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. 

Workshop: Greater Good Science Center

Bridging to Belonging: Science to Practice What it is: A hands-on workshop where you'll learn and practice science-backed tools for supporting connection and creating spaces for belonging. We'll do a deep dive into the evidence and practices of belonging and explore how it can support the work…

Workshop: Essential Partners

Building Thriving Communities: Connecting the Cornerstones of Community to Catalyze Change What it is: A hands-on workshop where you’ll learn dialogic practices that help shift people from conflict to curiosity and, when leveraged at scale, build more resilient, hopeful, and cohesive…

Workshop: Constructive Dialogue Institute

Leading in Turbulent Times: Building Team Resilience Through Dialogue What it is: A hands-on workshop that explores how leaders at any level can use constructive dialogue skills to navigate and foster organizational resilience through divided times. Participants will learn and practice…

Coffee with Your Community: Donor Services

Gather during our afternoon break to connect with your peers.

Coffee with Your Community: Global Philanthropy

Gather during our afternoon break to connect with your peers.

Coffee with Your Community: Programs

Gather during our afternoon break to connect with your peers.

Break

Take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, visit our partner tables, browse our bookstore, enjoy a snack, or recharge in our Brain Break room.

Lunch with Practice Team

Connect with your Practice Team over lunch to reflect on what you’re learning, practice new skills, and consider take-home strategies relevant to your work.

Break

Take this opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, visit our partner tables, browse our bookstore, enjoy a snack, or recharge in our Brain Break room.

Plenary Session: Which Values Lead Toward Change?

What motivates us to build the heartset and mindset to bring communities across the country together? Join us to listen in on a conversation among faith leaders as they grapple with humbling questions about moral authority, what is truly within our power to change, and how we know if our work is…

Federal Policy Briefing

With shifts and pivots coming almost daily, we’ve been keeping an eye on the news out of Washington, D.C. and its impact on the charitable sector. This policy briefing will provide a space for the Council and foundation leaders to brief attendees on the latest policy changes and what they're…

Morning Run

Get your cardio in while enjoying the beauty of Seattle. All levels are welcome for this three-mile loop.

Connection Breakfast

The decline in connection and trust is perhaps the greatest danger in the world today. To reverse it, we’ll learn how to connect again as we “break bread.”During breakfast, Aaron Hurst, Founder and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Connection, will facilitate table conversations to reconnect us to one…

Breakfast

Start your morning with breakfast and connect with fellow attendees before the day begins.

Breakfast

Start your morning with breakfast and connect with fellow attendees before the day begins.

The People's Supper

Join us for a People’s Supper Experience, hosted by Trust Labs, where we'll have the chance to reflect together on the themes of Building Together, and the stories and experiences we each bring to the table. Since 2017, more than 20,000 people have sat down for People's Suppers in over 100 cities…
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