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. 

Council on Foundations Recognizes 2022 Award Winners, Including Charles R. Anderson for Distinguished Service

The Council on Foundations today announced the winners of three Council awards. The 2022 Distinguished Service Award winner, Charles R. Anderson of the San Juan Island Community Foundation; and the 2022 Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking winner, the Social Equity Collaborative Fund at Catalyst…

Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Fundamentals Course - Virtual - May 2023

This event is SOLD OUT. Still interested in joining us for a Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Fundamentals course? Register now for July. A well-trained staff and an informed board are critical to the success of community foundations in our fast-changing world. This course helps new and…

Philanthropy Supporting Ukraine - November 2022

With the war in Ukraine far from over, the immediate wave of support from philanthropy has dwindled. However, the war continues to have devastating impacts on Ukraine, Ukrainians globally, global food insecurity, and the global economy. In partnership with the Community Foundations of Canada,…

Legal Matters for Community Foundations - Virtual - March 2023

Led by the Council on Foundations Legal Team, this workshop is flexibly organized to ensure that your broad legal questions for administering funds, grants, and community foundation activities are addressed. The legal team will provide technical and practical understanding of complex rules and…

Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Fundamentals Course - Virtual - February 2023

This course is SOLD OUT. It will be offered again in May. A well-trained staff and an informed board are critical to the success of community foundations in our fast-changing world. This course helps new and growing community foundation staff build the essential skills they need to balance…

SDG Learning Community for Community Foundations November 2022 Meeting

Join us for the November meeting of our Peer Learning Circle dedicated specifically for foundations working on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or are open to learning more about how the SDGs can fit within their work.    Guest Speaker: Kate Landon, Strategic Engagement…

Community Foundation CEO Virtual Roundtable - November 2022

Community Foundations and Civic Healing   A recent Pew Research survey of Americans found that 58% are dissatisfied with the way democracy is working, while 62% remain optimistic about the country’s future. These types of statistics illustrate a depth of problems- such as civic…

Community Foundation Advisory Group

The Council on Foundations’ Community Foundation Advisory Group assists the Council with strategic decisions related to the community foundation field, represents the interests of their peers across the country, and elevates the issues of most importance to the sector. Learn more about the…

SDG Learning Community for Community Foundations - 17 Rooms Initiative

Join us for the October meeting of our new Peer Learning Circle dedicated specifically for community foundations who are working on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or are open to learning more about how the SDGs can fit within their work. Meeting Topic: 17 Rooms Initiative…

2022 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report: Board Compensation Tables

Publication, Research
The 2022 Board Compensation Tables provide foundation board and staff with the tools they need to benchmark their board compensation policies and practices against peers in the field. This report contains data collected through the Council’s 2022 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey and presented…

2022 Annual Member Meeting

  The virtual 2022 Annual Member Meeting included: Remarks from the 2022 Distinguished Service Award winner, Charles Anderson, Board of Directors and Chair Emeritus of the San Juan Island Community Foundation, The State of the Council address from Kathleen Enright, President and CEO,…

Philanthropy's Response to Hurricane Ian

Overview After causing an island-wide blackout on Cuba, Hurricane Ian hit Florida's west coast as one of the strongest and deadliest storms to ever make landfall since 1935. The hurricane made contact as a Category 4 storm, with a windfall of 150 mph and record-high storm surges. There were 125…

2022 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report

Publication, Research
The 2022 Grantmaker Salary and Benefit report is updated with the most recent sector data. Information is presented by grantmaker type, foundation type, asset size, and geographic location. Additionally, 2022 report contents include: Salary data on 10,304 full-time staff from 1,003…

The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations: 2022 Edition

Publication, Toolkit
For 25 years, the Council on Foundations and Candid have partnered on studies of globally focused giving by U.S. foundations. The new edition of The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations dives into 2016-2019 data to provide the latest perspective on how the nation’s foundations are supporting…

Philanthropy's Response to Hurricane Fiona

Overview Heavy rains have swept Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, leading to massive flooding, damage and destruction. Hurricane Fiona, a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of more than 111 mph, is continuing to wreak havoc throughout the Caribbean. Nearly 3.1 million…

Grantmaker Ethics and Accountability

Philanthropy has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years in terms of the sources of wealth underlying charitable gifts, the allocation of resources, and its decision-making processes. More than ever, those engaged in philanthropy need an ethical orientation to inform their work. Combining…
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