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. 

Washington Snapshot: Members of Ways and Means Committee Send Letter in Support of DAFs

What's Happening This Week... Senate Finance Committee to Hold Hearing on Charitable Giving and Nonprofit Sector Summary: Congress's FY2022 Government Funding Bill Members of the Ways and Means Committee Send Letter Opposing…

SDG Learning Community for Community Foundations - Vital Signs and SDGs

Join us for the March 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: Community Foundations…

Public Policy Action Network - June Update Meeting

What is the Council’s Public Policy Action Network? The Council’s Public Policy Action Network is a group of foundation leaders committing their voices, experiences, and networks to engage and educate federal elected officials to foster a policy environment in which philanthropy can thrive.…

Public Policy Action Network - May Update Meeting

What is the Council’s Public Policy Action Network? The Council’s Public Policy Action Network is a group of foundation leaders committing their voices, experiences, and networks to engage and educate federal elected officials to foster a policy environment in which philanthropy can thrive.…

HR Roundtable - April 2022

Join this peer-to-peer conversation with HR, Culture and Talent leaders in philanthropy to discuss best practices and new ideas related to talent management, organizational culture, and other operational functions. In partnership with the Disability & Philanthropy Forum, this informal…

Global Philanthropy Update - March 2022

Funders around the world have sprung into action to support those at risk during the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Eastern Europe. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 has already resulted in more than 800,000 Ukrainians fleeing the conflict and seeking refuge abroad. As the conflict…

Webinar: Philanthropy's Response to the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis

The Council on Foundations and the U.S. State Department hosted an urgent discussion on how philanthropy can best support the humanitarian response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feburary 24, 2022. Representatives from the State Department Office of Global Partnerships and the…

Philanthropy for Ukraine

Overview Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, a humanitarian and economic disaster has rippled across the world. We will continue to update this page as the crisis unfolds and more information becomes available. As of August 15, 2024 Candid has tracked: 6,003 grants worth $2,…

Council on Foundations Announces Creation of Ethics Task Force

WASHINGTON, DC - The Council on Foundations announced today that it will convene a new task force in the coming months to lift up clear ethical standards for members and to underscore philanthropy’s profound responsibility to the greater good. This task force, chaired by Jamie Merisotis,…

Strengthening Nonprofit Resiliency: What Your Foundation Can Do Now

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the philanthropic community recognized the critical need to respond with fierce urgency to support nonprofit partners. Over 800 organizations pledged to ease or eliminate restrictions on grants and reduce what is asked of grantees, aiming to support to…

Community Philanthropy Update - February 2022

Since my last update, the ways in which community foundations and other sponsoring organizations utilize donor-advised funds (DAFs) have become a topic of discussion within the broader grantmaking community. Not only did a Council working group release recommendations to guide the…

2023 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey (GSB)

Since 1980, the Council's Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey has provided the sector with the most comprehensive data on staff composition and compensation in the United States. Grantmakers rely on this annual report to plan budgets, benchmark personnel policies and practices, determine salary…

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…

SDG Learning Community for Community Foundations - Roundtable Discussion

Join us for the February 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: Roundtable…

Intergovernmental Personnel Act Philanthropy Talent Pipeline Webinar

The Council and the Partnership for Public Service have teamed up to create the IPA Philanthropy Talent Pipeline, a new opportunity for foundations to loan staff and grantee experts to federal agencies for a limited “tour of duty.” The Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) permits federal…

Public Policy Action Network - February Update Meeting

What is the Council’s Public Policy Action Network? The Council’s Public Policy Action Network is a group of foundation leaders committing their voices, experiences, and networks to engage and educate federal elected officials to foster a policy environment in which philanthropy can thrive.…
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