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. 

Partnering to Create Success through Housing Grants in Alaska

Editor's Note: This is part of our series focusing on the winners of the 2018 Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships.  The Creekview Plaza housing development in Anchorage, Alaska For a decade Rasmuson Foundation has worked alongside…

Creative Grantmaking Today: Redefining Risk in Philanthropy

In 2003, when I was a co-recipient of the Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking, the theme of the Council on Foundations’ conference was collaboration. Instead of giving a speech, one of the co-recipients, Luz Vega-Marquis,* demonstrated the spirit of collaboration when she asked all…

Washington Snapshot: Council Works with Senators on Letter to Treasury Secretary, Tax Cuts 2.0 Update

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot… Senators, Worried About a Decline in Charitable Giving, Request Information from Treasury House to Vote on Appropriations “Minibus” with Johnson Amendment Rider Treasury Rolls-Back Donor Disclosure Requirements, Wyden Disapproves Tax Cuts 2.0 Update 2018…

Community Foundation Convenes Support for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Editor's Note: This is part of our series focusing on the winners of the 2018 Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships.  A few years ago, Barry and Gilda Boyer, two members of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa community,  were having a conversation about economic…

Insights from the 2017 Investment of Endowments Study

  Foundation endowment managers faced both challenges and opportunities in 2017 as they worked towards funding the grantmaking practices of their organizations, including a continued increase in scrutiny from policymakers and preparing for the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as…

The Spartanburg Foundation and the Northside Development Group Create Change

Editor's Note: This is part one of a series focusing on the winners of the 2018 Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships.  The great Michael Jordan once said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” For 75 years, The Spartanburg County…

Nonprofit, Foundation Leaders Oppose Ban of Amendments to Remove anti-Johnson Amendment Rider from Appropriations Bill

The House Rules Committee approved a rule for consideration of the Financial Services and Interior/Environment “mini-bus” appropriations bill (H.R. 6147) that refuses to allow debate or action to remove a disingenuous provision that elevates partisan politics over nonprofit missions and…

How Do US Foundations Support Global Programs and Partners?

  New Data and Trends on International Giving Did you know that grants by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation accounted for almost 50% of all international grants awarded by US foundations? Or that between 2011 and 2015, only 12% of funds went directly to local organizations without…

Community Philanthropy Update—July 2018

Last month at Legal Matters in Milwaukee, among the 50 community foundation colleagues in attendance, I argued that a newly defined role for community foundations is solidifying for the field.  That role is to create the atmosphere, culture, and ecosystem for shared ownership of community…

Post-Graduation Scholarships

A post-graduation scholarship is a type of charitable grant that foundations would make to attract individuals with career skills needed in a particular region to make their homes and build their careers in that community. A post-graduation scholarship would be awarded to an individual who has…

The 2018 HUD Award Recipients

The Council on Foundations and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have partnered the past six years on the Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships. The award emphasizes cross-sector partnerships between the philanthropic and public…

Washington Snapshot: Council Sends Letter to the Hill Outlining UBIT Concerns, President Trump Taps Supreme Court Nominee

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot… Council Sends Letter to the Hill on UBIT Concerns Rettig Comments on Johnson Amendment, SALT Workarounds in Senate Finance Hearing President Trump Nominates Judge Kavanaugh to Replace Justice Kennedy Council and FEMA Announce New Partnership to Assist in…

Sponsors

The Council would like to thank all of the sponsors for their support of the 2018 HR Summit. Wellness Partner The Colorado Health Foundation www.coloradohealth.org Summit Partners California Health Care Foundation www.chcf.org The Annie E. Casey…

How Winning the Scrivner Award Aided Innovation

The inaugural cohort of innovators waiting for the grand prize announcement. It was the 1980’s and Robert Scrivner was leading the way to expose the destructive realities of nuclear war and the inevitable “nuclear winter” that would destroy most life on the planet…

Reception with the Philanthropy Caucus

Philanthropic leaders from across the country, national charitable organizations, lawmakers, and Congressional staff joined the Philanthropy Caucus for this reception to recognize the role of philanthropy as a unique stakeholder in collective efforts to address some of today's toughest challenges.

Philanthropy Caucuses Reception

The House and Senate Philanthropy Caucuses came together for a social reception as a part of Philanthropy Week in Washington 2016. Representatives from a variety of national charitable organizations, lawmakers, and Congressional staff joined this event to recongize the role of philanthropy as a…
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