesting is required only when an assessor's accreditation has lapsed.

Accredited assessors must:

• Administer all applicable instruments as written, without modification to scoring criteria or documentation requirements.
• Determine which instruments apply to the organization being assessed and document that determination in the submission package.
• Attest in writing that the assessment was conducted independently and that all findings are accurate to the best of their knowledge.
• Retain all assessment documentation for a minimum of three years.
• Notify the Foundation if they become aware of a material error in a submitted assessment.
• Disclose any conflict of interest to the Foundation before submitting an assessment.

The Foundation maintains a public registry of accredited assessors at kindredlabsfoundation.org. The registry identifies each assessor by name and, where the assessor consents, by firm and contact information. The registry identifies the framework version against which each assessor is currently accredited and their accreditation expiration date.

The Foundation may revoke assessor accreditation for submission of an inaccurate assessment, failure to disclose a conflict of interest, failure to meet documentation retention requirements, or conduct that undermines the integrity of the certification program. Revocation removes the assessor from the public registry immediately. Any certification packages submitted by a revoked assessor that have not yet been processed will not be processed. Certifications already issued on the basis of a prior submission by that assessor remain valid; the certification determination was made by the Foundation, not the assessor.

A revoked assessor may not reapply.

An assessor who receives a revocation notice may appeal the revocation. The appeal must be filed with Kindred Labs Foundation within 10 business days of the date of the revocation notice. The Foundation will issue a written decision within 30 days of receiving the appeal. During the appeal period, the assessor's registry listing remains suspended and the assessor may not submit certification packages.

The appeal will be heard by an appropriate body within the Foundation's governance structure, which may include the Board, the CDRP, or the Codex Custodian, as determined by the Foundation at the time of the appeal based on which bodies are seated.

If the assessor disagrees with the outcome of the appeal, the matter may be submitted to binding arbitration. Arbitration shall be administered by the American Arbitration Association under its then-current rules, in the State of Delaware. Each party shall bear its own costs and fees.