Community Foundations

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 900 community foundations operate in urban and rural areas in every state in the United States; currently, approximately 350 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 curated community foundation content. 

A Word on Partnerships: Leveraging Partnerships to Discuss Global Issues in Local Communities

Recently, Council staff traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico to join more than 50 funders to discuss how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are relevant to local challenges facing communities across the Southwest. The gathering was the sixth city in a series of national conversations about the…

Community Foundation Update – August 2017

First, a bit of exciting personal news: my family is anticipating the arrival of our second child any day now—thus, I will eventually be on paternity leave until early September. During this time, I will have an away message with an array of ways for you to connect with the right person. We are…

The New Supporting Framework to Accreditation

Say hello to Armature, the new technical software designed specifically to collect data for program accreditation. As I uploaded my foundation documents and data to apply for accreditation, I couldn’t help but to smile due to the ease of entering data and uploading documents to the system. As a…

The Council and San Diego Grantmakers: Partnering to Support Veterans Philanthropy

The Council and the San Diego Grantmakers are teaming up to support the Veterans Philanthropy Exchange by co-hosting a mid-year convening in San Diego on November 29 and 30. The Veterans Philanthropy Exchange is a network of grantmakers that support nonprofits providing services and resources to…

Community Foundation Legal Webinar

Members, View the Recording Community Foundations: Gearing up for Year-End Spend 90 minutes with the Council's legal staff to explore topics associated with year-end.   As well, take a moment out to celebrate #CFWeek and gear up for #GivingTuesday! Topics Include:  Year-end gift…

Washington Snapshot - August 3, 2017

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot Tax Reform Update: Tax reform faces competing legislative priorities Move to weaken the Johnson Amendment advances in the House, NASCO speaks out Kautter confirmed for key Treasury position IRS takes steps to encourage charitable giving in the wake of…

Recollections from the Next Generation: Council Interns Reflect

By Meghan Irvine It is truly mind boggling to think that my time at the Council is wrapping up. It seemed like just yesterday, or six short weeks ago to be exact, that I was nervously entering a new internship in an unfamiliar city, with little knowledge about foundations and having no idea what…

North American Community Foundations Summit

Over two days, we brought together community foundation leaders from the US, Mexico and Canada to discuss shared challenges and opportunities for building more resilient and sustainable communities across North America. We heard inspiring speakers and learned from community foundation peers about…

Council Comments on Treasury/IRS Priorities 2017-2018

The Council on Foundations wrote to the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)  to urge them to prioritize several regulations and guidance documents that impact our members. Each year, the Priority Guidance Plan identifies and prioritizes those tax issues that…

Toward More Inclusive Diversity in the Philanthropic Sector: LGBTQ People and People With Disabilities

Editor's Note: This was first published on Philanthropy News Digest's PhilanTopic blog. The philanthropic sector has taken steps to address the lack of inclusion of women and people of color in its talent pool. But newly released research from the Council on Foundations reveals that…

Washington Snapshot - July 27, 2017

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot… Tax Reform Update: Senate begins debate on health care, tax reform continues moving forward Update on Treasury personnel President Trump issues EO for Commerce Department In the States: State budgets remain in flux, NYC arts funding plan to promote diversity…

New Report Finds Little Change in Proportions of Women and Minorities on Foundation Staffs

Despite concerted efforts by the field to advance more diverse, inclusive, and equitable recruitment and retention practices, the proportions of women and racial/ethnic minorities on foundation staff and at the most senior levels of leadership has changed very little over the past five and 10 years…

The State of Change: An Analysis of Women and People of Color in the Philanthropic Sector

Publication, Research
The Council’s report, The State of Change: An Analysis of Women and People of Color in the Philanthropic Sector, examines the demographics of the philanthropic sector, looking back over the last five and ten years, with a specific focus on the representation of women and people of color. The data…

Important Tax Reform Update

We wanted to share this important breaking news on the status of tax reform legislation. As you know, in Washington, D.C., things can change quickly. Just last week, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said that the tax reform framework document should be done in early September.…

The Community Foundations National Standards Board Announces Its New Members

Today, the Community Foundations National Standards Board (CFNSB), a supporting organization of the Council on Foundations, announced three new board members. The CFNSB is a collegial group of professionals from across the U.S. seeking to advance the community foundation field through governing a…

Have Bold Ideas & Dare to Do Them

Award Nominations The Council is currently accepting nominations for the 2017 Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking. Nominate a courageous leader and innovative grantmaker today. Learn More The Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking honors grantmakers who, with a…
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