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. 

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 Voter Engagement for Foundations

Philanthropic organizations face heightened attention and expectations in the upcoming election session. To support Council members in engaging confidently and responsibly, our Legal Resources team is hosting a webinar about the civic engagement rules for philanthropic organizations.This session…

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…

Advocacy Essentials for Community Foundations

Workshop HoursTuesday, August 25: 1-5 p.m. ETTuesday, August 27: 1-5 p.m. ETGovernment policies and programs affect almost every aspect of our lives, from housing, healthcare and the environment to education, transportation, and safety.  For foundations striving to create equitable,…

Accounting for Assets Held at Community Foundations

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…

Fostering Belonging Across Colorado

By Erika Montes, Belonging Colorado Program Lead at The Denver Foundation Communities thrive when people feel they belong. Feeling connected and having a sense of belonging is not just a "nice-to-have"-it is essential for physical and mental health. In schools, belonging improves academic…

Washington Snapshot: Congressional Philanthropy Caucus Launched

This week, Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT) and Danny Davis (D-IL) announced the launch of the bipartisan Congressional Philanthropy Caucus. Plus, IRS guidance on Trump Accounts, new AAER case, tax conformity in the states, and more.

End of Year Legal Office Hour - 2025

Legal Compliance Guidance
As we approach the end of 2025, community foundations face a range of questions related to gift acceptance and donor stewardship. This is a recording of an open office hours session where the Council’s Legal Resources team discussed key year-end topics and answered audience questions.

Trump Accounts Explainer

What are Trump Accounts? Trump Accounts are new accounts—structured as Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) but with special rules—that are created or organized for the exclusive benefit of a child. U.S. citizens with social security numbers are eligible. Once the child turns eighteen, funds from…

2026 Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort Application Q&A

Are you looking for a supportive community of funders to help you build constructive dialogue and understanding across differences? You’ll get just that with the Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort. The Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort is a facilitated virtual learning experience meeting…
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