The Council’s Global Team is excited to welcome a new addition! Nicolette Gerald is a graduate of George Mason University with a bachelor’s degree in government and international politics. She will be spending the next two months with us as a summer intern before beginning her graduate studies in…

June is Immigrant Heritage Month, a time during which we celebrate our origins as a nation of immigrants. The Council’s staff, its board, it strategic partners, its member organizations and the communities they serve are all inclusive of immigrants. As a national organization and a leading voice…

Editor’s Note: The Council’s legal team regularly receives questions regarding the data security of foundation operations and donor and grantee information. Lara Kalwinski, Senior Counsel, connected with Lucy Bernholz to find the right expert to break down these issues for us. Meet Josh Levy a…

The Council on Foundations was proud to recently sponsor and participate in the George W. Bush Institute’s Stand-To National Veterans Convening, a summit focused on veteran transition. Through the summit, held June 22 and 23 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. the Bush Institute…

It was nice to see so many of our corporate members at our annual conference in Dallas where we were joined by more than 1,000 attendees. It was an action-packed week that brought together leaders from across the world to discuss the most pressing issues in our sector. If you haven’t done so yet,…

This month I’m highlighting the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® program, which I’m delighted to report continues to add distinction to the work of the field. I'm also sharing several other resources below to help kick off the summer season, including “21st-Century Tools for 21st-…

In Star Wars, Episode IV (still the best one in my opinion!), when the Death Star looms large in front of the Millenium Falcon, Luke Skywalker mutters, “I have a very bad feeling about this.” When it comes to federal regulation of donor advised funds, I’m beginning to feel the same way. Donor…

This week’s activity on the CHARITY Act showed us that the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® continues to provide value for community foundations. The National Standards program was recognized in drafting the act’s legislation for the IRA Charitable Rollover. Senate staff…

One year ago today, our nation was rocked by the horrific attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. In a message expressing our solidarity with those affected by the attack, we noted that it was particularly tragic because this event occurred at a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and…

Editor’s Note: This blog post spotlights Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, which was one of 10 recipients of the 2017 HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships. The awards are a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Council on…

Council staff are back in D.C. after a whirlwind Annual Conference in Dallas last month, where we were joined by more than 1000 attendees from around the world. You can see conference highlights at cof.org/2017annual. Thank you to all of our global speakers and especially to our global conference…

Three years ago, I met Charles Story at the Grants Managers Network annual conference in San Diego. He was a featured panelist on a session about Extreme Management — successfully leading teams in constantly changing organizational environments. I was so impressed with his insights that we would…

April came and went, and it packed a punch.  I am grateful for the 200 community foundation (CF) leaders who joined over 1,000 philanthropic leaders in Dallas, Texas, for the 2017 Annual Conference. Please take a look at the highlight videos, which feature many examples of the type of…

In this conversation with Champions for Social Good's Jamie Serino, Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill delves into the Council's concept of Leading Together, which focuses on how foundations can come together, collaborate, and leverage resources to magnify impact and advance social good. She…

Healing Across the Divides (HATD) is a new member of the Council on Foundations. We joined the Council to learn from others facing similar challenges globally and connect with funders to explore issues such as finding ways to better build grantee sustainability. Our mission is to “improve the…

In January, I shared some trends that will shape philanthropy in 2017, many of which also apply directly to community foundations. Now is a time of significant opportunity for community foundations, which I've seen through our customers and conversations with community foundation professionals like…