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. 

Council on Foundations and HUD Kick Off 2017 Secretary’s Awards for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships

The Council on Foundations and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today launched the 2017 HUD Secretary’s Awards for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships. The Council and HUD are seeking nominations from charitable foundations working with the public sector to improve the…

Celebrating National African American History Month

February marks the observance of National African American History Month, a commemoration with origins dating back to 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson instituted a week-long celebration to raise awareness of African Americans’ contributions to history. 50 years later, as part of the United States…

Webinar Recording: Don't Skimp on Overhead in 2017: Expand your Admin Support

Washington Snapshot - January 26, 2017

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot... Congress Rolls Out Ambitious 200-Day Plan President Trump Instates Regulatory Freeze International NGOs Face New Restrictions with U.S. Grant Dollars In the States: State of the State Addresses 2017   News from the Hill So, What’s Up with Tax Reform…

Global Philanthropy Update — January 2017

Did you march with the millions of women in cities around the world last week? Or watch President Trump’s inauguration last Friday? Here in D.C., it’s been a crowded and hectic start to 2017. At the Council, we are busy preparing for our Annual Conference in April and have launched several new…

Washington Snapshot - January 19, 2017

In this Week's Edition of Snapshot... Senate Finance Committee considers Mnuchin for Treasury Secretary Trump butts heads with House Republicans on key tax reform issue Council sends letter from Vikki to every Congressional office IRS issues guidance on rules for private foundation…

Looking To The Future: Localizing The Global Goals In Minnesota

There are significant challenges facing Minnesota’s communities, including racial inequality in education, economic opportunities and health outcomes. In Minnesota, members of the philanthropic community work in a variety of innovative and collaborative ways to address these challenges and create a…

Healing Divisions: A National Day of Racial Healing

As the nation approaches the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, our society remains conflicted on our ability to be united as a people. We find ourselves seeking relief from the divisiveness brought about by several events of the prior year: the civil unrest in many of our…

A Day On, Not a Day Off: Serving Your Community on MLK Day

Monday, January 16, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day), a federal holiday in the U.S. The fact that a federal holiday was designated to commemorate the birthdate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is significant - only two other figures have national holidays in the U.S. honoring them: George…

Washington Snapshot - January 12, 2017

In this Week's Edition of Snapshot... Ways & Means to hold hearing on changes to committee rules Senate sets deadline to repeal ACA, move closer to tax reform Treasury requests input on guidance for tax-exempt leases How Philanthropic is the Trump Cabinet? In the States: State…

Washington Snapshot - January 6, 2017

In this Week's Edition of Snapshot... Tuesday kicked off the 115th Congress The proverbial ball is officially rolling toward tax reform House and Senate tax-writing committees welcome new members In the States: NY and DC take action on minimum wage and paid family leave Opinion: nonprofits…

Community Foundation Update - January 2017

Happy 2017! I’m kicking off the new year sharing updates and resources to help you as you prepare and plan for what lies ahead. Find out about trends that will affect philanthropy, learn how best to stay up to date on important policy developments in Washington, D.C., and don’t miss out on great…

2017 Annual Conference - Plenary Sessions

Plenary Sessions Opening Plenary: Philanthropy's Role in Vibrant Communities Monday, April 24 - 8:30-10:15 a.m. Breakfast starts at 7:45 a.m. — Doors Close Promptly at 8:30 a.m. IMPORTANT: During President George W. Bush’s speech all mobile devices must be silenced and put away.…

Community and Economic Development for Community Foundations

Maximize the potential of place and catalyzing of resources for your community. Co-hosted by the Council on Foundations and the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.  Speakers and participants will include experts from the Council on Foundations, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and…

Public-Private Partnership Opportunities with the Administration for Children and Families

The Council’s Public-Philanthropic Partnership Office hosted a webinar for funders only with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Children and Families to help foundations understand the regular programs and goals of the agency.  The webinar was moderated…

Giving Days: Is It Time to Ramp Them Up, or Wind Down?

Giving days have exploded in popularity in recent years, helping the foundations that organize them reach new donors and become more digitally focused themselves. But some foundations are weighing whether to continue these online fundraising campaigns. On January 25, Knight Foundation and the…
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