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. 

Developing an Investment Strategy

This webinar on investment management is presented by Jeff Davis, CAIA, Consultant at FEG Investment Advisors and co-lead of FEG’s 2019 Community Foundation Survey, and is part of the Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Finance Course. For this particular webinar, objectives include increasing…

Washington Snapshot: Budget Agreement Passed by House; Moving onto 2020 Appropriations Bills

In This Week's Snapshot... Budget Agreement Passed by the House Moving onto 2020 Appropriations Bills Senate Approves New Defense Secretary Student Loan Debt Legislation Unveiled USDA Proposes to Narrow Food Stamp Eligibility Department of Labor Resources for Hurricane Recovery States…

2019 Endowments & Finance Summit - Plenary Sessions

Plenary Sessions Check back here often for updates. Opening Plenary — Meeting Obligations in a Time of Financial Volatility and Uncertainty Thursday, September 19 | 9:15-10:30 a.m. None of us can see into the future. But for foundation leaders, having that unique ability would be…

Community Philanthropy Update - July 2019

The Council is excited to work with our partners—the community foundation affinity groups AdNet, Comma, and ProNet—to host the 2020 CFUnited, Community Foundations: Power of Place, Conference. Designed as an immersive experience for all staff at community foundations regardless of size, scale…

Global Philanthropy Update - July 2019

The United Nations' annual mid-year High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) finished earlier this week. I was in New York to join several events and enjoyed connecting with a broad variety of organizations and people working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, including many…

Webinar Recording: FARA, FATF, and De Risking Oh My!

 

Washington Snapshot: A Budget Deal Could Be Reached Before August Recess; States Sue to Challenge IRS SALT Workaround Rule

In This Week's Snapshot... A Budget Deal Reached? House Repeals the ACA Cadillac Tax Department of Agriculture Scientists Relocated from DC Federal Reserve Board Beige Book Published States Sue to Challenge IRS SALT Workaround Rule Most Legislative Sessions End, Budget Crises Emerge News…

Washington Snapshot: Talks About Raising the Debt Ceiling Resume; Judge Denies DOJ Bid to Swap Lawyers for Census Citizenship Question Case

In This Week's Snapshot... Talks About Raising the Debt Ceiling Resume Department of Education Invites Applications EDA Prioritizes Applications for Projects Located in Opportunity Zones IRS’ National Taxpayer Advocate Report: Recommended EITC Reforms Judge Denies DOJ Bid to Swap Lawyers for…

Giving USA 2019

External Resource
Amid a complex climate for charitable giving, American individuals, bequests, foundations, and corporations gave an estimated $427.71 billion to U.S. charities in 2018, according to Giving USA 2019: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2018. Highlights from the Report …

Programming

Thursday, September 19 Opening Plenary - 9:15-10:30 am Meeting Obligations in a Time of Financial Volatility and Uncertainty  None of us can see into the future. But for foundation leaders, having that unique ability would be helpful in mitigating global financial issues and trends that force…

Washington Snapshot: House Ways & Means Subcommittee Hearing on SALT, Repeal of UBIT Fringe Benefits Provision Passes Committee

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot... House Ways & Means Subcommittee Hearing on SALT Repeal of UBIT Fringe Benefits Provision Passes Committee Change in the Private Foundation Excise Tax Passes Committee Supreme Court Rules on Census Citizenship Question Wayfair and Tax-Exempt…

2019 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) Philanthropic Side-Events

The High-Level Politcal Forum (HLPF) will meet from July 9-18, with a theme of "empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality." The set of goals that will be reviewed includes Goal 4, Goal 8, Goal 10, Goal 13, Goal 16, and Goal 17. If you are hosting side-events featuring philanthropy…

Improve Peripheral Scanning & Get Deeper Insights

How can foundations better anticipate ways in which the world is changing around them? This is a challenge for every organization functioning in what the military has termed a “VUCA world.” The acronym refers to an operating environment characterized by Volatility, Uncertainty, Change and Ambiguity…

Community Philanthropy Update—June 2019

A recent op-ed by Marin Community Foundation’s CEO, Dr. Thomas Peters, moved me to reflect on our field. Dr. Peters paints a powerful picture describing how community philanthropy can strengthen communities and support individuals, in a way that helps others relate to our work. With an opening line…

Washington Snapshot: Fiscal 2020 Minibus; Federal Cash Crisis for Humanitarian Assistance at the Border

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot... Fiscal 2020 Minibus Federal Cash Crisis for Humanitarian Assistance at the border House Ways and Means Subcommittee Hearing on Ending the TCJA Tax Treasury Department Issue Final SALT Rules FEMA: Building Resilience Capital Cities Looking to Nonprofits…

Philanthropic Resources Needed to Ensure an Accurate 2020 Census Count

Members, View Recording On July 10, 2:00 p.m. ET, the Council hosted a funders-only webinar with the Democracy Funders 2020 Census Subgroup. During this event, we've learned more about the national philanthropy strategy to ensure an accurate count on the 2020 census and understandwhat…
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