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. 

2022 Member Week

Member Week is a time to celebrate and connect our 850 members within the philanthropic sector. We believe that when we come together as a membership community to connect through shared purpose, we can speak with a collective voice and achieve greater impact than we could alone. There are many…

Presentation Slides - Philanthropy and COVID-19: Examining Two Years of Giving and What's Next

Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) recently released a report "Philanthropy and COVID-19: Examining two years of giving" to see how philanthropy has responded to the pandemic. In partnership with the Council on Foundations, CDP and Candid presented a webinar that…

Washington Snapshot: Federal Plan to Close Housing Supply Gap

What's Happening This Week... Getting Started with Values-Aligned Philanthropy Council Member Week: Federal Roundtables and More! Congressional Update IRS Releases Guidance on Employer-Leave-Based Donations to Ukraine…

Community Philanthropy Update - May 2022

Volunteering has always been important to me, but as I volunteer more regularly with my 10-year-old daughter, I am reminded that volunteering transforms those who serve just as much as the causes they support. Volunteering expands our perspectives. It provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment. It…

Washington Snapshot: Register for AmeriCorps CEO Meet and Greet with Philanthropy

What's Happening This Week... Uniting Americans Through Service: Philanthropy and AmeriCorps "Meet and Greet" Congressional Update Small Business Administration Expands Rural HUBZones Federal Health Benefits Extended to…

Philanthropy's Response to New Mexico Wildfires

OVERVIEW The Calf Canyon Fire and Hermits Peak Fire merged into what has become the largest active wildfire in the U.S. and the second-largest wildfire in New Mexico's history- the fires have burned more than 250,000 acres. On May 4, President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for…

Policy Update - June 2022

Reach out to educate@cof.org for access to the recording. Thank you to those who joined the Council’s Capitol Hill consultants Ken Kies, Managing Director, Federal Policy Group and Arshi Siddiqui, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. In the conversation moderated by Stephanie Powers,…

Washington Snapshot: Public-Philanthropic Partnerships Boost Support for Students

What's Happening This Week... Uniting Americans Through Service: Philanthropy and AmeriCorps "Meet and Greet" Senate Holds Hearing on Tax-Exempt Organizations' Political Activity White House Proclaims National Mental Health…

Roundtable Conversations with Federal Agencies

Reach out to educate@cof.org for access to the recording. Council members were invited to join informal roundtable discussions with several federal agencies to learn more about their implementation of the American Rescue Plan and other priorities, including the cross-government equity action plans…

2022 Membership Week

This year the Council will host a series of virtual events that will offer members the opportunity to hear directly from Council leaders and peers on some of philanthropy’s most important challenges and opportunities. We hope these free events will provide connection, insight, and inspiration for…

2022 Public Policy Summit

Join us for the Council on Foundations’ 2022 Public Policy Summit – where we will come together as a virtual community to explore philanthropy’s role as a bridge-builder. Gain an insider’s view of how the midterm elections reshape the political landscape for philanthropy and learn how foundations…

2022 HR Retreat

Over the past two years, the purpose and design of the workplace, a term once used to describe the physical location of an organization, has evolved to include an ever-changing and complex mix of technology, places, and people. Throughout this time, philanthropic employers and HR leaders have…

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…

Washington Snapshot: Nonprofit Strength and Partnership Act Introduced in the House

What's Happening This Week... Uniting Americans Through Service: Philanthropy and AmeriCorps "Meet and Greet" Nonprofit Strength and Partnership Act Introduced in the House Council Submits Comments on Foreign Agents Registration Act…

Submitted Testimony on “Enhancing the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938”

Thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony for the record on the subject of “Enhancing the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938.” We commend the committee for holding a hearing on this important topic as nonprofit organizations continue to respond to global crises and seek…

SDG Learning Community for Community Foundations - May Meeting

Join us for the April meeting of our new Peer Learning Circle dedicated specifically for community foundations who are working on advancing the Sustainble Development Goals (SDGs) or are open to learning more about how the SDGs can fit within their work. Meeting Topic: SDG App Focus Group Guest…
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