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. 

Donor-Advised Fund Flowchart

Legal Compliance Guidance
This handy flowchart can help you determine which funds should be classified as donor-advised under the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Remember, a fund is only a donor-advised fund if: A donor or person appointed or designated by the donor has, or reasonably expects to have, advisory privileges…

FAQ: Agency Endowment Funds

Legal Compliance Guidance, Fundamentals
What is an agency endowment?  What types of organization can establish an agency endowment at a community foundation? When a public charity establishes an agency endowment at a community foundation, which organization owns the contributed funds? Since the agency is releasing legal ownership of…

FAQ: Fundraising for Community Foundations

Legal Compliance Guidance, Fundamentals
Raising money for community needs is the central function of community foundations. No surprise, then, that we receive more questions about fundraising than about any other topic. Following are some common inquiries we receive by telephone and e-mail and the replies we give. Documents for Donors…

What to Require of Grantees

Fundamentals, Legal Compliance Guidance
Good relationships between grantmakers and grantees promote more effective philanthropy. But there's nothing that can mess up a good partnership faster than an overzealous lawyer. In seeking to protect their foundation clients, lawyers can sometimes impose excessive requirements on grantees,…

Sample Conflict of Interest Policy

Legal Compliance Guidance
Editable conflict of interest policies for staff and board members. This sample document is being provided for informational purposes and is not to be shared without the permission of the Council on Foundations. Use of the sample document does not create an attorney-client relationship, and the…

Starting a Foundation

Fundamentals
Does the Council on Foundations provide assistance with starting a foundation? Can we join the Council before our foundation is formed? What are the general steps in starting a foundation? Should we set up our foundation as a trust or a corporation? What are the costs of starting a foundation…

Document Retention & Destruction Guidelines

Sample Document
This Document Retention and Destruction Policy of the Council on Foundations ("the Council") identifies the record retention responsibilities of staff, volunteers, members of the Board of Directors, and outsiders for maintaining and documenting the storage and destruction of the Council’s documents…

Public Disclosure Requirements for Foundations

Legal Compliance Guidance
Every organization exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code is required to disclose certain information to the public: The organization’s exemption application, Form 1023, is subject to public disclosure, along with any documents supporting the application and any letters from…

IRS Search Tool: Select Check

External Resource
Grantmakers searching for more detailed information about the charitable status of their potential grantees may find the answers they need in the IRS Select Check tool. This IRS online search tool allows the user to: (1) search the IRS public charity list, known as IRS Publication 78, for data to…

Analysis of IRA Charitable Rollover Extension

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) permitted individuals to roll over up to $100,000 from an individual retirement account (IRA) directly to a qualifying charity without recognizing the assets transferred to the qualifying charity as income. While this initial provision expired on December 31…

Career Pathways

About the Career Pathways Program Career Pathways is designed for mid- to senior-level career professionals committed to strengthening their practice and building connections on the path to assuming executive leadership roles in the philanthropic sector. Participants represent a wide range of…

Could the Supreme Court’s Decision on Affirmative Action Affect Philanthropy?

Will the Supreme Court end affirmative action later this month? It seems likely, and the legal consequences may ripple beyond college admissions to other sectors, including philanthropy and the wider charitable sector.    As you may know, the Court heard two cases – Students for Fair Admissions (…

Philanthropy Supporting Ukraine - June 2023

Ukraine's Medical and Health Needs Funders are invited to join this conversation as part of our series of briefings on how philanthropy can support the ongoing and widespread relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts as a result of Russia's war on Ukraine. In this roundtable discussion Boris…

Legal Matters for Community Foundations - In-Person - June 2023

If you are already registered for Leading Locally, email educate@cof.org to add this event to your conference registration.  Led by the Council on Foundations Legal Team, this workshop is flexibly organized to ensure that your broad legal questions for administering funds, grants, and community…

Philanthropy's Response to the 2023 Sudan Conflict

Overview On April 15, conflict broke out in Sudan initiated by two opposing military factions. While the majority of fighting remains in the country's capital, Khartoum, and attempts at peace talks are underway, the conflict has already resulted in the deaths of more than 500 civilians, upwards of…

Executive Leadership

Executive Leaders (CEOs, Presidents, and Executive Directors) are key levers of change in their philanthropic organizations and are well-positioned to foster change in their communities and the sector. The Council knows that executive leaders are key actors in advancing the field to be more…
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