Community foundations are grantmaking public charities that are dedicated to improving the lives of people in a defined local geographic area. They bring together the financial resources of individuals, families, and businesses to support effective nonprofits in their communities. Community foundations vary widely in asset size, ranging from less than $100,000 to more than $1.7 billion.

Community foundations play a key role in identifying and solving community problems. In 2017, they gave an estimated $5.48 billion to a variety of nonprofit activities in fields that included the arts and education, health and human services, the environment, and disaster relief. The Community Foundations National Standards Board confirms operational excellence in six key areas—mission, structure, and governance; resource development; stewardship and accountability; grantmaking and community leadership; donor relations; and communications. Foundations that comply with these standards can display the official National Standards Seal. Currently, over 500 community foundations have earned the seal.

More than 750 community foundations operate in urban and rural areas in every state in the United States; currently, approximately 300 are members of the Council on Foundations. The community foundation model also has taken hold around the world. Community foundations have participated in the growth of international giving by U.S. foundations in recent years, with international giving by community foundations more than tripling, from $103 million in 2011 to $315 million in 2015, and community foundations' share of overall international giving by U.S. foundations more than doubling, from 1.4 percent in 2011 to 3.4 percent in 2015.

You can use our Community Foundation Locator to view a list of community foundations in the United States.

Below is everything on our site for community foundations. We highly recommend that you use the navigation or our search feature to find what you're looking for on our site. Please also visit cof.org/community-foundations for currated community foundation content. 

Practice & Purpose of Policy: A Training for Community Foundation Leaders

Save the date! As organizations committed to strengthening community foundations, CFLeads and the Council on Foundations are partnering to offer a new public policy and advocacy training course for community foundations. This updated training will provide community foundation leaders and staff…

Rules of Advocacy and Lobbying for Grantmakers

It is easy to get hung up on what you think you cannot do when engaging with policymakers. The good news is, you can do more than you may think! Though the law varies among different types of foundations, all foundation types can engage in advocacy! Join the Council on Foundations Legal Team to…

SDG Learning Community for Community Foundations - June Meeting

Join us for the June meeting of our new Peer Learning Circle dedicated specifically for community foundations who are working on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or are open to learning more about how the SDGs can fit within their work. Meeting Topic: CF Insights Annual Survey,…

ARPA Funds Peer Discussion

Peer Discussion Leads Laura Simmelink, Senior Director of Programs, Community Foundation of Collier County Marian Clowes, Associate Director for Community Leadership, Parkersburg Area Community Foundation Philanthropy Exchange is a peer-to-peer platform that connects Council members through…

Values-Aligned Philanthropy for Community Foundations

Publication, Toolkit
Through our Values-Aligned Philanthropy project, the Council on Foundations is encouraging foundations to take steps to ensure that they are not funding hate. Our white paper created a landscape scan of the issue and the work being done in the philanthropic sector to combat hate funding. We also…

Greater Kansas City Community Foundation Policy for Grantmaking

"While we do not police the ideology of our donors, we also do not allow grants to groups that promote violence. The Community Foundation relies on the IRS to regulate organizations, but if we have knowledge of a public charity that is promoting violence, no matter the ideology of the group, we…

Philanthropy and COVID-19: Examining Two Years of Giving and What’s Next

  Presentation Slides Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) recently released a report "Philanthropy and COVID-19: Examining two years of giving" to see how philanthropy has responded to the pandemic. In partnership with the Council on Foundations, CDP and Candid presented a…

Global Philanthropy Update - June 2022

It has been an eventful year for new laws targeting nonprofits and philanthropy across the world. We know you have many questions and concerns about the rapidly changing state of global giving; join us at a Legal Office Hours event for international grantmakers on June 16 (see the News and…

Rebuilding Trust in Nonprofits and Philanthropy

  Recent data and research from sources such as the Edelman Trust Barometer suggest declining trust in nonprofits and philanthropy in the United States. Fraying trust in institutions, perceptions that nonprofits and philanthropy are politicized, intensifying critiques of philanthropy as a “…

Getting Started with Values-Aligned Philanthropy for Community Foundations

  This webinar explores how community foundations can use the Council’s new Values Aligned Philanthropy toolkit to address hate-funding. Building on the work of the 2021 white paper Values-Aligned Philanthropy: Foundations Resisting Hate and Extremism this webinar offered information and how-…

Legal Matters for Community Foundations - Virtual - August 2022

Led by the Council on Foundations Legal Team, this workshop is flexibly organized to ensure that your broad legal questions for administering funds, grants, and community foundation activities are addressed. The legal team will provide technical and practical understanding of complex rules and…

2022 Member Week

Member Week is a time to celebrate and connect our 850 members within the philanthropic sector. We believe that when we come together as a membership community to connect through shared purpose, we can speak with a collective voice and achieve greater impact than we could alone. There are many…

Presentation Slides - Philanthropy and COVID-19: Examining Two Years of Giving and What's Next

Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) recently released a report "Philanthropy and COVID-19: Examining two years of giving" to see how philanthropy has responded to the pandemic. In partnership with the Council on Foundations, CDP and Candid presented a webinar that highlighted the…

Philanthropy's Response to Gun Violence and Mass Shootings

Overview Gun violence is a constant threat to communities across the United States. While mass shootings capture media attention and public outrage, gun violence is a specter over many Americans' daily lives.  Funders across the country have been called to action to address gun violence and mass…

Washington Snapshot: Federal Plan to Close Housing Supply Gap

What's Happening This Week... Getting Started with Values-Aligned Philanthropy Council Member Week: Federal Roundtables and More! Congressional Update IRS Releases Guidance on Employer-Leave-Based Donations to Ukraine…

Community Philanthropy Update - May 2022

Volunteering has always been important to me, but as I volunteer more regularly with my 10-year-old daughter, I am reminded that volunteering transforms those who serve just as much as the causes they support. Volunteering expands our perspectives. It provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment. It…
Subscribe to Community Foundations