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. 

New Member Orientation - Member Benefits & Networking

Is your organization a new Council member or are you new to the Council community? Please join us (virtually) to celebrate you, our newest members, during our 2021 Member Week. This interactive session will help you take advantage of exclusive Council member benefits, while also connecting with…

Aligning Endowments & Investments with Foundation Values

  As philanthropy continues to support nonprofits and invest in local communities, foundations across the country are looking beyond their grantmaking to better leverage their endowments and investments to further their mission. The recent 2020 Study of Investment of Endowments for…

2021 Membership Week

Celebrate, Convene, Connect In 2021, the Council hosted a series of virtual events that offered members the opportunity to hear directly from Council leaders and peers on some of philanthropy’s most important challenges and opportunities. These free events provided connection, insight, and…

Ask Me About the Council's Strategy with Kathleen Enright and Council Leaders

Ask Kathleen & Council Leaders about our 2021 - 2025 Strategic Direction and beyond! Send in your questions about the future of the Council, maybe you are curious about the Council's three strategic areas of focus: Embrace Better Ways of Operating Within Organizations Build Common…

2021 Member Week - Ask Me Anything FAQs

What is the Philanthropy Exchange? The Philanthropy Exchange is a peer-to-peer platform that connects Council members around shared interests, topics, or resources. The Exchange is a member-only benefit open to Council members and invited guests. To help you get started on the Exchange, here is a…

Legal Office Hours for Community Foundations: December 2021

As part of our Member Week programming, Council attorney Ben McDearmon will host Legal Office Hours for Community Foundations. This members-only Q&A discussion will address your legal questions, trends in community philanthropy, and latest concerns around foundation best practices.   

PhilEx Live: Return to Office Vaccine Policies

Developed out of a trending conversation on the Philanthropy Exchange (PhilEx), the Council invites you to join a member-only peer-led discussion of how foundations are approaching COVID-19 vaccine policies in their return-to-office planning. Join peers from across the country in a discussion…

SDG Learning Community for Community Foundations - Learning from Vital Signs

Join us for the November meeting of our new Peer Learning Circle dedicated specifically for community foundations who are working on advancing the Sustainble Development Goals (SDGs) or are open to learning more about how the SDGs can fit within their work. Meeting Topic: Learning from Vital Signs…

SDG Learning Community for Community Foundations - What the UN Wants Community Foundations to Know About the SDGs

Join us for the October meeting of our new Peer Learning Circle dedicated specifically for community foundations who are working on advancing the Sustainble Development Goals (SDGs) or are open to learning more about how the SDGs can fit within their work. Meeting Topic: What the UN Wants…

National Standards Monthly Zoom Session

CFNSB is relaunching its monthly conference call to offer community foundation staff a venue to voice questions or concerns related to the National Standards program. The input of community foundation staff is critical to the success of the program. Additionally, this call provides an opportunity…

2021 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report Shows Increased Diversity in Leadership Roles

The Council on Foundations (“the Council”) today announced the release of the 2021 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report (GSB), an annual analysis of key human resources trends that includes the most comprehensive data on the composition and compensation of U.S. foundations. Published for the first…

Leveraging Equity to Defund Hate: Values-Aligned Philanthropy in Practice

Many of us know that the philanthropic community has a critical role to play in addressing the increase in hate and hate crimes, but it’s not easy to figure out how to tackle this work. The Council on Foundations’ white paper, Values-Aligned Philanthropy: Foundations Resisting Hate and Extremism,…

2021 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report: Key Findings

Publication, Research
Drawing from data provided by 952 institutional responses, the 2021 GSB Key Findings highlights important human resource trends that are shaping the philanthropic sector.  This year’s key findings feature the voices of human resources and operations leaders from community foundations,…

National Standards Monthly Zoom Session

CFNSB is relaunching its monthly conference call to offer community foundation staff a venue to voice questions or concerns related to the National Standards program. The input of community foundation staff is critical to the success of the program. Additionally, this call provides an opportunity…

Washington Snapshot: Government Shutdown Averted: Debt Ceiling Looms

What You Need to Know About Public Policy This Week... News From the Council Government Shutdown Averted: Debt Ceiling Looms IRS Release "Tax Tip" on Charitable Deduction Child Tax Credit Sign-Up Period Extended to November 15 Congress Discusses Economic Impacts of COVID-19 What’s Happening…

Wallace Global Fund and MacArthur Foundation Briefing on Climate Movement and Systemic Racism

Please join us for an important conversation about the climate movement and systemic racism in the United States. We often hear that “durable” US climate policy requires bipartisan buy-in and agreement, but durable policy also requires a movement that can maintain and enhance a functioning…
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