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. 

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Washington Snapshot: Ways and Means Markup of Legislation Impacting Nonprofits

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Ways and Means held a markup of four bills that impact the tax-exempt sector. The Council opposed three of the bills. Plus, upcoming policy and advocacy trainings at the Council, the Unified Regulatory Agenda, and more.

How Do You Foster Belonging Among 6 Million People?

The Denver Foundation aims to identify what works in an ambitious statewide initiative to build connections across differences.Before the Denver Foundation formally launched Belonging Colorado, one of the largest initiatives by a community foundation to build connections between Americans in this…

Fiscal Sponsorships at Community Foundations

Legal Compliance Guidance
Fiscal sponsorship can expand access to charitable infrastructure and help emerging projects, community initiatives, and grassroots efforts pursue their charitable goals without creating and managing a separate nonprofit organization. But it's not simply a pass-through arrangement; it requires that…

Building Community Dental Care in Mercer County, PA

It started with one weekend. Rows of dental chairs in tents. Volunteers moved with urgency and care. Patients waited — some in pain, many without any other option — hoping to be seen.For three years, the Buhl Regional Health Foundation (BRHF) partnered with the Remote Area Medical (RAM) team and Dr…

Latin America and Caribbean Funder Circle - August 2026

This peer-learning space brings together funders working across Latin America & the Caribbean and is designed to be an informal, peer-led conversation where participants can share experiences and learn from one another as legal, regulatory, and security dynamics continue to shift across the…

Grants

The Council on Foundations does not provide grants to people or organizations (except in specific situations). If you're looking for funding for your work, check with the community foundation in your area.If you're looking for information about your own grantmaking, these resources may be helpful:…

Learning Across Differences Ideas Forum - Measuring Belonging

Belonging is a basic human need associated with a range of positive outcomes, but how do you know if programs or investments are meaningfully building it? Presenters in this session will spotlight nonprofit and philanthropic leaders who are piloting early efforts to measure the hard-to-measure.…

Community Foundation Public Policy Update: January - June 2026

One CF Leadership Coalition benefit is access to board book inserts that summarize public policy developments relevant to community foundations to share with your board of directors. This insert includes Executive, Congressional and Legal updates between January and June. You can download a PDF of…

FAQ: The Public Policy and Illegality Doctrines

Legal Compliance Guidance
BackgroundBeginning in 2025, the public policy doctrine and illegality doctrine—both of which have been applied sparingly over the years—began to receive greater attention because of concerns they could be used to bring the tax-exempt sector more closely in-line with the second Trump Administration…

Washington Snapshot: Public Service Loan Forgiveness Update

On June 30, a U.S. district court vacated the Department of Education’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) regulations, ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in National Council of Nonprofits v. McMahon. Plus, the Religious Liberty Commission Report, the Unified Regulatory Agenda, and more!

Building Connections Outdoors in Colorado

At first glance, they make an improbable pair.ViVE is a social-justice-oriented nonprofit that serves mostly Denver-area Latine residents through programs that range from swimming lessons to community services like a food bank. The century-old Colorado Mountain Club is a historically white…

Three Things to Know About Council Members

Have you ever wondered about the organizations that make up Council membership? The philanthropic sector is broad and diverse, and the Council on Foundations is proud to support members from every corner.More than 1,000 organizations make up Council membership. Council members:Represent all 50…

Better Disagreement Fuels Better Decisions

Foundations exist to make hard judgment calls: what matters, what works, who and what to invest in. That judgment depends on people thinking well together. And most organizations, foundations included, have a practiced set of workarounds for the disagreement that real thinking requires: the brittle…

Building Resilience in the Texas Hill Country

In the early morning of July 4, 2025, the equivalent of four months of rain fell onto the Texas Hill Country. The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet within 45 minutes. While the rain still fell, and the sun had yet to rise, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country moved quickly to establish the…

Habitat for Humanity Builds Dignified Homes for All

“We finally have a place to truly call our own.” Frankie, a veteran and single father of three.For years, Frankie juggled rising rent and medical costs for his daughter, who has an autoimmune disease. Frankie and his family now live in Hope Springs — a development built by the Greeley-Weld, CO…

Supporting Nurses in New York

There's a reason so many people come home from a hospital stay talking about their nurses. With compassion and care, nurses help nervous patients feel better emotionally while they heal physically.But behind that care, there’s a workforce under serious strain. A 2023 study by the National Council…
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