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 Voice for Philanthropy: What the Council Means to Me

In April, my tenure as chair of the Council on Foundations’ Board of Directors will end, and I will near completion of my board service, a term bounded by two historic presidential elections and begun when our country experienced an economic collapse rivaled only by the 1929 market crash and the…

Webinar Recording: Council Member Update - Spring 2017

 

Washington Snapshot - March 2, 2017

In this Week’s Edition of Snapshot… Tax Reform Update: President Trump addresses Congress, Secretary Mnuchin speaks on tax reform, Chairman Brady vows to repeal the Johnson Amendment, and the Council and colleagues speak out in defense of nonpartisanship Legislation to invest in “opportunity…

Here’s the IRS’s Dirty Dozen List of Tax Scams

It’s officially tax season when the IRS releases its Dirty Dozen List of Tax Scams. We know Council members work hard to be on the right side of the law, but the below info from the IRS can be useful to review with board and staff. Don’t forget, if you ever have a question, the Council’s legal team…

2017 Annual Convening of the Veterans Philanthropy Exchange

Launched in 2014, The Veterans Philanthropy Exchange is a learning and sharing forum for philanthropic grantmakers, donors, and corporate giving programs supporting veterans and military family strategies. Join your peers for discussions about funder collaboration and collective action, a…

Community Foundation Business Model Disruption in the 21st Century - Memphis, TN

The Council on Foundations will be joining the AdNet Conference, an affinity group of community foundation advancement officers and development professionals, at their national convening Mar 20-22, 2017 in Memphis, TN. Community Foundation Business Model Disruption in the 21st Century Lunch…

Why Become a National Standards Reviewer? Two Perspectives

Sandi Roehrig, Executive Director, Fond du Lac Area Foundation Many years ago the community foundation executives in Wisconsin met to collectively talk about a growing concern. At the time, any organization could call itself a community foundation, and if their actions gave the term a bad name, we…

Washington Snapshot - February 23, 2017

In this Week’s Edition of Snapshot… Tax Reform Update: House Republicans face growing opposition to border adjustability Charitable Giving Coalition Spends Day Fighting for the Charitable Deduction on Capitol Hill IRS makes 1023-EZ data available online In the States: State budgets (in brief…

New Podcast: Philanthropy Hour's Conversation with Vikki Spruill

Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill sat down with Philanthropy Hour’s Greg Cherry for an intimate conversation about the impact and value of American philanthropy and the Council on Foundations' role in advancing the common good. Hear what Vikki considers to be trending in the field, what…

Philanthropy Caucus Reception

Join the Philanthropy Caucus for a social reception to conclude Foundations on the Hill. Network with representatives from a variety of charitable foundations and organizations, lawmakers, and Congressional staff in an event to recognize the role of philanthropy as a unique stakeholder in…

Washington Snapshot - February 16, 2017

In this Week’s Edition of Snapshot… Tax Reform Update: Mnuchin confirmed as Treasury Secretary, Bishop named to Ways & Means, Trump Administration working on a tax overhaul plan, Congress aims to keep the train on track IRS seeks to understand how the regulatory ban will impact its work…

Recent Immigration Executive Orders: How is Philanthropy Impacted and Reacting?

Listen to the Recording The webinar provided an analysis of the impact that President Trump's Executive Order 13769, Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals, may have on your foundation's work domestically and globally. Council staff and foundation leaders discussed how…

Community Foundations February Update

The nature of disruption has been on my mind recently. Our friends at the Greater New Orleans Foundation are coordinating a Helping our Neighbors: Tornado Relief Fund to alleviate the devastation of numerous tornadoes last week. They mobilized quickly to help pave the way for philanthropy to make a…

Community Foundation Business Model Disruption in the 21st Century

Publication
With the pace of change in our world, disruption is a natural state in communities everywhere. Change is the new normal. So how do community foundations, institutions of long-standing tradition that are influential in how communities address change, adapt themselves to the new normal?…

Council Member Update

Members Access the Recording Thanks to everyone who attended the first Council Member Update of 2017. Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill covered why this is such a critical time for philanthropy — and what the Council has planned in the year ahead to help strengthen the field. Attendees also…

Washington Snapshot - February 9, 2017

In this Week’s Edition of Snapshot… Tax Reform Update: Council staff meets with Chairman Brady, there is a new member of Ways and Means, and tax bills are not in short supply The Council sends a letter to Congress about the “Johnson Amendment” A number of the President’s Cabinet Nominees have…
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