At #COFAnnual, our Global Philanthropy Reception and Dinner will focus on the issues and opportunities facing women and girls in the United States as well as around the world. In preparation for this event and in honor of Women’s History Month, we’d like to share the following blog post from the…

This was first published on March 22 in The Hill. Washington, D.C., may be the most partisan place on earth, where anything and everything is judged by which political party you support, rather than the substance of what’s being discussed. Well, thank goodness that perspective is not shared by our…

Excited, relieved, eager, anxious—those were some of the feelings I experienced when I found out I was selected as an Atlas Corps Fellow to serve at the Council on Foundations. I was working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in Jamaica when I received the confirmation email…

How did you celebrate International Women’s Day this year? Council staff wore red in solidarity with the “A Day Without a Woman” campaign. Are you worried about how proposed cuts to USG development funding might impact your international grantmaking? I recently spoke to the Chronicle about what we'…

This post also appeared on SDG Philanthropy Platform's blog on March 14, 2017. What do Mexico, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the U.S. have in common, when it comes to helping implement the Sustainable Development Goals? In all four countries, philanthropy associations are working with local networks of…

In my humble opinion, this month ushers in some of the greatest occasions: March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day, and the first day of spring. What more could you ask for? How about renewing your membership with the Council before the April 30 deadline? To take advantage of all the Council has to offer…

Do you know what happens when the U.S. sanctions U.S. charities? If you answered no, you wouldn’t be alone. It can lead to funds being frozen indefinitely, despite tax rules requiring that they be distributed for charitable purposes when a charity shuts down. Cherie L. Evans of Evans & Rosen…

In April, my tenure as chair of the Council on Foundations’ Board of Directors will end, and I will near completion of my board service, a term bounded by two historic presidential elections and begun when our country experienced an economic collapse rivaled only by the 1929 market crash and the…

It’s officially tax season when the IRS releases its Dirty Dozen List of Tax Scams. We know Council members work hard to be on the right side of the law, but the below info from the IRS can be useful to review with board and staff. Don’t forget, if you ever have a question, the Council’s legal team…

Sandi Roehrig, Executive Director, Fond du Lac Area Foundation Many years ago the community foundation executives in Wisconsin met to collectively talk about a growing concern. At the time, any organization could call itself a community foundation, and if their actions gave the term a bad name, we…

Greetings! It’s been a busy month here at the Council: We’ve been hard at work planning for our Annual Conference in Dallas as well as strategically engaging the new Congress and administration. Below are a number of updates related to corporate foundations, plus future opportunities for you to…

Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill sat down with Philanthropy Hour’s Greg Cherry for an intimate conversation about the impact and value of American philanthropy and the Council on Foundations' role in advancing the common good. Hear what Vikki considers to be trending in the field, what…

The community foundations in the U.S. are not only the oldest in the world, they are certainly the wealthiest and probably the most resilient. They have paved the way for a global movement which currently counts 1,858 community foundations in 71 countries worldwide (see Community Foundation Atlas…

The nature of disruption has been on my mind recently. Our friends at the Greater New Orleans Foundation are coordinating a Helping our Neighbors: Tornado Relief Fund to alleviate the devastation of numerous tornadoes last week. They mobilized quickly to help pave the way for philanthropy to make a…

Basic Rights and Rules for Foundations working with Non-US Citizens Disclaimer: The information in this message and any attachments is being provided for informational purposes only and not as part of an attorney-client relationship. The information is not a substitute for expert legal, tax,or…

Evaluation and philanthropic learning are essential to driving social change. Here are five trends to look out for in 2017 – and likely beyond: 1. Integrating Evaluation into Strategy In the philanthropic, nonprofit, and public sectors, and more recently with socially oriented businesses, demand…