This post originally appeared as an op-ed in The Guardian on July 16, 2016. There is no doubt that the U.S. is suffering from what feels like the unravelling of social order. Recent shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas have heightened deep-seated tensions relating to race and criminal…

In the heat of mid summer, what a great time to check out some Council resources and opportunities that I believe you might find useful (preferably in air-conditioned office, or better yet, on the beach while enjoying some r&r!). As always, please reach out to me with any questions or concerns…

Last week’s shootings in Baton Rouge, St. Paul, and Dallas have made more urgent our need for a national civil discussion about longstanding systemic challenges that deeply divide our communities. The Council on Foundations steadfastly denounces the killing of innocent people, no matter their skin…

When leaders from approximately 48 Pennsylvania-based foundations gathered in State College in April for the Council on Foundations’ Pennsylvania Philanthropy Conference, the negative effects of the state’s infamous nine-month budget impasse on human service delivery were painfully fresh.…

From the moment the Council on Foundations was established in 1949, we have stood up to attacks on philanthropy and charitable giving. Most of these have been fueled by a common culprit — misinformation. That is why the Council is a constant presence on the Hill, travels across the country speaking…

When my colleague and fellow attorney Lara Kalwinski, Senior Counsel for Policy and Compliance and Executive Director of National Standards, and I both came to the Council on Foundations in 2013, we each had extensive experience with the Council’s books, newsletters, and other legal publications.…

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in The Chronicle of Philanthropy on June 24, 2016 with the title "Brexit Vote Will Force Philanthropy to Tackle Many Tough Issues." The vote for Britain to exit the European Union took philanthropy and the rest of the world by surprise. But it raises tough…

I started this blog post earlier in the month to recognize June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ)* Pride Month, but the tragedy in Orlando rightly caused the Council and my blog post to change course. As June comes to a close, it seems fitting to celebrate the LGBTQ…

The second chapter of the Council’s full 2015 Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report provides extensive data on staff and salaries. In it, we offer tables on everything from the size of responding foundations to the diversity and salaries of their full-time staff and the tenure and turnover of…

Giving USA 2016 was released this week and found that overall U.S. charitable giving from all sources—including individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations—reached an estimated $373.25 billion in 2015. This was an all-time high for the second consecutive year. This increase held for both…

Editors Note. Since the publishing of this blog post, the Central Florida Foundation is no longer managing the distribution of donations to the OneOrlando Fund. The Foundation will now be administering the Better Together Fund. Read the full statement from the Foundation at www.cffound.org.…

Last week, I spent a day at the Colombian Embassy with 35 foundations from Colombia. The group was comprised of corporate and family foundations, members of the Association for Family and Corporate Foundation in Colombia (AFE), who co-hosted the event with the Council on Foundations. The goal of…

Toure’ Burgess, Lauren Hamilton, Lauren Wells, Mara Goldman, Sarah Stellwag, and McQuillin Murphy   The Council of Foundations’ summer interns are here! From now through August, our interns — all currently enrolled college students from across the country — will be working in the Council’s…

In our continuing blog post series about the 2015 Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report (GSB), this week we are tackling the key findings section of the report. Get the Report Members, remember you can download the GSB for free. The report can also be purchased from our store at cof.org/2015salary…

It is my goal to bring to you monthly updates on Council activities relevant to community foundations. Further, I am reaching out to you today to introduce myself as the new Director of Community Philanthropy at the Council on Foundation.  As a former community foundation CEO in Indiana, I…

This post originally appeared on the Alliance Magazine blog.  At the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul, more than 6000 attendees discussed how the global community delivers aid for the world’s most vulnerable people, especially given commitments to leave no one behind within the…