Community Foundations
Community foundations are grantmaking public charities that are dedicated to improving the lives of people in a defined local geographic area. They bring together the financial resources of individuals, families, and businesses to support effective nonprofits in their communities. Community foundations vary widely in asset size, ranging from less than $100,000 to more than $1.7 billion.
Community foundations play a key role in identifying and solving community problems. In 2017, they gave an estimated $5.48 billion to a variety of nonprofit activities in fields that included the arts and education, health and human services, the environment, and disaster relief. The Community Foundations National Standards Board confirms operational excellence in six key areas—mission, structure, and governance; resource development; stewardship and accountability; grantmaking and community leadership; donor relations; and communications. Foundations that comply with these standards can display the official National Standards Seal. Currently, over 500 community foundations have earned the seal.
More than 900 community foundations operate in urban and rural areas in every state in the United States; currently, approximately 350 are members of the Council on Foundations. The community foundation model also has taken hold around the world. Community foundations have participated in the growth of international giving by U.S. foundations in recent years, with international giving by community foundations more than tripling, from $103 million in 2011 to $315 million in 2015, and community foundations' share of overall international giving by U.S. foundations more than doubling, from 1.4 percent in 2011 to 3.4 percent in 2015.
You can use our Community Foundation Locator to view a list of community foundations in the United States.
Below is everything on our site for community foundations. We highly recommend that you use the navigation or our search feature to find what you're looking for on our site. Please also visit cof.org/community-foundations for curated community foundation content.
Philanthropy's Response to the Morocco Earthquake
Overview
More than 2,600 people have been killed and thousands more injured after a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco, resulting in the deadliest earthquake to hit the region in more than century. Its epicenter was not far from the popular tourist and economic hub Marrakech.…
To Stand Against Hate, Get Your Board Involved
It’s a call no one in philanthropy wants to receive: An organization you funded for its soup kitchen is also running an anti-LGBTQ “conversion therapy” program. Your climate-justice grant may have gone to a group that promotes bombings and arson to disrupt state and federal environmental agencies.…
Career Pathways 2024 Application Office Hours
Career Pathways is a leadership development cohort program designed to accelerate the careers of diverse professionals in the philanthropic sector. Graduates of the program will deepen their expertise, expand their networks, and hone their leadership skills to advance the field. To date, over 200…
Career Pathways 2024 Application Office Hours
Career Pathways is a leadership development cohort program designed to accelerate the careers of diverse professionals in the philanthropic sector. Graduates of the program will deepen their expertise, expand their networks, and hone their leadership skills to advance the field. To date, over 200…
Career Pathways 2024 Program Information Session
Career Pathways is a leadership development cohort program designed to accelerate the careers of diverse professionals in the philanthropic sector. Graduates of the program will deepen their expertise, expand their networks, and hone their leadership skills to advance the field. To date,…
Values-Aligned Philanthropy Board Discussion Guide
Toolkit
Foundation leaders committing to values-aligned philanthropy to ensure their grantmaking efforts do not fund hate and extremism may encounter hesitancy from unexpected sources: their own boards. In our new Values-Aligned Philanthropy Board Discussion Guide, we lay out tips for communicating the…
CF Insights Activity-Based Costing Toolkit
Toolkit
The Activity-Based Costing (ABC) toolkit helps your community foundation assess the performance of your community foundation’s products and services to make informed decisions and improve sustainability. Match economics to mission, gauge your investment in community leadership, adjust fee schedules…
2022 Council on Foundations - Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations (CCSF)
Publication, Research
The CCSF Study is the field’s most comprehensive and authoritative study on investment and governance policies and practices. The 2022 CCSF studies 277 private and community foundations that represent $206.8 billion in assets. Topics covered include:
Returns and Investment Objectives
Asset…
Learning from the Future: A Resource for Planning Ahead
Publication
The Economic Scenario Planning (ESP) model is designed to help community foundations of any size and shape create five-year forecasts and plan for multiple scenarios. Community foundations using the model cite important benefits, often revising goals or making operating model changes as a result…
Survey Results: The Operation of Women’s Funds at Community Foundations
Publication
After a request by a CF Insights member seeking information about the operation of Women's Funds at community foundation, a survey was created and administered to a subset of potential respondents. This short, eight-question survey collected some high-level information about fees pricing, revenue…
Do More than Grow: Realizing the Potential of Community Foundation Donor-Advised Funds
Publication
Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) have been a growth engine for community foundations since the 1990s but the aspiration today is for DAFs to do more. In Do More than Grow: Realizing the Potential of Community Foundation Donor-Advised Funds, new data and analysis of donor behavior reveals the significant…
Seeking Shared Success: Business Model Innovation Through Mergers, Affiliations, and Alliances
Publication
Learn how alliances, affiliations, and mergers represent a path to enhanced sustainability and greater impact for community foundations. Hear perspectives from community foundation leaders, access tools for considering a new structure, and read case studies from six community foundations.
Fueling Impact: A Fresh Look at Business Model Innovation and New Revenue Sources
Publication
Do you want to know how community foundations are finding innovative new sources of support, and diversifying their revenue base? How new revenue sources strengthen each community foundation's differentiation and sustainability? Difficult economic times in 2008-2010 have been an important wake-up…
Taking Informed Action in Challenging Times: Helping Community Foundations during Economic Downturn
Publication
Following up on CF Insights' November 2008 report "Making Informed Decisions in Uncertain Times", this report is aimed at helping community foundations take informed action in relation to their operating models and community activities in reaction to the economic slump. The findings are based on…
Align, Adapt, Aspire: Ten Years of Community Foundation Business Model Evolution
Publication
Community foundations understand how the traditional community foundation business model falls short of new aspirations. Sustainability is an ongoing challenge and many community foundations work towards continually adapting their business model to support a changing context and achieve enough…
Raising Money While Raising Hell: Catalytic Community Leadership and Successful Fundraising for Community Foundations
Publication
This paper debunks the myth that advocacy-oriented community leadership is naturally antithetical to fundraising, and highlights examples where foundations have built their fundraising efforts by playing advocacy-oriented community leadership roles.
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