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.

Displaying 17 - 32 of 2972 results |

Indicates Members-Only Content

New Beginnings in Topeka, KS

The Topeka Community Foundation began impact investing as a tool to create sustainable and transformational change in their community.From multi-generational care facilities to affordable housing, donors' dollars are put to work investing in projects that address some of the most complex challenges…

We Need to Rethink Who We Call a Philanthropist

"It’s time to reclaim philanthropy as a shared human value, not just a privilege of the wealthy." Javier Alberto Soto, president and CEO of the Denver FoundationWhen most people think of a philanthropist, they think of an older, wealthy white man, giving away his accumulated wealth at the end of…

Six Greater Minnesota Leaders on their Regions’ Biggest Challenges

We asked the six presidents of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations to lay out a significant challenge their region is facing today and how their communities are trying to address it.Housing Instability Across Northwest MinnesotaBy Karen White, president, Northwest Minnesota FoundationIn northwest…

Council on Foundations Launches Grantmaking Program to Support Community Foundations Working Across Differences

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Council on Foundations today announced the launch of the Community Foundations Working Across Differences Accelerator, a direct investment in the community foundations working to bring people together across divides.The accelerator helps community foundations design and…

2026 UN General Assembly Philanthropic Side-Events

Sunday, September 20, 20262026 Concordia Annual Summit September 20 - 23 | 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. ET | In-PersonPhilanthropies Represented: Novartis Foundation, AB InBev Foundation, The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, and more. Learn More Monday, September 21, 2026Ceres Climate…

Community Foundations Working Across Differences Accelerator Definitions

Working Across DifferencesThe work to connect and collaborate across differences manifests in many ways. That work includes strategies known in the field as belonging, bridging, building common ground, and conflict transformation. These strategies inform a variety of activities and investments,…

Community Foundations Working Across Differences Accelerator Requirements

To be eligible for the Community Foundations Working Across Differences Accelerator, community foundations (as defined by Community Foundations National Standards) must be from the United States. Preference will be given to Council members, though non-members may also apply. Organizations that…

Community Foundations Working Across Differences Accelerator

Applications Now OpenApply by September 4 to join the Community Foundations Working Across Differences Accelerator.Apply todayAs trusted civic leaders, community foundations are uniquely positioned to bring people together to drive shared progress across differences. To support these efforts, the…

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…

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