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. 

Center for Community Foundation Excellence Fundamentals

A well-trained staff and a well-informed board are crucial to community foundation success in a fast-changing world. This two-day course helps new and experienced foundation stakeholders build essential skills they need. Created and led by experienced leaders, this course includes: Updates on key…

Policy Issues

The policy issues that impact philanthropy are wide-ranging. Our issue pages include the latest developments on policies that impact your foundation and nonprofit partners, including: Charitable Deduction Donor-Advised Funds Federal Budget Global Philanthropy IRA Charitable Rollover…

National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®

Learn more about the Value of National Standards The Intersection of Public Policy and National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations Community foundation leaders take seriously their role and commitment to serve and support their communities. To demonstrate this to lawmakers and the people…

2015 Annual Meeting Programming

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2015 Annual Meeting

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2015 Annual Meeting Registration

Registration Online registration is now closed. If you would still like to register for the conference, please fill out the paper registration form and bring it to the registration table in the Yerba Buena Foyer on the Lower B2 Level of the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Registration Rates…

Politics, Policy, and Philanthropy: How Your Funding Priorities Could be Impacted This Year

Please join Council on Foundations members and others within the Southern California philanthropic community for a unique program to learn about the opportunities and challenges affecting the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors at a local, state, and federal levels as the 2016 election cycle gets…

Quarterly Member Update: 1st Quarter 2015

Join us to hear more about how you can maximize the Council's network to further enhance your work in the field. Senior leaders from the Council will be present to discuss additional services, initiatives, and updates that have an impact on the larger philanthropic community. Register Now…

Giving As Good As We Get

As my boss and Blackbaud CEO Mike Gianoni noted, “#GivingTuesday has gone from a simple idea to become a genuine global phenomenon.” The unofficial start to the end-of-year giving season once again kicked off this #GivingTuesday, December 2nd 2014, and with #UNselfies shared and charitable gifts…

FREE WEBINAR: Philanthropic Engagement Opportunities in HUD’s National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC)

Free Webinar Open to All Philanthropic Organizations Wednesday, January 7, 2015 at 1pm ET The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC) in September 2014. Through the NDRC, HUD is partnering with the Rockefeller Foundation…

Increasing Influence and Measuring Impact for Organizational Social Media

An article recently published in Research & Development shared how  researchers are using social media to draw attention to their research.  Discussing their work with reporters and sharing on social media seemed to increase the likelihood that one’s research is cited, thereby…

Disappointment as House Fails to Make Charitable Provisions Permanent

This afternoon, the United States House of Representatives failed to advance the Supporting America's Charities Act (H.R. 5806), a milestone bill that would have widely benefited philanthropy and charitable organizations across the country. The vote broke down along party lines, with 275 Members…

Council Applauds New Philanthropic Pledges to Support Veterans and Military Families

Joining Forces Impact Pledge organizers announced five new pledges to the Philanthropy Joining Forces Impact Pledge at an event at Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum last week. With the new commitments, a total of 35 participants have pledged more than $200 million over the next five years to…

2015 Annual Meeting Call for Sessions

Call for Sessions Details Thematic Areas   Planning Your Session   Presenter Information   Key Dates The Council on Foundations' Annual Meeting is the premier philanthropic event that showcases innovative strategies, trends in the field, thought leadership and…

Leadership Development: An Essential Investment for Nonprofits

This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, by highlighting the roles of community foundations with this series. See where it all began at our Fall…

A Stellar Community: Community Foundation heightens Stellar Community effort

This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, by highlighting the roles of community foundations with this series. See where it all began at our Fall…
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