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. 

Community Foundation Atlas

We are pleased to partner with the Cleveland Foundation to promote a groundbreaking international project that will inform community philanthropy around the globe. The Community Foundation Atlas will be unveiled at our Centennial Year, Fall Conference for Community Foundations next October 20-…

A Compliance Checklist for Private Foundations

Legal Compliance Guidance
The persistent scrutiny of nonprofit governance has prompted leaders at many types of organizations to take steps to assure that their own houses are in good legal and financial order. This checklist is a good place for you as a private foundation to start.

Tips for Effective Grantee Relations

External Resource
This checklist for developing effective grantee relations was prepared by Jane Kendall, president of the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits and a trustee of the Kathleen Price Bryan Family Fund.

Washington Snapshot - December 13, 2013

Happy holiday season! We even had a snow day here in D.C. this week that helped to boost our festive spirits. Council President Responds to Critical New York Times Op-Ed Ray Madoff’s New York Times op-ed characterizes the charitable deduction as “wasteful,” and brings up an idea—one that we’ve…

Community Foundations National Standards®

The Council on Foundations takes a leadership role in shaping community foundations' self-regulation by promoting Community Foundations National Standards®. What are National Standards? Community Foundations National Standards® (National Standards) is an accreditation program created by community…

Washington Snapshot - December 6, 2013

Welcome to December! We hope that all of our readers had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with family and friends, and a Happy Hanukkah! Thune-Wyden Letter on the Charitable Deduction As this YouTube wrap-up of the day reveals, the Charitable Giving Coalition's D.C. fly-in generated buzz about the…

Glossary of Philanthropic Terms

Fundamentals
Search by Letter A B C D E F G I J L M O P Q R S T U Certain definitions are defined by law. A 501(c)(3): Section of the Internal Revenue Code that designates an organization as charitable and tax-exempt. Organizations qualifying under this section include religious, educational, charitable,…

IRA Charitable Rollover

Issue The Council has actively supported permanence and expansion of the IRA Charitable Rollover since its inclusion in the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA). As of December 18, 2015, the IRA Charitable Rollover was passed by Congress and signed into permanent law by the President, allowing…

Community Foundation Locator

Find community foundations in your area by searching the locator map. You can view a map of all accredited community foundations on the Community Foundations National Standards website or filter to only show accredited foundations here.

Ask Your Senators to Help Preserve the Charitable Deduction

On November 20, in conjunction with the Charitable Giving Coalition’s “Protect Giving Day,” Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) issued a letter in full support of the charitable deduction. This letter is a perfect example of the growing bipartisan support for preserving the full value…

A Quest for Equality: Breaking the Barriers for People with Disabilities

External Resource
From The Chicago Community Trust, this white paper challenges all of us with a set of thoughtful recommendations to realize our promise for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in our communities, our schools and our workplaces.

Thinking about an Audit? Read this First

Legal Compliance Guidance
Audits are everywhere these days. Consider: In the wake of corporate accounting scandals, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted in 2002, imposing corporate governance reforms on public, for-profit companies, including provisions on how financial audits are managed and carried out by auditors.…

More than Money: Making a Difference with Assistance Beyond the Grant

External Resource
From the Center for Effective Philanthropy, most of foundations’ efforts to contribute ‘beyond the money’ have little beneficial impact on grantees. More than Money: Making a Difference with Assistance Beyond the Grant reveals that only when foundation staff provide assistance beyond the grant in…

Effective Collaborations: Recommendations for a Connected Philanthropic Infrastructure

Publication
The report explores the ways in which infrastructure organizations think about the value and the mechanics of collaboration—the drivers and barriers to collaborative work—and determine ways to encourage more effective partnerships. The publication features a framework for understanding…

Closing a Foundation: The Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust

Publication
Closing a nonprofit charitable institution presents a range of unknowns to the grantmaking community. In this analysis, authors John Dickason and Duncan Neuhauser provide guidance to foundations considering whether to create a time-limited foundation or bring a foundation to an end. Topics include…

Addressing the Impact of Currency Fluctuations on International Grantmaking

Publication
Understanding the challenges of currency fluctuations on international grantmaking, and taking action to minimize their impact can ensure that this natural process does not become an added barrier to overseas giving. This resource focuses on some of the challenges foundations and giving programs…
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