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. 

Saying Yes to a Brighter Future

“When Say Yes launched, I said ‘Yes, here we go! Yes to everything. Yes, you can go to college. Yes, you can accomplish your dreams. Yes, you can be a role model.’” JAMES GRICE, FATHER OF A SAY YES BUFFALO STUDENT This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on…

What Community Foundation Donors Value: The AdNet Conference 2014

On the 100th anniversary of the community foundation – as we contemplate how these crucial institutions can be even more relevant in the next century of their existence than they have been in their first – it’s crucial to look hard at what donors value. Turns out, donors value what community…

2014 Fall Conference for Community Foundations Programming

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Aligning Social Action: In Southern Indiana, Education Matters

This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, by highlighting the roles of community foundations with this series. See where it all began at our Fall…

The Council on Foundations Announces 2014 Recipients of Distinguished Service Award and Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking

The Council on Foundations announced today that Darcy Oman, President and CEO of The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia, received the Distinguished Service Award. And, Shelley Trott, Director of Arts Strategy and Ventures for the Kenneth Rainin Foundation received the Robert…

2015 Annual Meeting - Leading Together: Hope and Opportunity in a Destabilized World

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Combine Funders and Shake

In summer 2012 I was a brand new Program Officer and wasn’t sure what to expect when I joined a group from the Jewish Funders Network (JFN) on a rural bus tour of eight youth camps in three days. My traveling companions were members and guests of the JFN Disability Peer Network. We were all trying…

Learning in Lansing

High school completion program helps refugees of all ages earn their diplomas This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, by highlighting the roles of…

Investing for Impact – Improving the Lives of Frederick County Citizens

This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, by highlighting the roles of community foundations with this series. See where it all began at our Fall…

Long Term Recovery

This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, by highlighting the roles of community foundations with this series. See where it all began at our Fall…

2014 Fall Conference Attendees

Look Who's Coming

Preparing for ‘When’ by Creating More Resilient Communities

This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, by highlighting the roles of community foundations with this series. See where it all began at our Fall…

Benchmarking Beyond Asset Size Top 100 Lists - FY 2014

Publication
In this publication, CF Insights highlights attributes that characterize community foundations in ways beyond asset values. Participants in the 2014 Columbus Survey are ranked based on: Most Active Grantmakers—distribution rates, with percent of donor-advised assets Most Gifts per Capita—gifts…

2014 Columbus Survey of Community Foundations: List of Top 100 Community Foundations by Asset Size

Publication
Includes results of the FY 2014 Columbus Survey of Community Foundations that pertain to the top 100 community foundations by asset size as of May 19, 2015. The table includes the community foundation name, amount of assets at the time of the survey, and fiscal year-end (FYE). Stats are based on FY…

Sustained Growth in an Expanding Field 2014: Columbus Survey Findings

Publication
With this report, CF Insights' aim is to share a snapshot of community foundation asset growth and activity during 2014. The findings are based on 274 community foundation responses to the Columbus Survey as of May 2015. The community foundation field achieved another year of healthy growth in 2014…

Can The American Dream of Home Ownership Be Restored?

This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, by highlighting the roles of community foundations with this series. See where it all began at our Fall…
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