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: SDG Philanthropy Platform

The Council on Foundations will co-host a webinar with WINGS, European Foundation Center, and SDG Philanthropy Platform on October 21, 2016. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 universal goals, beginning January 1, 2016, that will continue the work of the Millenium Development…

Community Foundation Professional Skills & Development

Advance best practices within your organization through professional development, expanded knowledge, and these other valuable Council resources. Best Practices, Legal Compliance, and Research The Council develops and maintains an expansive collection of foundation best practices, sample documents…

Successful Operating Endowments Campaigns

Members, Access the Recording and Resources     Operating endowments can provide stability and long term sustainability for community foundations. They can also provide resources that enable community foundation leaders to play a stronger leadership role in the community and direct…

Policy Preview: An Update on the Reauthorization of the Healthy and Hunger Free Kids Act

Members, Access the Recording and Slides     The Healthy, Hunger-Free Act of 2010 authorizes funding for federal nutrition programs including: the national school lunch and breakfast program; the nutrition program for women, infants, and children; and other child and adult food…

Legal Background on the Charitable Purpose of Donor Advised Funds

Legal Compliance Guidance
Donor advised funds are specifically defined in Section 4966(d)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code as a “fund or account which is separately identified by reference to contributions of a donor or donors, which is owned and controlled by a sponsoring organization, and with respect to which a donor…

2015 Endowments and Financial Services Summit - Partners

Summit Partners The Council would like to thank all of our partners for their support of the 2015 Endowments and Financial Services Summit. Education Partner TIAA-CREF Institute https://www.tiaa-crefinstitute.org/public/institute Leadership Partner Annie E. Casey Foundation www.aecf.org…

Community Foundation Stories from the Field

Community Foundations make a real impact in their communities, as demonstrated through these stories from the field. Use these examples to frame your own message of impact. Strengthening Communities Blog Posts - Posts written by community foundation leaders on the Council's blog. Donor-…

The Sustainable Development Goals

On September 25th at the United Nations, 193 countries ratified the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of global targets that will serve as a new global framework for how governments, philanthropy, non-profits, and the private sector can work together to address challenges all of us and the…

A 21st Century Call for Philanthropy: Tackle the Talent Gap

In philanthropy we’ve long known that we play a unique role by addressing society’s most pressing challenges at their root. Our work is distinct from charity – focused less on meeting immediate needs and more on tackling the underlying causes. And we’re well positioned to take risks to figure out…

Getting Started with the Sustainable Development Goals

Fundamentals
On September 25, 2015, 193 countries formally adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations. The Council’s president at that time, Vikki Spruill, published an op-ed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy urging philanthropic organizations to partner with others to help…

Just Released: Final International Grantmaking Rules

In 2012, the Department of Treasury and the IRS issued proposed regulations applicable to private foundations seeking to make grants to foreign organizations using equivalency determinations. At the time, the Council submitted comments in support of the rules, and urged Treasury and the IRS to…

Webinar Recording: Building Partnerships to Maximize Local Impact

  View the Slides When giving in place, building viable partnerships with other funders and local government can lead to pooled resources, wrap around services, and result greater impact within the community. However, with many voices at the table, sometimes garnering the necessary…

A Short Guide to Impact Investing - The Case Foundation

External Resource
This guide is intended to help bring newcomers into the game. It helps high net worth individuals, family offices, and others to know some of the questions, if not the answers, to determine what’s right for them and what to do next to move toward meaningful, measurable impact.

European Refugee Crisis

In the last year, there has been a spike in the number of refugees fleeing into Europe. There are still three-and-a-half months left in 2015, but the number of arriving refugees this year is already more than double the amount from all of 2014. The camps and centers that some refugees are…

Memorializing When We Mourn

It’s an ever-clear sky today. Just as it was in 2001. And yet ever-clear and jet trails slicing September blue-skies then are now reminders, important ones, of the events of 9/11 and the losses and learnings we have experienced since. Reminders of those we mourn can help us grieve.  Public…

One Nation: Rediscovering American Compassion

NOTE: This post originally appeared in the Huffington Post. As a boy, I remember reciting the Pledge of Allegiance with my first grade class. We said it in unison; we stood together; and over time we came to understand what it meant. As I got older, I would listen to the recorded voice of a young…
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