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. 

Growing Something That Lasts in Lancaster County, PA

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has some of the most productive farmland in the country. For centuries it has fed families, built communities, and defined this county. Drive a mile or two outside downtown and you'll see it—rolling fields, working farms, and a landscape that has fed this country for…

Council Conferences

At the Council, we approach conferences a little bit differently.  Rather than hosting a traditional annual conference, we convene our community through two distinctly different events, each designed with a specific intention and focus. Together, they reflect how the Council shows up for the…

Proposed Rule: Regulation on Federal Financial Assistance

Last Updated: June 3, 2026OverviewOn May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued proposed regulations to revise the Uniform Guidance, which governs federal financial assistance across all federal agencies. OMB states that the proposal is intended to improve transparency,…

Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort Alumni Office Hours - September

Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort office hours offer cohort members a space to reflect on their learnings and ask questions about program content. This year, we're excited to open these sessions to cohort alumni. These sessions are an opportunity to reconnect with the program's themes and…

A Place for Heroes to Call Home in Sarasota, FL

Steven Mitchell is a Marine Corps veteran and a carpenter in Sarasota, Florida, where he moved in 2009. When the recovery residence he was living in was condemned, the Salvation Army helped him find Heroes' Village."It brought tears to my eyes, ain't going to lie," Mitchell said. "Having the time…

Generosity Builds

Generosity Builds is a storytelling campaign from the Council on Foundations highlighting the ways charitable foundations show up as a nonpartisan force for good in our communities — from scientific breakthroughs to community childcare, veterans support, and disaster relief.

On a Minnesota Farm, Generosity Comes First

Every fall, before the harvest is sold, Pat and Kristin Duncanson keep a promise: the first load goes to the community, not to market.The Duncansons own Highland Family Farms in Mapleton, Minnesota—a 5th-generation family farm that Pat and Kristin now run alongside two of their four children. Each…

Called to Build in Chattanooga, TN

For years, Pastor Gary Hathaway and the Greater Tucker Baptist Missionary Church wanted to use the vacant land on the church’s property to provide affordable housing for its senior community. After unsuccessful attempts to secure federal tax credits to make the units truly affordable, Pastor…

The Schools That Generosity Built and Communities Owned

In 1912, Black children across the rural South were learning in churches, homes and open fields. States and municipalities funded school buildings for white students—utilities, cleaning, transportation—and provided almost nothing for Black students. The gap wasn't accidental; it was policy. Julius…

A Road Trip Through Arizona's Food Banks

In the days after Thanksgiving 2025, the Arizona Community Foundation's (ACF) Chief Executive Officer, Anna María Chávez, along with Kim Covington, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at ACF, and a team of ACF leaders loaded up and drove across Arizona for three days. They stopped at 21 food…

What Scouts Gave on the Home Front

Long before most of them were old enough to serve, America's young people found their own way to contribute. In the early 1940s, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts across the country threw themselves into the home front effort—going door to door, organizing drives, and rallying their communities around a…

Community Philanthropy Update - May 2026

Welcome to the new members of the Community Foundation Advisory Group! Plus your legal question of the month and more!

Info Session: CF Leadership Coalition Policy & Communications Add-On May 2026

 For over 75 years, the Council on Foundations has worked to support the nation’s community foundations, acting as a voice for them in Washington, D.C. while providing essential policy guidance and resources. Now, through the new CF Leadership Coalition, Policy and Communications Add-On,…

Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort Alumni Office Hours - July

Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort office hours offer cohort members a space to reflect on their learnings and ask questions about program content. This year, we're excited to open these sessions to cohort alumni. These sessions are an opportunity to reconnect with the program's themes and…

Washington Snapshot: DOJ Report on Anti-Christian Bias

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) sent letters to the legal counsels at three nonprofit organizations accused of accepting money from allies of the Chinese Communist Party. Plus, Ways and Means letters to nonprofits, Legal Basics for Community Foundations, GSB Survey…

Council & CEONet | Community Foundation CEO Roundtable - June 2026

Topic: More Than Four Walls - Creating Spaces that Serve Your CommunityJoin fellow community foundation CEOs for a roundtable conversation exploring how community foundations are reimaging their role as community hubs through the development of dedicated headquarters with built-in convening and…
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