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. 

2020 Public Policy Summit - Working Group

Working Group Ken Austin General Counsel and Corporate Secretary The Wallace Foundation Ben Chandler President and CEO Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky Sally Ehrenfried Principal, Government Relations Blackbaud…

Shifting Practices, Sharing Power? How U.S. Philanthropy is Responding to the 2020 Crises

Publication
The public health, racial justice, and economic crises of 2020 have affected millions of Americans and laid bare the glaring inequities in our systems and institutions.  A new report from Council on Foundations, Philanthropy California, and Dalberg Advisors outlines how the US philanthropic…

The SDG Guidebook and Toolkit: A Community Foundation Resource on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

External Resource
This resource from the Community Foundations of Canada provides useful tips and frameworks for community foundations across the world to utilize the SDGs.

Washington Snapshot: Senate Republicans Introduced a Slimmed-Down COVID-19 Bill

With Congress adjourned for the summer, Snapshot will not be published again in full until September 18. However, it is our goal to keep you informed on key updates as they occur.  The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW World Health Organization: Situation Dashboard How Philanthropy Can…

Balancing Purpose, Payout, and Permanence: Strategy Guide

Publication
This Strategy Guide, developed in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy, invites you to reflect more deeply on how your foundation chooses to balance the four factors of Purpose, Conditions and Trends, Time Horizon, and Assets for Mission, especially in times of greater…

Outsized Challenges Demand Creative Solutions: Expanding Payout through Debt Financing

  Many philanthropic institutions are exploring ways to access additional resources to respond to the deep seeded racial inequities that permeate most aspects of American society and the devastating effects of COVID-19, which is widening inequality around the globe. The Ford Foundation…

Webinar Recording: Legal Office Hours for Community Foundations August 26, 2020

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2020 UN General Assembly Virtual Philanthropic Side-Events

This page is an archived schedule of philanthropic side-events from the 2020 United Nations General Assembly. See the most recent UNGA schedule instead. This September, many parts of the United Nations General Assembly and its hundreds of side-events will be held virtually for the first time due…

Disaster Assistance and Emergency Hardship Funds: Charitable Assistance for Individuals and Communities

Legal Compliance Guidance, Publication
A Chapter in Mastering Foundation Law: The Council on Foundations Compendium of Legal Resources The Council on Foundations has long been involved in helping foundations and funders navigate grantmaking in times of disaster and hardship. We have published various materials over the years related to…

Trends in Disaster Philanthropy: Examining 15 Years of Disaster Giving to the Asia-Pacific

External Resource
Give2Asia's report looks at 15 years of its grantmaking to understand giving patterns, program impact, and opportunities in the philanthropy sector.

Philanthropy's Response to 2020 Hurricane Laura

OVERVIEW Communities across the Caribbean are reeling from Atlantic Tropical Storm Laura, which caused loss of life in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Laura strengthened into a Hurricane as it is forecasted to strike the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts. This is particularly devastating for the…

Philanthropy's Response to 2020 North American Wildfire Season

OVERVIEW Communities in California, Oregon, and Washington continue to face devastation from mega wildfires, while Colorado wildfires remain mostly contained.  As updates about the impact of these disasters are known and opportunities to support long-term recovery become available, this page…

Philanthropy's Response to 2020 Iowa Derecho

OVERVIEW Communities across the Midwest and primarily in Iowa are reeling from a range of catastrophic events caused by a Derecho that hit the area on August 10, 2020. Devastating crops and farmland, and leaving thousands without power for weeks, many in Iowa are still reeling from the significant…

2020 HR Retreat - Speakers

Speakers Keynote Speakers   Trina C. Olson Team Dynamics Alfonso Wenker Team Dynamics   Culture Speakers   Galen Maness San Francisco Foundation Maria Hannon The Colorado Health Foundation  …

2020 HR Retreat - Sponsors

Sponsors The Council would like to thank all of the sponsors for their support of the 2020 HR Retreat. If you would like to learn more about becoming a sponsor, contact Tara Cox at tara.cox@cof.org. Silver Sponsor Colorado Health Foundation Bronze Sponsors ABD Insurance &…

Washington Snapshot: No Movement, No Deal

With Congress adjourned for the summer, Snapshot will not be published again until September 18. We will issue breaking news as stimulus talks continue or consequential presidential actions occur. The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW World Health Organization: Situation Dashboard How…
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