Community foundations are critically important local leaders who bring a wealth of knowledge to driving change locally. To address the systemic challenges impacting our communities, we are committed to building coalitions with government, business, the nonprofit sector and others to bring together local voices and create a world that is more equitable for future generations.
Sustainable Development Goals
On September 25, 2015, 193 countries formally adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations. The Council’s president, Vikki Spruill, published an op-ed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy last week, which urged philanthropic organizations to partner with others to help achieve the SDGs by 2030. The Council is committed to connecting our members with resources to learn more about the SDGs and understand how these global goals are relevant to their existing programs and strategies, globally and in the US, and provide an opportunity for philanthropy to lead together towards 2030.
On February 5, the Council on Foundations released a report about the impact community foundations can make in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report, in part a landscape analysis of how community foundations already impact their local communities, also encourages international development and community foundation professionals to collaborate, learn, and take collective action to achieve major global progress on the SDGs by 2030.
Local Leadership, Global Impact: Community Foundations and the Sustainable Development Goals highlights the growing presence and impact of community foundations around the world and teaches community foundations how to apply the lens of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) to their work. The report recommends ten steps for community foundations to get started on using the SDGs as a tool to improve quality of life in their communities. These steps include learning about the SDGs, mapping the SDGs to local challenges, using data to create local goals, building cross-sector ownership of solutions and monitoring progress.
Useful resources such as a sample agenda, handouts and PowerPoint presentations for hosting local SDG events.
The Council on Foundations is thrilled to be co-hosting the first-ever North American Community Foundations Summit in Mexico City, February 5-6, 2018. More than 120 community foundation leaders will gather in the capital of Mexico this winter to learn new ways to think globally and act locally — and forge new connections that we are confident will lead to future collaborations.
Next February in Mexico City, we will explore bold and innovative approaches to address the multifaceted issues impacting our local communities, highlighting how community foundations across North America are building sustainable and resilient communities that leave no one behind.
The Council on Foundations is thrilled to co-host the first-ever North American Community Foundations Summit in Mexico City. I am excited to think creatively and collaboratively with philanthropy peers from across North America to ensure that our changing communities leave no one behind.
The Council on Foundations worked with our peer philanthropy networks Comunalia (in Mexico) and Community Foundations of Canada to organize the first-ever North American Community Foundation Summit: Leaving No One Behind which was held in Mexico City in February 2018.
Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill spoke with Champions for Social Good's Jamie Serino about Leading Together, the Sustainable Development Goals, and more.
What do Mexico, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the U.S. have in common, when it comes to helping implement the Sustainable Development Goals?