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. 

Record Retention for Foundations

Legal Compliance Guidance
Foundation recordkeeping is an inherently dull topic—unless it’s done wrong. The foundation manager who has not kept adequate documentation regarding expenditure responsibility grants risks an IRS audit. Similarly, a foundation manager confronted with a trustee succession battle will find the…

Administrative Fees

Fundamentals
Community foundations have one thing in common: When it comes to administrative fee structures, no two are alike. While there's no one right answer, it's important to review and compare your foundation’s fee structure to other foundations of comparable size. Many community foundations are doing…

It Takes a Community to Build a Community Foundation

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…

Avid about AVID: Student credits success to Destino grantee

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…

Charitable IRA Portfolio

Toolkit
The Charitable IRA Portfolio is a collection of tools designed to help communicate the exciting giving opportunities available to donors.  Revised to reflect recent legislative changes, the portfolio includes: Talking points, a fact sheet, and Web content An event presentation Tools that…

Duty, Honor, Country: Supporting Those Who Have Served

As a nation we cherish the value of service. Few among us take this spirit to heart more than our men and women in uniform. Coming from all walks of life, they join forces to safeguard our country. Americans are proud of their men and wom­en in uniform and are quick to honor the sac­rifices made…

Foundation Basics

Fundamentals
What is a charitable organization? What is a foundation? What is a private foundation? What is a public charity? Do charities pay taxes? What are some key differences between a public charity and a private foundation? What are some different kinds of private foundations? What are the…

The Second a Disaster Strikes

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…

Creating a Welcoming Community

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…

Beyond Grantmaking: Reimagining the Potential of the Community Foundation in Its Second Century

Beyond Grantmaking: Reimagining the Potential of the Community Foundation in Its Second Century Ambassador James A. Joseph 2014 Council on Foundations Fall Conference for Community Foundations Cleveland, Ohio October 20, 2014 (Much of this speech is copyrighted from a book soon to be published…

Ten Foundations Receive HUD/USDA Secretaries' Award

HUD No. 14-128 Brian Sullivan 202-708-0685 Across the nation, community foundations, private foundations, and corporate giving programs work to improve neighborhoods and the lives of the people who live in them. Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S.…

The Council on Foundations Honors William S. White

William S. White with Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill after accepting his honor. As part of the 2014 Fall Conference for Community Foundations, The Council on Foundations honored William S. White, Chairman, President, and CEO of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, for his work to support…

Building the Next Century of Community Philanthropy - Vikki Spruill at the 2014 Fall Conference

The Centennial – A Year of Action In Support of Community Philanthropy While we’re officially commemorating 100 years since the founding of the Cleveland Foundation, this Centennial moment matters for the entire field because philanthropy can’t be successful without strong and vibrant community…

Preparations for Cleveland Travel

The Council is aware that an individual healthcare worker, who has since tested positive for Ebola, recently travelled from the Cleveland airport. To date, there are no confirmed cases of Ebola in Ohio. The Council is closely monitoring the information provided by the Cleveland Department of Health…

Lessons from a tsunami warning: SVCF study of coastal disaster preparedness brings change to local communities

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…

And the GIFT goes on...

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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