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. 

Finding the Right Investment Staffing and Resources for Your Foundation

Members, Access the Recording and Slides     Foundations use a variety of models in managing their investments. But given the pursuit of higher risk-adjusted returns, many foundations are exploring different ways to access the expertise they need and to manage increasingly complex…

Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study Reports Lower Foundation Returns Compared with Previous Year, While Mission-Related Spending Remains Steady

Data gathered from 244 private and community foundations participating in the 2014 Council on Foundations–Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community FoundationsTM (CCSF) show that the 142 private foundations participating in the study reported an average return of 6.1…

Memories of a thirsty childhood

This piece was originally published in the Los Angeles Times on August 16, 2015. Drought-shaming could become a popular pastime in California's driest summer. Egregious water wasters, especially the ones with massive lawns and high public profiles, are getting called out by reporters and humbled on…

Twitter Chat: Criminal Justice Reform and Philanthropy

Bipartisan consensus around criminal justice reform is growing nationally with more foundations increasing their efforts to change the way we think about prisons and public safety. As this issue continues to gain momentum, we ask how can philanthropy take a leadership role in reforming the…

2015 Columbus Survey of Community Foundations: List of Top 100 Community Foundations by Asset Size

Publication
Includes results of the FY 2015 Columbus Survey of Community Foundations that pertain to the top 100 community foundations by asset size as of July 22, 2016. The table includes the community foundation name, amount of assets at the time of the survey, and fiscal year-end (FYE). Stats are based on…

2015 Columbus Survey Findings

Publication
2015 Columbus Survey Findings present a snapshot of data on community foundation growth and related operational activity during fiscal year 2015. These findings are based on Columbus Survey responses from 271 community foundations, accounting for over 90 percent of the field's estimated assets.…

Benchmarking Beyond Asset Size Top 100 Lists - FY 2015

Publication
In this publication, CF Insights highlights attributes that characterize community foundations in ways beyond asset values. Participants in the FY 2015 Columbus Survey are ranked based on: Most Active Grantmakers—distribution rates, with percent of donor-advised assets Most Gifts per Capita—…

Seeing Philanthropy in Action in Grand Rapids

Last week, I got to see philanthropy in action on a great trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan. After just a few days of meeting with philanthropic leaders in Western Michigan, I had new energy, new ideas, and more proof that collaboration is driving the field forward. I was grateful to have been invited…

Nonprofit Funding and Community Foundations

In Pennsylvania, we’ve recently seen the failure of our state’s political leadership become a threat to many local nonprofits that provide much-needed assistance to our friends and neighbors. The governor and the state Legislature have not yet agreed on a budget, which has frozen funding for…

Shrinking Space for Civil Society and Philanthropy - New Reports and Trends

Download the Presentation Slides The enabling environment for civil society and philanthropy is rapidly changing. The Council on Foundations has held several calls to bring together grantmakers to share strategies for operating in a dynamic regulatory environment, including…

The Role of Nonprofit Media in a Vibrant Civil Society

  Download the Slides   The Council on Foundations, nonprofit media organizations, foundations, journalists, academics, and other stakeholders held a conversation about the role of nonprofit media in fostering a vibrant civil society in local communities. Nonprofit media…

Center for Community Foundation Excellence (CCFE) Fundamentals Course - New England Region

A well-trained staff and an informed board are critical to the success of community foundations in our fast-changing world. This two-day course helps new and experienced foundation stakeholders build the essential skills they need to balance governance and management. Created and led by experienced…

Global Regulation of Philanthropy

The Council develops substantive policy positions on behalf of its members; submits regulatory comments and letters to U.S. policymakers, foreign governments, and intergovernmental bodies; and advocates before domestic and international bodies that set policies impacting cross-border philanthropy…

Electronic Filing of Form 990

All 501(c)(3) charitable organizations are required to file the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990 in accordance with the annual reporting requirements under Sec. 6033 of the Internal Revenue Code. This form asks for detailed information about the activities of the charity for the reporting…

Nonprofit Political Activity

501(c)(3) Charitable Organizations Under current law, 501(c)(3) charitable organizations are prohibited from participating in, or intervening in (including the publishing and distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office…

D5: Policies, Practices, and Programs for Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

External Resource
To support leaders in their efforts to take meaningful action to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their organizations, D5 commissioned JustPartners, Inc. to identify the most effective policies, practices, and programs to advance DEI. The Analysis of Policies, Practices, and…
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