The Greater Houston Community Foundation donor-centered focus helps philanthropists make a bigger impact Lessons Learned Ramping up its advisory services for local philanthropists has been a multi-year process for the Greater Houston Community Foundation. Renee Wizig-Barrios, Senior Vice…

This blog was originally posted by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Visit their website for more information. Does it seem to you that we are hearing more about wildfires? There’s a reason: they are increasing in frequency and intensity and occurring over a longer period of months. According…

The Elkhart County Community Foundation's mission: To improve the quality of life in Elkhart County by inspiring generosity. This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The…

I dare you to watch the video below and not smile. It’s ok – I’ll wait the three and a half minutes it will take you to watch it. Just click “play” and I’ll pick up this post when you’re done. So, was I right? Not only did you smile, but I bet this wonderful kid – known online as Kid President –…

“You can do a lot with $1.” A simple but powerful phrase at the heart of GiVE 365, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis’ dollar-a-day giving circle. Formed in 2010, GiVE 365 unites and informs emerging philanthropists to make a collective impact on Greater Memphis. Members donate $365 a year…

Austin, Texas, is the top spot to be an entrepreneur, make movies, get fit, have a dog, and eat barbeque—but as recently as a decade ago we ranked near the bottom of per capita giving. While other Texas cities, like Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, have a long history of philanthropy,…

Lessons Learned Ivye Allen, President of the Foundation for the Mid South offered some advice on how to be better positioned to tap public and private funding to support local community efforts. Here are some of her takeaways: Narrow your focus: With communities, schools or organizations facing…

In conjunction with our 90th Anniversary, the Connecticut Community Foundation hosted our first online giving challenge, Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills in November 2013. This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th…

For nearly 100 years, the California Community Foundation (CCF) has been defined by the diverse passions of the more than 1,700 donors who share a dream for a better future. CCF’s initiative, Building a Lifetime of Options & Opportunities for Men (BLOOM), exemplifies this passion by addressing…

Many community foundations are recognizing that impact investing can be a powerful tool in our philanthropic toolbox. Mission investments are investments made by foundations to further their philanthropic goals. Since 2009, the Seattle Foundation has committed $4 million of its unrestricted…

At the White House last week, foundation executives, including the Council’s President and CEO Vikki Spruill, met with senior Administration officials for a roundtable on the future of impact investing. A complement to charitable giving and foundation grantmaking, impact investing offers a powerful…

Lessons Learned The Southwest Initiative Foundation got interested in becoming a Kiva loan administrator after a staff member learned about the program at a conference. Now two years into the program, Greg Jodzio, Microenterprise specialist at SWIF, offered up some insight into how to get the…

When Jessica David was wondering how to support her new hire, who was tasked with telling her foundation’s story online, she turned to her peers for advice. Jessica, the Vice President of Strategy and Community Investments of the Rhode Island Foundation, posted a question to the Council’s new…

With partnerships being very important in making the most of innovative ideas, how does one develop an authentic partnership? In a recent situation, I developed a partnership with several individuals to implement an idea at a large conference. Here are the lessons I learned: I. Make sure that the…

How can we engage older residents while tapping their expertise? In 2006, The New York Community Trust responded to an invitation from Atlantic Philanthropies offering challenge to get people over 60 involved as they improve life for everyone in their communities. Atlantic’s effort, called the…

At the Council on Foundations Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., some funders were expressing a move toward a new way of doing business with their grantees. Accountability has long been a theme in grantmaking. It has traditionally been top-down – foundations being held accountable to the people…