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. 

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…

Global Philanthropy Update - July 2017

For the last three years, I’ve noticed a growing trend in community foundations asking for support to make international grants, often from donor or corporate advised funds. We’ve never had data on how many community foundations are making global grants, which is why I’m delighted to share that…

Washington Snapshot - July 20, 2017

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot… Council submits tax reform comments to Senate Finance Committee Tax Reform Update: House committee approves budget, takes first legislative step towards tax reform Senate Finance Committee to consider Mr. Kautter’s nomination today In the States: Michigan…

U.S Community Foundations Making Significant Global Impact

Since I joined the Council in early 2016, I have fielded many requests from community foundations (CFs) seeking support and guidance in facilitating international grants, often due to growing interest from members of their community in supporting causes overseas. At the Council, we’ve witnessed…

Navigating the 2018 Federal Budget Landscape

Memebers Access the Recording & Slides Many of the Executive actions and fiscal visions of the Trump Administration have surfaced complicated and layered public policy issues, putting a variety of "hot issues" in the forefront of the public discourse and Congressional deliberations.…

2017 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey

For more than 30 years, the Council's Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey has provided the sector with the most comprehensive data on grantmaker staff composition and compensation in the U.S. at community, private (family and independent), and public foundations, as well as other staffed…

Council on Foundations and Foundation Center Release First-Ever Report on International Giving by U.S. Community Foundations

A first-of-its kind analysis of international grantmaking by large U.S. community foundations was released today by the Council on Foundations and Foundation Center. Local Communities with Global Reach: International Giving by U.S. Community Foundations shows that international grantmaking is…

Local Communities with Global Reach: International Giving by U.S. Community Foundations

Publication
The Council, in collaboration with the Foundation Center (now Candid), created this first-ever analysis of international grantmaking by U.S. community foundations. Beyond statistics on global grantmaking trends, the report also includes interviews with five community foundations - The Boston…
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