Public Foundations
Public foundations are grantmaking public charities that gain their funds from a variety of sources, which may include foundations, individuals, corporations, or public entities. Public foundations may engage in fundraising, and may seek broad public financial support. They may or may not have endowments. There is no legal definition of a public foundation, but most dedicate a significant portion of their annual budgets to grantmaking. Most community foundations are also grantmaking public charities.
Since public foundations may be defined in different ways, and there is no official IRS or legal definition of public foundations, it is difficult to arrive at statistics that are fully representative of the field.
Below is everything on our site for public foundations. We strongly 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/programs-services/public-grantmaking-charities for curated public foundation content.
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2026 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report: Key Findings
Research
The 2026 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits (GSB) Key Findings is a visual highlight of the trends and changes that are shaping the philanthropic sector.Also available as a free PDF, the 2026 GSB Key Findings is just a small fraction of the expansive dataset available in the 2026 GSB Report, which…
Educational Pathways for Survivors in Oklahoma City
On the morning of April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City was forever changed by the bombing that occurred at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.The tragedy sent shockwaves around the world. Yet amid unimaginable loss, an extraordinary outpouring of generosity and compassion flowed into the city to…
Access to Mental Health Care for Children and Families in Montana
Callie Phillips (@callieoverseas) shares how the Rural Behavioral Health Institute and M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust (@murdocktrust) are improving access to mental health care for children and families in rural Montana.
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Safer Communities in Chicago, Illinois
Dometi Pongo (@dometi_) shares how The Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities (@safepeacefulchi) brought more than 50 funders and foundations together with businesses, government, faith leaders, and community organizations together to invest more than $200 million in crime reduction…
Comfort, Connection, and Joy in Kansas
In Topeka, KS, one small grant is making a big difference for local students. A Topeka Community Foundation grant helped bring a new therapy dog to the Tallgrass Student Learning Center.Velma joined her human classmates during the 2025-26 school year, and she continues to provide comfort,…
Homeownership and a Stable Future in Florida
Jennifer Hykes (@bria.loves on Instagram) shares her personal experience as a single working mom striving to create a stable future for her daughter through homeownership. After struggling to find support through traditional programs, she discovered the Homes for Mom program, which provided…
Local News and Student Journalism in Vermont
Kevin Pearce (@kevinpearce) shares how University of Vermont's Center for Community News is helping student journalists tell important stories and keep their community informed.
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Pulling Back the Curtain on Narrative Change
In 2024, the Council on Foundations in partnership with the Center for Public Interest Communications (CPIC) at the University of Florida released Philanthropy’s New Voice, the largest study ever of narratives in philanthropy. The report used a multimethod research effort to surface the American…
Communicating Around Disaster: A Crisis Communications Workshop September 2026
Recording
Our facilitators draw on real experience — including the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country’s response to the July 2025 Kerr County floods, along with lessons from Uvalde, Texas, the Maine and California wildfires, and the Baltimore Key bridge collapse.Facilitators walk through a…
Creating New Community Space After Fires in California
Sarah Wagner (@heysarawagner on Instagram) shares how her community built Beeline Blooms, a dahlia farm and gathering place to bring back a little color, beauty, and joy.
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Lending a Helping Hand after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton in Florida
Raven Kramer shares how the generosity of her community in the wake of multiple hurricanes changed her life and her outlook on the world.
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Paying Generosity Forward in Texas
Ana Cruz Hollingsworth shares how every day generosity changed her life, and how she kept a promise to herself to one day return that generosity.
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Building Community through the Arts in Alabama
Charlie Desi shares how the SHOUT Film Festival, with support from community members and organizations like the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, are creating space for LGBTQ+ stories to be seen, celebrated, and shared in Birmingham, Alabama.
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Responding to Proposed IRS Regulations: Racial Nondiscrimination in Private Schools
On September 3, 2026, the Department of Treasury (Treasury) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would end federal tax-exempt status for private schools that engage in racial discrimination. You can read our detailed summary of the proposed regulation for…
Key Findings | The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations: 2026 Edition
For almost 30 years, the Council on Foundations and Candid have partnered on studies of globally focused giving by U.S. foundations. Our newest edition of The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations analyzes how U.S. foundations are engaging globally, through support of efforts that improve…
The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations: 2026 Edition
Publication, Toolkit
For almost 30 years, the Council on Foundations and Candid have partnered on studies of globally focused giving by U.S. foundations. Our newest edition of The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations analyzes how U.S. foundations are engaging globally, through support of efforts that improve…