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. 

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Comfort, Connection, and Joy in Kansas

In Topeka, KS, one small grant is making a big difference for local students. A Topeka Community Foundation grant helped bring a new therapy dog to the Tallgrass Student Learning Center.Velma joined her human classmates during the 2025-26 school year, and she continues to provide comfort,…

Homeownership and a Stable Future in Florida

Jennifer Hykes (@bria.loves on Instagram) shares her personal experience as a single working mom striving to create a stable future for her daughter through homeownership. After struggling to find support through traditional programs, she discovered the Homes for Mom program, which provided…

Pulling Back the Curtain on Narrative Change

In 2024, the Council on Foundations in partnership with the Center for Public Interest Communications (CPIC) at the University of Florida released Philanthropy’s New Voice, the largest study ever of narratives in philanthropy. The report used a multimethod research effort to surface the American…

Pennsylvania Community Foundations: How Our Differences Give Us Clout

Forest County, a rugged, mountainous area in northwest Pennsylvania, wrestles with intergenerational poverty, a declining population, and other issues common in rural America. Bridge Builders Community Foundations tackles these challenges alongside residents, but with only $200,000 in unrestricted…

Communicating Around Disaster: A Crisis Communications Workshop September 2026

Recording
Our facilitators draw on real experience — including the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country’s response to the July 2025 Kerr County floods, along with lessons from Uvalde, Texas, the Maine and California wildfires, and the Baltimore Key bridge collapse.Facilitators walk through a…

Creating New Community Space After Fires in California

Sarah Wagner (@heysarawagner on Instagram) shares how her community built Beeline Blooms, a dahlia farm and gathering place to bring back a little color, beauty, and joy. body.group-subsites.node--type-blog.gb-anim .gb-reveal { opacity: 1 !important; } blockquote { border-left: none !important;…

Lending a Helping Hand after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton in Florida

Raven Kramer shares how the generosity of her community in the wake of multiple hurricanes changed her life and her outlook on the world. body.group-subsites.node--type-blog.gb-anim .gb-reveal { opacity: 1 !important; }     View this post on Instagram    …

Helping New York Heal After 9/11

The Starr Foundation has called New York City home for over 70 years, where its support for the community has helped shape hospitals, schools, and social service programs.When the city faced an unthinkable nightmare on Sept. 11, 2001, the Starr Foundation was ready to help. Within weeks, the…

Paying Generosity Forward in Texas

Ana Cruz Hollingsworth shares how every day generosity changed her life, and how she kept a promise to herself to one day return that generosity. body.group-subsites.node--type-blog.gb-anim .gb-reveal { opacity: 1 !important; }     View this post on Instagram  …

Building Community through the Arts in Alabama

Charlie Desi shares how the SHOUT Film Festival, with support from community members and organizations like the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, are creating space for LGBTQ+ stories to be seen, celebrated, and shared in Birmingham, Alabama. body.group-subsites.node--type-blog.gb-anim .…

Responding to Proposed IRS Regulations: Racial Nondiscrimination in Private Schools

On September 3, 2026, the Department of Treasury (Treasury) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would end federal tax-exempt status for private schools that engage in racial discrimination. You can read our detailed summary of the proposed regulation for…

Key Findings | The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations: 2026 Edition

For almost 30 years, the Council on Foundations and Candid have partnered on studies of globally focused giving by U.S. foundations. Our newest edition of The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations analyzes how U.S. foundations are engaging globally, through support of efforts that improve…

The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations: 2026 Edition

Publication, Toolkit
For almost 30 years, the Council on Foundations and Candid have partnered on studies of globally focused giving by U.S. foundations. Our newest edition of The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations analyzes how U.S. foundations are engaging globally, through support of efforts that improve…

Council on Foundations Statement on Proposed IRS Regulations Affecting Private Schools

Media Contact: Brandon Cox, Director of Communications, brandon.cox@cof.orgWASHINGTON — On September 3rd, the Department of the Treasury and the IRS released proposed regulations addressing racial nondiscrimination requirements for private schools. Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Council…

Racial Nondiscrimination in Private Schools

Legal Compliance Guidance
Last Updated: September 4, 2026.BackgroundOn September 3, 2026, the Department of Treasury (Treasury) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would end federal tax-exempt status for private schools that engage in racial discrimination.Historically, courts…

Policy Update: Public Policy Doctrine Proposed Regulations

On September 3, the Department of the Treasury and the IRS published proposed regulations that state that a private school cannot qualify as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) if it discriminates on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of any educational…
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