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. 

Webinar Recording: The Ins and Outs of the Department of Labor's New Overtime Rule

Recording

LGBTQ History Month

In the United States, LGBTQ History Month is celebrated during the month of October. It is an annual observance of LGBTQ history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. LGBTQ History Month was first celebrated in 1994. Among the early supporters and members of…

Responsible Investing and Foundations

This post originally appeared in the Philanthropy Journal on September 26, 2016. There’s little doubt that impact investing has generated a lot of excitement, but has it translated into action? The Council on Foundations and Commonfund Institute conducted a recent survey to ask foundations about…

Washington Snapshot - September 29, 2016

In this week's Washington Snapshot: Congress Passes Bill to Fund Government Through Early December; Bill Introduced in House to Delay Implementation of the DOL Overtime Rules; Policy Preview: Opportunities in Child Welfare; Self-Dealing & Family Foundations: What If the Brady Bunch had a…

2016 Endowments and Finance Summit Opening Plenary

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Council on Foundations Convenes Top U.S. Foundation Investment and Finance Leaders

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2016 Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report: Salary Tables

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Philanthropy’s Role in Strengthening America’s Democracy

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Washington Snapshot - September 23, 2016

News from the Hill Voter Perceptions of the Charitable Sector This week, the Council joined partners Independent Sector and the Alliance for Charitable Reform/Philanthropy Roundtable for a breakfast in cooperation with the House Philanthropy Caucus. We were excited that Congresswoman Debbie…

17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 17 - Partnerships

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development - This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading…

17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 16 - Peace & Justice

Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions - Promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies - This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading up to the first anniversary of the SDGs.…

Webinar Recording: Council Member Update: Finance & Endowment Focus

Recording
This member update focused principally on important issues related to foundation financial management and endowment performance.

17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 15 - Biodiversity

Goal 15: Life on Land - Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degredation and halt biodiversity loss - This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series…

United States First High-Income Pilot Country of SDG Philanthropy Platform

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17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 14 - Oceans

Goal 14: Life Below Water - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources - This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading up to the first anniversary of the SDGs. …

17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 13 - Climate

Goal 13: Climate Action - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts - This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading up to the first anniversary of the SDGs. The Council…
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