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.
Reimagine the Council - August 14 Teleconference
What is the highest and best role for philanthropy? And how can the Council on Foundations support its members and the field to be a strong and trusted partner in advancing the common good? Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, will hold a listening session to explore…
Reimagine the Council - July 25 Teleconference
What is the highest and best role for philanthropy? And how can the Council on Foundations support its members and the field to be a strong and trusted partner in advancing the common good? Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, will hold a listening session to explore…
Reimagine the Council - July 2 Teleconference
What is the highest and best role for philanthropy? And how can the Council on Foundations support its members and the field to be a strong and trusted partner in advancing the common good? Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, will hold a listening session to explore…
Reimagining the Council on Foundations: Visioning Session with Kathleen Enright - San Francisco
What is the highest and best role for philanthropy? And how can the Council on Foundations support its members and the field to be a strong and trusted partner in advancing the common good? Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, will hold an interactive visioning session…
Reimagining the Council on Foundations: Visioning Session with Kathleen Enright - Raleigh
What is the highest and best role for philanthropy? And how can the Council on Foundations support its members and the field to be a strong and trusted partner in advancing the common good? Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, will hold an interactive visioning session…
Reimagining the Council on Foundations: Visioning Session with Kathleen Enright - Los Angeles
What is the highest and best role for philanthropy? And how can the Council on Foundations support its members and the field to be a strong and trusted partner in advancing the common good? Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, will hold an interactive visioning session…
Reimagining the Council on Foundations: Visioning Session with Kathleen Enright - Detroit
What is the highest and best role for philanthropy? And how can the Council on Foundations support its members and the field to be a strong and trusted partner in advancing the common good? Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, will hold an interactive visioning session…
Career Pathways: Opportunities Grow Through Philanthropy
Why Career Pathways
May marked my second session of the year-long Council on Foundations Career Pathways program. I applied to the program because several of my philanthropy mentors who are program alumni found it valuable, and enthusiastically encouraged me to pursue the opportunity. More than a…
Career Pathways: Letting the Sun Shine
“Have a great day and let your sun shine!” These are my departing words for my 8-year-old daughter every morning at drop off. It’s my rally cry hoping she unleashes her true self on the world (well, ok, her second-grade classroom) in everything she does.
Why Career Pathways
The 2019 Career…
Career Pathways: The Transformative Power of Philanthropy
I initially became interested in philanthropy while serving as artistic director of The Harmony Theatre Company, which I cofounded while an undergraduate at Columbia University. Navigating the funding landscape was a nigh-constant challenge, and it was clear that I would need to ascertain quite a…
Unintended Tax Consequences for Fortunate Morehouse College Students? There Could be a Fix for That.
What an incredible announcement on May 19 by billionaire and philanthropist Robert F. Smith who pledged to pay off the student loans of all 2019 Morehouse College graduates. How great for these students. However, as some observe, this incredible gesture of generosity may have a downside in the form…
#shiftthepower: Three Ways Grantmakers Can Uplift Grantees to Create Cascading, Systemic Change
Social impact organizations do tough but vital work in under-resourced spaces — spaces constantly shrinking due to humanitarian emergencies, natural disasters, armed conflict and oppressive governments. The international donor community’s response to this challenging landscape has increasingly…
Women's Foundations and Funds: A Pioneering Force in Philanthropy
Women’s foundations and funds have established themselves as a powerful force in philanthropy dedicated to women and girls. Giving from these organizations is substantial, but aside from a 2009 landscape report from the Foundation Center and Women’s Funding Network, our understanding of women’s…
Community Philanthropy Update—May 2019
This time of year, I receive numerous inquiries about administrative fees. Perhaps it is first quarter investment return reviews or something in the spring air—but my response to the question about ‘lowering fees’ is fairly consistent—why would we encourage the lowering of fees?
To begin, I have…
Washington Snapshot: Preserve Charities and Houses of Worship Act Introduced; Request for Information on Opportunity Zones Regulations
In This Week's Edition of Snapshot...
Preserve Charities and Houses of Worship Act Introduced
Request for Information on Opportunity Zones Regulations
At-Risk Community Index for 2020 Census
States Continue Enacting Targeted Tax Credits
The Council Hosted Public Policy Preconference in Miami
On…
Racial Equity Forum: Philanthropy and Government - Louisville
Council on Foundations and National League of Cities will convene the last of three conversations across the United States on racial equity. With support from the Lumina Foundation and Annie E. Casey Foundation, philanthropic and government leaders will come together to raise awareness about the…
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