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. 

Scholarships Exchange: Book Club

This peer space is curated for foundation staff that manage and lead scholarship programs, designed to be informal, peer-led conversations with fellow foundation staff (of all types) to share best practices and explore common challenges in scholarship programs. Whether you are new to managing…

Scholarships Exchange: Peer Event & Book Club

Topic: Supporting Students Beyond the AwardJoin this peer event to explore how scholarship programs can support beyond the financial award through mentorship, networking, and wrap around services that address real-life challenges. Together, we will share creative strategies for building meaningful…

Virtual Meet-Up: Community Foundation Donor Services - December 2026

Topic: Endowment Funds and Nonprofit Endowments Featured Speakers: Lisa Pitsiri, Director of Donor Services and Programs, and Sara Parcell, Director of Philanthropic Services, Communities Foundation of OklahomaJoin fellow community foundation donor service professionals for a virtual meet-up…

Virtual Meet-Up: Community Foundation Donor Services - October 2026

Topic: From Frustration to Function: Real-World CRM Solutions for Donor Services Featured Speaker: Jason Arbacheski, CAP, Senior Philanthropy Planning Officer, Chester County Community FoundationJoin fellow community foundation donor service professionals for a virtual meet-up focused on CRM…

Virtual Meet-Up: Community Foundation Donor Services - August 2026

Topic: Mapping the Journey - Creative Approaches to Donor Services Featured Speakers: Bea Thomas, Donor Services Officer and Becca Root, Senior Donor Services and Gift Planning Officer, Pittsburgh FoundationDonor stewardship isn’t just a checklist – it’s a journey. Join this peer discussion on…

Virtual Meet-Up: Community Foundation Donor Services - June 2026

Topic: Growing Unrestricted Assets, Practice-Based ConversationsGet ready to roll up your sleeves! In this interactive session on growing unrestricted assets, we will dive into hands-on, practice-based discussions and role-playing exercises. You’ll explore strategies for having donor conversations…

Virtual Meet-Up: Community Foundation Donor Services - April 2026

Topic: Speaking the Same Language: Partnering with Professional Advisors From referrals to relationships, working effectively with professional advisors such as CPAs and Attorneys can bolster donor services opportunities. This conversation will explore what successful advisor partnerships look…

Virtual Meet-Up: Community Foundation Donor Services - February 2026

Topic: Donor Engagement StrategiesHow do you make donors feel truly seen and valued without getting lost in the logistics of providing touchpoints at scale? Join your fellow community foundation donor service professionals for a peer discussion on donor engagement and stewardship, exploring how…

Washington Snapshot: 2025 Year in Review

The last Washington Snapshot of the year. Looking back on 2025, state legislation taking effect in 2026, and more.

Basics of Civic Engagement for Foundations

Philanthropic organizations face heightened attention and expectations. To support Council members, our Legal Resources team is hosting a webinar on what philanthropic organizations need to know to engage confidently and responsibly in civic engagement work.This session will focus on what…

Community Philanthropy Update - December 2025

A new Council study finds that Americans believe foundations should play an important role in modeling collaboration and working across differences.

Accounting for Assets Held at Nonprofits

Legal Compliance Guidance
Download this guide as a PDF Nonprofit entities place their investments with community foundations (the Foundation) for a variety of reasons, including investment expertise, efficiencies, and access to planned giving advice, and services. As nonprofit entities seek to place their assets and…

Operationalizing Activity-Based Costing Findings for Impact, Sustainability, and Growth

The Activity-Based Costing toolkit helps community foundations assess the true costs of their products and services to donors. Now, we’re offering support to help you apply the toolkit’s findings, align your business model to your mission and strategy, and drive greater impact. We now offer follow…

Better Stories, Better Language: The Ethics of great storytelling

We’ll discuss the essential elements of stories that are authentic, accurate, and ethical and that serve our communities and issues well.  In this session, you’ll learn:  How to incorporate a range of voices into your stories, including those closest to the issue, decisionmakers and…

Better Stories, Better Language: Building trust, showing your value, and using language that resonates

Annual reports, 990 PFs, and all the other language foundations use don’t help people understand what we do. This workshop will help you replace the jargon and harmful metaphors with visual, memorable language. You’ll also learn the essential elements of stories that build trust. Bring your…

Better Stories, Better Language: Showing Your Work

In this session, you’ll learn to align your stories with your theory of change and develop meaningful measurements that go beyond clicks, likes and shares.  You’ll learn: How to set meaningful goals that align with your organization’s mission and theory of change. How to write a theory of…
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