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 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…

2020 HR Retreat - Schedule

Schedule Stay on the lookout for new information and updates to the Retreat schedule. Wednesday, September 9 4:30-6:00 p.m. Welcome & Retreat Opening Igniting a Culture of Wellness from Within with Robyn E. Cross from ABD Insurance and Dr. Cherie C. Hill, Emory University School…

2020 HR Retreat - Registration

Registration REGISTER NOW Enter the Retreat ENTER NOW Registration Rates Member Rate before July 24, 2020 = $249 Member Rate after July 24, 2020 = $279 Non-member Rate = $349 Nonmember registration opens July 25, 2020   Registration Cancellation All 2020 HR…

Give2Asia's Response to COVID-19

Give2Asia launched its Coronavirus Response Fund on January 23, 2020 with a focus on China, and has since expanded the effort to serve all 23 countries where Give2Asia works in the Asia Pacific region. We are working with in-country health and aid organizations that have national or sub-national…

Legal Office Hours for Community Foundations: August 2020

Members View the Recording During this session, participants will engage in a Q&A discussion to address emerging legal questions.  Registrants will have an opportunity to share top questions/concerns for legal review prior to the session. Nonprofit attorneys from the Council on Foundations…

Legal Office Hours for Community Foundations: July 2020

During this session, participants will engage in a Q&A discussion to address emerging legal questions.  Registrants will have an opportunity to share top questions/concerns for legal review prior to the session. Nonprofit attorneys from the Council on Foundations, Bryan Del Rosario and Ben…

Community Foundation CEO Virtual Roundtable: August 2020

  Thanks for joining the Council and CEONet as we convene CEOs and Executive Directors of community foundations for a sixth 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,…

Webinar Recording: Legal Office Hours for Community Foundations June 25, 2020

 

Charitable Solicitation Regulation and Other State Fundraising Regulations

Legal Compliance Guidance, Publication
A Chapter in Mastering Foundation Law: The Council on Foundations Compendium of Legal Resources This chapter of Mastering Foundation Law reviews what foundation managers need to know about state-level regulations of fundraising: why and how states regulate fundraising; the basic requirements for…

Global Philanthropy Update - June 2020

Over the last few months, our world has permanently changed. The COVID-19 pandemic has swept across the globe, extracting a high toll and exacerbating existing disparities within our globalized world and the places we live. Despite a wane in media attention, the pandemic is still a very real threat…

The Important Role of Global Intermediaries in COVID-19 Response

Fundamentals
COVID-19 has prompted a rapid response from funders to channel funding to organizations across the world. To make this happen efficiently, global intermediaries have stepped up to support individuals, foundations, and corporations in directing support to charitable organizations in Asia & the…

Career Pathways 2020 | Leadership Development Hour

Due to COVID-19, all 2020 Career Pathways in-person programming has been deferred to 2021. The Council is committed to upholding the program’s core values of community, equity, learning, and development and will continue to ensure participants have a stellar experience. This leadership…

Career Pathways 2020 | July Leadership Development Hour

Due to COVID-19, all 2020 Career Pathways in-person programming has been deferred to 2021. The Council is committed to upholding the program’s core values of community, equity, learning, and development and will continue to ensure participants have a stellar experience. This leadership development…

Career Pathways Alumni | October 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: Anticipated Votes on Legislation in Response to Nation-wide Protests

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 Legislation Guide…

We Stand with ABFE

The Council on Foundations joins with other national philanthropy serving organizations to stand in solidarity with ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities in their call for philanthropy to take action on anti-Black racism. ABFE is the oldest affinity group in the country, borne out…
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