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.

Best Practices in Charity Due Diligence

Getting to know and trust a grantee that is thousands of miles away and operates in a foreign legal context can be daunting. Join this session to learn about: understanding what tools you have at your disposal for conducting due diligence on your grantees, identifying any red flags during that due…

Toolkit for Cross-Border Giving

Want to support causes around the world? Join this session to get practical tips on: starting an international grantmaking program, understanding how to make cross-border grants, deciding on what type of beneficiaries you want to support, and choosing between Expenditure Responsibility (ER) or…

Brazil Giving 2019

An overview of charitable giving in Brazil as of 2019.

Webinar Recording: Post-Graduation Scholarships: What Are They and How Can You Use Them?

Recording

Interested in alleviating the student loan debt crisis and attracting needed talent to your community? This webinar is for you! Last year, the Workforce Development Through Post-Graduation Scholarships Act was introduced in Congress. This bill would allow charitable foundations to…

Opportunity Zones

What are Opportunity Zones? Created by changes to the tax code in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017, Opportunity Zones are state-nominated, economically depressed communities that are in need of new investment. These investments could, under certain circumstances, be eligable for…

Leading Together 2019 Conference - Additional Programming

Additional Programming Leading Together 2019 is more than just plenary and concurrent sessions, networking, and track-specific programming. Learn more about our unique Deep Dives, Invitation-Only Sessions, and Board Meetings that took place alongside our programming. Deep Dive…

Building Resilient, Inclusive, and Agile Economic Ecosystems

Public and private sector organizations, anchor institutions like community colleges and universities, and philanthropy all play a vital role in strengthening local economies. Together, they can serve as powerful drivers for building inclusive and equitable communities. Leadership and action are…

Leading Together 2019 Conference - Learning Labs

Learning Labs & Tech Bars Your conference experience won’t be complete without taking in a Learning Lab or Tech Bar session. You can develop your skills while engaging with your peers and learning from the experts. The Learning Labs are presented in 45-minute learning segments and are…

Webinar Recording: Fostering the Grassroots Leadership Capacity of Community

Recording

View the Slides Community Foundations around the country recognize that they must deploy capital beyond financial assets to improve their regions. At the same time, our community leadership has grown frustrated by the pace of change. Most of these leaders have come to understand that…

Community Foundation Scholarship Programs: From A to Z

Members, View the Recording In this month’s “Lunch with Legal Counsel” webinar, Ben McDearmon, Law Clerk and Legal Administrator with the Council, continues our March scholarship series after our discussion earlier in the month on Post-Graduation Scholarships. Ben guides attendees on an exploration…

Celebrating the Council on Foundations' 70th Anniversary

Celebrate the Council’s 70th birthday in true Miami beach style! Attendees will be immersed in the tropical essences and pulsing energy of South Beach, as we celebrate with the very best music, fine cuisine, and entertainment South Beach has to offer.

Webinar Recording: Preventing and Ending Homelessness by Removing Legal Barriers: A Partnership Taking Best Practice to Scale

Download the Slides While housing, employment and other supportive services are critical to prevent and end homelessness, the reality is legal barriers such as bad credit, unpaid child support, unpaid fines and tickets, outstanding warrants and criminal records present a hard stop that…

Post-Graduation Scholarships: What Are They and How Can You Use Them?

Members, View the Recording Interested in alleviating the student loan debt crisis and attracting needed talent to your community? Then this webinar is for you! Last year, the Workforce Development Through Post-Graduation Scholarships Act was introduced in Congress. This bill would allow charitable…

Reimagining Council Membership

A New Way Forward It is an important time for the Council on Foundations. We are reflecting on our role in the changing landscape of philanthropy and the road ahead of us. Above all, we are committed to thinking creatively and responsively about how we best serve Council members. A first step…

Sample Fund Activity Policy

Sample Document

This sample fund activity policy provides language that you can either use in a stand-alone policy or incorporate into an existing donor-advised fund agreement or policy.

Sample Gift Acceptance Policy