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. 

Legal and Accounting Challenges of Underwater Endowment Funds

Legal Compliance Guidance
By Susan E. Budak and Susan N. Gary The widespread adoption of the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) across the country has already been of great help to charities, in part because the financial markets collapsed just months after the uniform act was approved. Most, if…

Investment Management Practice Tips and Resources

Legal Compliance Guidance
Practice 1. The board (and investment committee and staff, if any) of a foundation should understand and fulfill their respective fiduciary responsibilities and duties under applicable law and the governing documents of the foundation and stay informed regarding any relevant changes in law, duties…

Working with a Donor's Investment Manager

Legal Compliance Guidance
“If I create a fund at the community foundation, can my investment manager still manage the funds?” You may have already come across a donor that asked this question. Such a donor is essentially requesting that the fund they create be invested outside of the foundation’s investment pool(s). While…

IRS Audit Survival Tips

Legal Compliance Guidance
Things to do NOW – “An Ounce of Prevention...” Review your organization’s activities – seems simple and basic, but the IRS will be certainly asking about them and the audit context is not the time to learn about someone’s pet project for the first time. Do you have documentation to establish the…

Explanation of Proposed Treasury Regulations: Reliance Standards for Making Good Faith Determinations of Equivalency Determinations

Legal Compliance Guidance
September 24, 2012 The Department of Treasury and the IRS issued proposed regulations applicable to private foundations seeking to make grants to foreign organizations using equivalency determinations. The guidance broadens the range of professionals on whose written advice a private foundation…

Hurricane Sandy Treated as Qualified Disaster

Grantmakers should be advised that Hurricane Sandy is a “qualified disaster” for federal tax purposes. Under IRS rules, this means that employers may more easily assist employees affected by the disaster. Employers and their related foundations may make payments for reasonable and necessary…

Analysis of Type III Supporting Organization Regulations Issued December 28, 2012

Legal Compliance Guidance
On December 28, 2012, the Treasury Department and IRS issued final and temporary regulations on Type III supporting organizations. Simultaneously, proposed regulations were issued regarding payout for Type III non-functionally integrated supporting organizations. This analysis focuses on the areas…

2009 Survey on Donor Advised Funds: Donor Advised Funds Provide the Majority of Grant Funds Awarded by Community Foundations

Research
Donor-advised funds are increasing in number and importance in the U.S. as more individuals, families, and organizations adopt this vehicle of philanthropic giving. A donor-advised fund enables a third party, usually a community foundation or other institution, to manage and distribute funds to…

Align, Adapt, Aspire: Ten Years of Community Foundation Business Model Evolution

Publication
Community foundations understand how the traditional community foundation business model falls short of new aspirations. Sustainability is an ongoing challenge and many community foundations work towards continually adapting their business model to support a changing context and achieve enough…

2013 Columbus Survey of Community Foundations: List of Top 100 Community Foundations by Asset Size

Publication
Includes results of the FY 2013 Columbus Survey of Community Foundations that pertain to the top 100 community foundations by asset size as of April 14, 2014. The table includes the community foundation name, amount of assets at the time of the survey, and fiscal year-end (FYE). Stats are based on…

2013 Columbus Survey Results: Guideposts for Growth and Aspirations

Publication
With this report, CF Insights' aim is to share a snapshot of community foundation asset growth and activity during 2013. The findings are based on 285 community foundation responses to the Columbus Survey as of April 2014.

Benchmarking Beyond Asset Size Top 100 Lists - FY 2013

Publication
In this publication, CF Insights highlights attributes that characterize community foundations in ways beyond asset values. 2013 Columbus Survey participants are ranked based on: Most Active Grantmakers—distribution rates, with percent of donor-advised assets Most Gifts per Capita—gifts per…

Disaster Grantmaking: A Practical Guide for Foundations and Corporations

Publication
Moved by widely publicized human suffering and increased disaster aid requests, foundations and corporations are becoming more active in the disaster relief field. Grantmakers have a distinct role to play in disasters because of their ongoing relations with grantees, long-term perspective,…

Community Foundations Centennial

In 2014, the Council marked the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, the Cleveland Foundation, by celebrating the impact of the first century of community philanthropy and looking ahead to the next 100 years. The centennial offered a unique opportunity to reflect on the…

Philanthropy and Rural America

Publication
Rural America is the frontier for philanthropy to test assumptions, take risks, leverage dollars, influence public policy, and learn lessons. Building on a 2008 rural philanthropy conference, this journal captures ideas from the best minds in rural philanthropy. Learn what philanthropy is doing—or…

The Complete Guide to Grantmaking Basics: A Field Guide for Funders

Publication
The Complete Guide to Grantmaking Basics brings together and updates the information, guidance, and tips found in Grantmaking Basics I and II with more essential tools for grantmakers. This book is a practical guide to honing your grantmaking effectiveness and adapting to the changing nonprofit…
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