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. 

Community Foundation CEO Virtual Roundtable: September 2020

  Join the Council and CEONet as we convene CEOs and Executive Directors of community foundations for a seventh virtual roundtable in support of the continued efforts by the field to respond and adapt to the challenges of COVID-19. With a focus on peer sharing and reflection, these…

Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Fundamentals Course - Virtual

This event is sold out.   Virtual Course October 14 | October 16 | October 21 | October 23 1:00-4:00 p.m. ET A well-trained staff and an informed board are critical to the success of community foundations in our fast-changing world. This two-day course helps new and growing community…

Balancing Purpose, Payout, and Permanence

  "How much should we spend?" It's an essential question for all funders, and an especially complex one for endowed private foundations. The answer of "around 5%" was never universal as foundations sought creative means of ensuring that assets would serve mission rather than the other way…

Career Pathways Alumni | September Community Building Hour

The Council on Foundations’ Career Pathways program (CP) has strengthened and expanded the capacity of philanthropic professionals within the leadership pipeline who are considered, appointed, and retained in senior and executive philanthropic leadership positions. The Council is committed to…

Washington Snapshot: The Next COVID-19 Package

The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW World Health Organization: Situation Dashboard How Philanthropy Can Respond: Center for Disaster Philanthropy Council on Foundations: COVID-19 Resource Hub List of COVID-19 Response Funds Council's Comprehensive Coronavirus…

Webinar Recording: Policy Briefing: Upcoming Legislation Addressing COVID-19's Ongoing Impact

Recording

Community Foundation Update: July 2020

We all could use a sense of normalcy. Hence, I am pleased to announce our fall lineup of trainings and workshops, peer conversations and summits—and, you guessed it, all virtual! We plan to deliver a mix of refreshed content alongside new formats to dive into shared experiences with peers and…

CFUnited Pop-Up Series: Conversations with Leaders

View the Recording   Pop-up Conversation #1 Since we missed the opportunity to convene in person this past April in Detroit, Michigan, CFUnited is proud to bring together a panel of executives, all local to Michigan community foundations, to authentically explore how “power of place “grounds…

CFUnited Pop-Up Series: Conversations with Leaders

Please join us for the CFUnited: Power of Place: Pop-up Series: Conversations with Leaders! This two part virtual Zoom webinar series is in response to the cancelled CFUnited: Power of Place Conference that was to be held in Detroit, Michigan in April.    Pop-Up Conversation #2…

Legal Matters for Community Foundations - Virtual - October 2020

New Virtual Format of Legal Matters for Community Foundations! Register Today for this Limited Size Workshop!   Led by the Council on Foundations Legal Team and Brad Ward, Lead Straegist of Community Philanthropy, this workshop is flexibly organized to ensure that your broad legal…

Washington Snapshot: A Stalled COVID-19 Package

The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW World Health Organization: Situation Dashboard How Philanthropy Can Respond: Center for Disaster Philanthropy Council on Foundations: COVID-19 Resource Hub List of COVID-19 Response Funds Council's Comprehensive Coronavirus…

Legal Matters for Community Foundations - Virtual - September 2020

This event is sold out.   Led by the Council on Foundations Legal Team and Brad Ward, Lead Straegist of Community Philanthropy, this workshop is flexibly organized to ensure that your broad legal questions for administering funds, grants, and community foundation activities are…

Policy Brief: Foundation Payout and the COVID-19 Crisis

Summary Since COVID-19 began its devastating course, philanthropy has stepped up to provide new resources and increased flexibility to those organizations and communities most impacted. As of May 2020, the philanthropic response to COVID-19 in the United States totaled more than $6…

Policy Briefing: Upcoming Legislation Addressing COVID-19's Ongoing Impact

Members View the Recording The health and economic impact of COVID-19 has continued to ripple through communities across the country and the world. Congress is discussing additional legislation to address some of the challenges faced by workers, businesses, nonprofits, and communities. Hear from…

HR Leaders Peer Exchange: Supporting Staff Through Challenging Times

As organizations continue to respond to the impact of both COVID-19 and the movement for racial justice, HR leaders in philanthropy are being called on to create and hold the space for difficult and essential conversations about anti-racism and racial equity, while also supporting staff members who…

2020 HR Retreat - Working Group

Working Group Thomas Brewer Director, Finance & Administration Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Keralee Clay Vice President of Operations Amarillo Area Foundation Maria Hannon Sr. Director of Human Resources The Colorado Health Foundation Carly Hare…
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