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.
No Time for Complacency: Preparing Foundations for a More Turbulent Future
Leaders in every sector are struggling to plan for a future in which social, digital, political and economic forces create unpredictable change quicker than ever – and the philanthropic field is no exception. To survive and thrive in this turbulent environment, philanthropic leaders must learn to…
Winners of the 2019 Secretary's Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships Announced
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Council on Foundations announced the 2019 winners of the Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships. The awards recognize innovative partnerships between foundations and government that have been…
2019 HR Summit - Registration
Registration
Online Registration
Register Now
Registration Rates
Member Rate before June 15, 2019 = $499
Member Rate after June 15, 2019 = $549
Non-member Rate = $699
Questions?
Monday through Friday | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET
Phone: 202-991-2225 | Email: registration@cof.org…
2019 HR Summit - Travel and Hotel Information
Travel Information
Summit Location
CDC Clifton Campus
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30329
Hotel Information
W Atlanta-Midtown
188 14th St NE.
Atlanta, Georgia 30361
You can make reservations online. The special group rate for the summit is $229 per night (price…
2019 Endowments & Finance Summit
The Endowments & Finance Summit, the leading forum at the nexus of philanthropy, finance, investment, and policy is where C-Suite foundation leaders go to explore the shifting forces in the investment landscape; gain invaluable insights on trends, strategies, and new regulations; and have…
Schedule-At-A-Glance
Thursday, September 19
8:30-9:15 a.m.
Networking Breakfast
9:15-10:30 a.m.
Opening Plenary — Meeting Obligations in a Time of Financial Volatility and Uncertainty
10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
Demographics, Urbanization and the Impact on Foundation…
Partners
The Council would like to thank all of our Partners for their generous support of the 2019 Endowments & Finance Summit.
Leadership & Networking Reception Partner
TIAA Institute
www.tiaa.org/public/land/endowmentsandfoundations
The TIAA Institute helps advance the ways…
Reimagining the Council: Focus Group Findings & Our Next Steps
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As we continue our journey to Reimagine Council Membership, we recently convened six focus groups of current and former Council members to gather insightson the value of membership, and on our membership systems and dues structure.
We came away with three clear findings that help us better…
2019 HR Summit - Schedule
Schedule
This schedule is subject to change.
Wednesday, September 11
11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Wellness Experience - Healing & Self Care Practices
Location: The Trees Atlanta Kendeda Center
Human resource and talent leaders must learn healing and self-care practices, like mindfulness, to…
Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Finance Course - Washington, DC
For community foundation CEOs, managers, or board members/trustees with fiscal responsibilities and those new to finance and fiscal administration, this course provided an understanding of the complicated aspects unique to community foundation finances. The interactive two-day course curriculum was…
Our Divided Nation: Is There a Role for Philanthropy in Renewing Democracy?
Publication
American democracy faces challenges that raise difficult questions for philanthropy. Have funders done everything possible to shore up democratic values and aspirations, or pursued their own ideas of the public good and turned a blind eye to these challenges? To what extent can philanthropy’s…
Community Philanthropy Update—April 2019
When I meet with leaders of community foundations, bringing back the Council’s former Community Foundation’s Fall Conference tops the list of requests. I share in your desire for the Council to provide a better space for community foundation leaders to network and engage around issues that impact…
Washington Snapshot: House Passes Bill to Redesign the IRS; Bill Related to Opportunity Zones Reintroduced
Please note, we will take a break from publishing Washington Snapshot while Congress is on recess from April 15-26, as well as during the week of the Leading Together 2019 Conference. Our next edition is scheduled for May 9. However, if any important executive or regulatory developments occur, we…
2019 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey Demo
Interested in the Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report? Join Council staff for a demonstration of the survey process and learn how you can participate in this important resource for the field.
CyberGrants presents "The Seven Deadly Sins of Grantmaking"
Grantmaking tends to be a pretty virtuous endeavor. However, given the complexity of the process and endless details and data, it’s easy to fall prey to one of the many “deadly sins of grantmaking”. In this interactive session, we’ll highlight some common “sins”…
Sample Board Resolution for Scholarship Funds
Sample Document
Editable Board resolution for approving scholarship policies and procedures.
This sample document is being provided for informational purposes only and is not to be shared without the permission of the Council on Foundations. Use of the sample document does not create an attorney-client…
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