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 Office Hours - Global - June 2022

Reach out to educate@cof.org for access to the recording. As part of our Member Week programming, Council attornies Remy Barnwell and Ben McDearmon hosted Legal Office Hours - Global Topics. This members-only Q&A discussion addressed legal questions, trends in global philanthropy, and the…

Community Philanthropy Update - April 2022

If you live in or near Washington, D.C., as I do, you know how easy it can be to imagine Congress and the president as the center of our political world. But in truth, so much of our lives is shaped by what happens at the local level: in state senates, governor’s offices, and even school boards. In…

Legal Office Hours for Community Foundations: June 2022

As part of our Member Week programming, Council attorneys Ben McDearmon and Remy Barnwell will hosted Legal Office Hours for Community Foundations. This members-only Q&A discussion addressed your legal questions, trends in community philanthropy, and the latest concerns around…

Uniting Americans through Service: The Power of AmeriCorps and Philanthropy Working in Partnership

View our conversation with Michael D. Smith, newly appointed CEO of AmeriCorps! The conversation, hosted in partnership with Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, explored how philanthropy and AmeriCorps (the federal agency for national service and volunteering) can connect to advance the…

Definitions of Hate and Extremism

Anti-Defamation League Hate Group: An organization whose goals and activities are primarily or substantially based on a shared antipathy towards people of one or more other different races, religions, ethnicities/nationalities/national origins, genders, and/or sexual identities. The mere presence…

Washington Snapshot: FARA Hearing, Judge Jackson's Confirmation, and More

What's Happening This Week... On the Blog: Jamie Merisotis, Chair of New Ethics Task Force Foundations on the Hill 2022 Wraps Up Council Submits Testimony to Senate Finance Committee House Holds Hearing on Enhancements to…

Submitted Testimony on “Examining Charitable Giving and Trends in the Nonprofit Sector”

Thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony for the record on the subject of “Examining Charitable Giving and Trends in the Nonprofit Sector.” We commend the committee for holding this hearing during a pivotal moment for nonprofits and their philanthropic partners. The Council on…

Virtual Meet-Up: Community Foundation Donor Services - April 2022

Join this interactive and informal virtual-meet up for all community foundation staff who are philanthropic advisors or involved in donor stewardship. This peer-led conversation will be a time to connect with peers across the nation and share learnings.  This conversation will focus on the…

When People Need Help, 'Community' Philanthropy Knows No Borders

As Americans witness the atrocity of the Russian government’s illegal war on Ukraine, many of us feel frustrated, and even helpless. The forces at work are too large for us to imagine that we can affect them. That changed for Berks County Community Foundation earlier this month, when our friends…

Washington Snapshot: Register Now for Foundations on the Hill 2022

What's Happening This Week... Register Now for Foundations on the Hill Last Chance to Apply for HUD Secretary's Award House to Vote on Retirement Bill Next Week President Biden to Release FY2023 Budget Request Monday…

Foundations on the Hill 2022

Presented by United Philanthropy Forum, in partnership with the Council on Foundations and Independent Sector, Foundations on the Hill: Informs and educates Congress about the importance of the philanthropic sector; Creates visibility for foundations and philanthropy on…

Community Philanthropy Update - March 2022

Dear Friend, Over the past weeks, we have all likely felt deep sadness and concern for those impacted by the Ukraine crisis. The invasion of Ukraine was more than an attack on a country; it has had a destabilizing effect felt across the globe. And yet one thing has remained constant: the central…

Community Foundation CEO Virtual Roundtable - May 2022

Cryptocurrency and Your Community Foundation Curious about cryptocurrency, but do not know where to start? Community foundation executives were invited to a peer roundtable conversation to learn more about the unique opportunities and challenges for community foundations accepting…

SDG Learning Community for Community Foundations - The State of the Sustainable Development Goals in the United States Report

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: The State of the…

Washington Snapshot: Summary of Senate Finance Committee's Hearing on Charitable Giving

What's Happening This Week... Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on Charitable Giving Congressional Research Service Releases Report on Charitable Deduction Census Undercount of Young Children Persists in 2020 National…

Guidance for Making Grants to Support Ukraine

Legal Compliance Guidance
Over the last two weeks, we’ve received scores of questions from the field about how to help the Ukrainian people during the ongoing Russian invasion, including during our recent webinar with the State Department. The outpouring of support and willingness to make immediate relief funds available…
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