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. 

Linking the SDGs to Philanthropy

Fundamentals
Why do the Sustainable Development Goals matter to philanthropy? These broad global goals address the same problems that our field is tackling: to reduce poverty, improve livelihoods and quality of life, and create a more equitable global society. Looking at the range of issues in the SDGs, all…

Strengthening Community: Finding Synergies in Leadership and Donor Engagement

Join the Council on Foundations with its partner, The Philanthropic Initiative, for a member-only workshop for community foundations where we will explore ways you can maximize your foundation’s impact by leveraging community resources in and outside of your foundation. Ellen Remmer and Amy Zell…

Diving into the Data: Issues Specific to the Chief Executive Officer

Continuing our blog post series about the 2015 Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report (GSB), this week let’s take a look at the third chapter, “Issues Specific to the Chief Executive Officer.” Get the Report Members, remember that you can download the GSB for free. You can also purchase the report…

Legal Lunch: Grantmaking for Economic Development

Promoting economic development is not, by itself, a charitable purpose. Grantmakers seeking to help people and communities achieve economic self-sufficiency must therefore find a connection between a proposed activity and one or more recognized charitable purposes. In this Legal Lunch Series,…

Washington Snapshot - July 29, 2016

Just Announced: Speakers for Upcoming Webinar Join Philanthropy Caucus member, Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN), Adena Hill of the Southeastern Council on Foundations, and Council staff at 2pm ET on August 9th to discuss the importance of building relationships with your lawmakers. We’ll also learn…

How Place-Based Funders Are Taking Aim at Climate Change

When I noticed late last year that the Council on Foundations’ annual conference would focus on climate change, I was delighted. For The Fund for New Jersey and other place-based funders, climate change has been a daunting challenge. We are a small foundation in a state with no coal-fired…

Universal Human Rights: What Are We Sharing Across Borders?

This post originally appeared on the International Human Rights Funders Group blog, as well as on the Alliance Magazine blog. It was clear from the opening plenary of IHRFG’s 2016 conference that those of us working to protect human rights are increasingly feeling the impact of recent world events…

Philanthropic Career Center

The Council on Foundations Job Board The Council on Foundations Philanthropic Career Center is the home for foundation careers and jobs in the United States and around the world. This job board is a leading recruitment site for foundations looking to hire foundation professionals. Employers…

Washington Snapshot - July 22, 2016

News from the Hill New Tax Leadership for Senate Finance Democrats On Tuesday, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced a new tax leadership team for Senate Finance Committee Democrats. Victor Fleisher, of the University of San Diego, and Tiffany Smith, currently on staff…

7 Steps Philanthropy Can Take to Bring the SDGs Home to America

This post also appeared as an op-ed in the Huffington Post on July 19, 2016. Sustainability. Quality education. Poverty reduction. Gender equality. If this list sounds familiar to individuals working in philanthropy or non-profits in the U.S., it should. Our sector is synonymous with these issues…

New Report Details Role of Philanthropy in Achieving U.N. Sustainable Development Goals in United States

A new report released today by the Council on Foundations highlights the critical role that U.S. philanthropy plays in helping to realize the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study, “From Global Goals to Local Impact,” outlines in detail how the new global development…

International Terrorist Acts

Many Council members are working with nonprofit partners on the ground in countries and communities all over the world that are directly impacted by terrorist violence. Alongside partners like the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, the Council is tracking how and where philanthropy is…

West Virginia Flash Floods

A severe storm system on June 22, 2016, caused torrential rain, tornadoes, high winds, and large hail across West Virginia and Virginia, causing the most deadly flash flood event the U.S. has seen in recent years. At least 23 people died, and thousands were left without basic utilities when the…

The Sustainable Development Goals & Philanthropy

  What are the Sustainable Development Goals? The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a 17-goal framework for global development. These global goals provide a framework for foundations to lead together with governments, civil society, and the private sector for the next 15 years…

Better Understanding Responsible Investing Practices

How can you do the most good, with limited resources, when facing enormous problems? That question lies at or near the heart of every decision at a foundation. This is true of the grant dollars which support community institutions and provide for social services, and it is true of the endowed…

It's Not a Wage Gap, It's Poverty - and It's Why The U.S. Needs a Development Agenda

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…
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