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. 

Lessons For Investing in Philanthropy's Talent from the 2015 Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report

Today, I am pleased to announce the release of the Council on Foundations’ 2015 Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report (GSB). Since the Council first began researching compensation more than 35 years ago, this annual report has grown from a small set of salary tables into one of the most extensive…

Sample Board Resolution Authorizing a Program Related Investment

Sample Document
This template community foundation board resolution authorizes the foundation to make a loan as a program-related investment (PRI). These types of activities are generally permitted by state and federal law when they serve to advance the charitable purposes of the foundation. The term "program-…

Washington Snapshot - May 20, 2016

Executive & Regulatory News Department of Labor Publishes New Rule on Overtime Regulations On Wednesday, President Obama and Secretary Perez announced the publication of the Department of Labor’s final rule updating the overtime regulations. The Council has been closely tracking this issue…

Council Comments on Supporting Organization Regulations

The Council submitted comments to the IRS on a proposed rule that outlined a handful of regulations for Type I and Type III supporting organizations. Introduced in February 2016, we identified two proposed regulations that are relevant for our sector: The notification requirement for…

Finding and Equipping Future Leaders for Social Good

Although the non-profit sector in America is well developed, I’ve often heard foundation and non-profit executives discuss the challenge of attracting and keeping high-performing staff and volunteers. So imagine how that problem is magnified in the developing world, where NGOs make a critical…

What Will the New DoL Overtime Rule Mean for You?

On May 18, 2016, President Obama and Secretary Perez announced the publication of the Department of Labor’s final rule updating the overtime regulations. The Council has been following this issue closely and is here to help you understand how the changes could impact you and your organization.…

Department of Labor Announces Final Rule on Overtime

On May 18, 2016, President Obama and Secretary Perez announced the publication of the Department of Labor’s final rule updating the overtime regulations. Key Provisions The Final Rule focuses primarily on updating the salary and compensation levels needed for Executive, Administrative and…

Leveraging Nonprofits as Endowment Builders

Download the Presentation Slides As a Community Foundation, you are the expert on building endowments, but imagine what 10 nonprofit professionals or volunteers working on endowment growth could mean to you. If you want to multiply your efforts, partner with your nonprofits in being successful…

Council Comments on Treasury/IRS Priorities 2016-2017

The Council on Foundations wrote to the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)  to urge them to prioritize several regulations and guidance documents that impact our members. Each year, the Priority Guidance Plan identifies and prioritizes those tax issues that…

Pledge for Success: Engaging Diverse Asset Managers

Download the Presentation Slides   Interested in taking an important step towards foundation financial management excellence? Is your foundation committed to diversity, equity and inclusion? During this webinar, panelists discuss how foundations can demonstrate their commitment to…

Washington Snapshot - May 13, 2016

News from the Hill Corporate Tax Integration and Philanthropy: What Does it Mean? There has been a lot of buzz recently around the topic of corporate integration—prompted primarily by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch’s (R-UT) intent to release a corporate integration proposal by the…

Optimizing Technology-Based Learning for Increased Organizational Effectiveness

  Download the Presentation Slides Sharing knowledge with stakeholders is an important part of many nonprofit programs, but what does this look like? To answer this question, the Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation and NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network surveyed nonprofits and…

Call Recording: New Chinese Laws Regulating Domestic Charities and International NGOs: What do you need to know?

Recording
Download the Recording In 2015, the Council and ICNL convened foundations to discuss how a draft Foreign NGO law in China might impact their work. The Council also submitted formal comments about concerns with this law to the Chinese government. In mid-March 2016, China approved the long-awaited…

Five Tips to Enhance Your Use of the Exchange

When we face a new challenge, one of our first instincts is to reach out to someone for advice. By collaborating, sharing resources, and discussing common challenges, you and your peers multiply your impact and advance the common good. The Philanthropy Exchange is an online platform devoted to…

Grantmaking Application Process Resource Guide: A Grantmaking Primer

Sample Document
The grantmaking application process is a big lift for foundations and nonprofits, alike. This primer takes a look at streamlining the application process from RFP to grant agreement. Found in the guide is a how-to on creating RFPs, questions to ask during the grant application review, sample…

Washington Snapshot - May 6, 2016

Since Congress is out of session this week, today’s edition of Washington Snapshot will be slightly abbreviated. Congress will return next week! News from the Hill Ways and Means Making Progress on Tax Reform Plan Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) recently indicated that a tax reform…
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