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FEATURED EVENT
Practice and Purpose of Policy
A Training for Community Foundation Leaders
July 30 and August 6, 2024 | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
Virtual
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.
Council on Foundations Convenes Top U.S. Foundation Investment and Finance Leaders
Today, the Council on Foundations welcomes more than 200 foundation chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief investment officers, board members, and board investment committee leaders from across the country to its annual Endowments and Finance Summit.
The Council’s Endowments and…
2016 Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report: Salary Tables
We are pleased to announce the release of the Council’s 2016 Salary Tables. This year’s tables include salary data from nearly 10,000 full-time positions in foundations and corporate giving programs (representing over $1 billion in total salaries). The 1,010 grantmakers that participated in this…
Philanthropy’s Role in Strengthening America’s Democracy
Philanthropy’s Role in Strengthening America’s Democracy
This event is a preconference session at the 2017 Annual Conference.
Join a timely, topical, and interactive afternoon that will provide both a forum for a conversation about the state of democratic practice in America, and a review of the…
Washington Snapshot - September 23, 2016
News from the Hill
Voter Perceptions of the Charitable Sector
This week, the Council joined partners Independent Sector and the Alliance for Charitable Reform/Philanthropy Roundtable for a breakfast in cooperation with the House Philanthropy Caucus. We were excited that Congresswoman Debbie…
17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 17 - Partnerships
Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
- Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development -
This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading…
17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 16 - Peace & Justice
Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
- Promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies -
This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading up to the first anniversary of the SDGs. The…
Webinar Recording: Council Member Update: Finance & Endowment Focus
Recording
This member update focused principally on important issues related to foundation financial management and endowment performance.
17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 15 - Biodiversity
Goal 15: Life on Land
- Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degredation and halt biodiversity loss -
This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series…
United States First High-Income Pilot Country of SDG Philanthropy Platform
Today, the United States became the first high-income nation to join Kenya, Colombia, Indonesia, and Ghana as pilot countries in the SDG Philanthropy Platform. The global SDG Philanthropy Platform, managed by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Foundation Center, and UNDP, brings together…
17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 14 - Oceans
Goal 14: Life Below Water
- Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources -
This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading up to the first anniversary of the SDGs. The…
17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 13 - Climate
Goal 13: Climate Action
- Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts -
This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading up to the first anniversary of the SDGs. The Council on…
17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 12 - Consumption
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns -
This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading up to the first anniversary of the…
17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 11 - Cities
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable -
This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading up to the first anniversary of the SDGs. …
Washington Snapshot - September 16, 2016
News from the Hill
Ways & Means Subcommittee Holds Hearing on University Endowments
As our readers will recall, we reported last week that the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee was set to hold a hearing to scrutinize college and university endowments this week.
The hearing, featuring…
DAFs: Appointed or Designated Advisors and Their Advisory Privilege
Recently, a community foundation contacted the Council regarding a recommended grant from one of its funds. This fund, a donor advised fund (DAF), had been established by an organization, but had designated a specific individual to make grant recommendations. While it was the advisor’s job to make…
17 Days, 17 Goals: Goal 10 - Inequality
Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
- Reduce inequalities within and among countries -
This post is part of our blog series: 17 Days, 17 Goals. The blog series features foundations working on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals leading up to the first anniversary of the SDGs. The Council on…
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