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. 

CF Insights Interactive Strategy Model Toolkit

Toolkit
Building on the Activity-Based Costing methodology, the Interactive Strategy Model (ISM) helps community foundations model the impact of strategic changes on their economics. Consulting services are available for any of our CF Insights operating model analysis tools. Email cfinsights@cof.org to…

CF Insights Economic Scenario Planning Toolkit

Toolkit
The Economic Scenario Planning (ESP) Model, or “Stress Test,” allows community foundations to create five-year forecasts to answer questions about the potential effects of investment market performance and donor behavior. Consulting services are available for any of our CF Insights operating model…

Assessing Community Foundation Needs and Envisioning the Future

Publication, Research
Community foundations have several attributes that, taken together, distinguish them from many of their philanthropic brethren, including a local orientation, relationships with many living donors, and a public charity tax status. This affects everything from their approach to solving problems to…

Council & CEONet | Community Foundation CEO Roundtable - September 2023

Innovative Donor and Community Engagement Strategies Community foundations are positioned to offer a variety of engagement strategies to effectively educate, connect, cultivate, and deepen relationships among the community and its donors. Listen to this roundtable discussion on creative and…

September Public Policy Update: What’s Happening in Congress?

Congress is back in session this month and facing several decisions and deadlines that could impact your work—and bring the government to a standstill. With federal funding set to expire at the end of September, plus must-pass defense and agriculture legislation that’s causing fights across the…

CF Insights

Explore the Data See the results from the FY22 Survey, and watch a recording of our webinar where we discuss the findings. Submit your foundation's data at any time. Explore the benchmarking tool. The idea behind CF Insights is simple: What if each community foundation could know what…

Making Informed Decisions in Uncertain Times: Helping Community Foundations during Economic Volatility

Publication, Research
To help community foundations address twin challenges of fewer resources and greater need, CF Insights conducted research by interviewing and collecting survey responses from a cross section of 73 community foundations during the month of October 2008.

Philanthropy Supporting Ukraine - September 2023

Innovative Solutions in Education How can philanthropy apply lessons from the war in Ukraine and support education systems during and after a crisis and in conflict zones across the globe? Since the war began, over 2,600 schools have been damaged and some 5.3 million children face barriers…

DEI Roundtable: Small and Mighty: Spearheading DEI Initiatives for Small Teams

We are excited to share an inspiring and transformative Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Roundtable Series, tailored specifically for professionals implementing DEI work in the philanthropic sector. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals, learn new tools and…

Community Philanthropy Update - August 2023

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2023 UN General Assembly Philanthropic Side-Events

  Sunday, September 17, 2023 Goals House UNGA September 17 - 20 | In-Person Philanthropies Represented: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Register now Monday, September 18, 2023 Better Together World Congress 2023 September 18 | Hybrid Philanthropies Represented: Better Together…

2023 Annual Member Meeting

The virtual 2023 Annual Member Meeting included approval of the nominations for the Board of Directors and the State of the Council address from Kathleen Enright, President and CEO, Council on Foundations.  Celebrating our 2023 Council Award Winners During our 2023 Annual Member…

CF Insights Survey Results

Explore the latest data reflecting community foundation growth and operational activity. Explore the 2022 data Explore the CF Insights benchmarking tool and submit your foundation's data at any time. Explore the Database

Philanthropy's Response to Hawaiʻi Wildfires

Overview Over 100 people have died in the wildfires sweeping through the Hawaiʻian island of Maui. Although wildfires and hurricanes are part of "seasonal realities" in the state, strong winds from Hurricane Dora have made this fire the nation's deadliest in over 100 years. Lahaina, a…

Artificial Intelligence in Philanthropy: Trends and Responsible Use

View the recording of this thought-provoking webinar on the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and its significance in shaping digital infrastructure and enhancing equitable outcomes for the social sector. In this session, speakers from the philanthropic sector discussed how the power of…

Community Philanthropy Update - July 2023

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