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. 

The Fourth Dimension of a Great Idea

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” Albert Einstein Imagine this: a well-intended, charitably-inclined person of wealth creates a trust in the year 1514. This generous benefactor, deeply committed to an altruistic objective, funds the philanthropic cause without…

Outreach and Engagement Opportunities

Fundamentals
Proposals being considered in Congress often have implications for philanthropy and its effectiveness in addressing some of our most pressing challenges. In addition to educating lawmakers in Washington, D.C., communicating the impact locally is just as important. Here are some ways your…

Washington Snapshot - May 30, 2014

Last Chance: Public Policy Preconference We are delighted with the level of interest we’ve received for our inaugural Council on Foundations Public Policy Seminar! The event, which takes place on Saturday, June 7th, from 9:30 am-4:30 pm at the Washington Hilton in Dupont Circle, is a preconference…

House Ways and Means Committee Passes Key Measures in Support of Philanthropy

Today, the House Ways and Means Committee met to markup several important bills focused on the charitable sector. One bill would make the charitable “tax extenders”—including the IRA charitable rollover—permanent law. Another would simplify the private foundation excise tax on investment income to…

Strategy for Success

The following infographic was prepared by Mark Neithercut, of Neithercut Philanthropy Advisors. You can also see his earlier graphic, Six Misconceptions About Family Foundations.

StoryCorps is Coming to the Council on Foundations 2014 Annual Conference

What was your life path that led you to philanthropy? What do you count as your biggest accomplishment in this field? Can you describe the greatest obstacle you have had to overcome in your career? StoryCorps, a national oral history project, is coming to the Council on Foundations' 2014…

Washington Snapshot - May 23, 2014

Last Chance: Public Policy Preconference We are delighted with the level of interest we’ve received for our inaugural Council on Foundations Public Policy Seminar! The event, which takes place on Saturday, June 7th, from 9:30 am-4:30 pm at the Washington Hilton in Dupont Circle, is a preconference…

Three Reasons to Fund Storytelling

”The universe is made of stories, not of atoms,” said poet Muriel Rukeyser. Just a year ago, Ruykeyser’s words proved to be transformational for the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation. As a program officer listening to a grantee report about a local man facing a terrible disease with…

Washington Snapshot - May 16, 2014

Just Announced - Public Policy Preconference We are thrilled to announce our inaugural Council on Foundations Public Policy Seminar on Saturday, June 7th, from 9:30 am-4:30 pm at the Washington Hilton in Dupont Circle. The seminar is a preconference to our 2014 Annual Conference: Philanthropy…

Rhode Island Community Foundation breaks the mold with Innovation Fellowships

Lessons Learned Jessica David, vice president of Strategy and Community Investments for the Rhode Island Foundation says the Innovation Fellowship been an ongoing learning process in a range of ways. Among her key takeaways for managing an initiative that is a departure from traditional…

Democratic Practice

Democratic Practice This year's conference is centered on our spotlight issue the role of philanthropy in an increasingly polarized and fractured society. The conversation will be structured around five of the most contentious issues being addressed today by philanthropy, our nation, and our…

Washington Snapshot - May 9, 2014

The IRA Charitable Rollover - Working Toward Permanence & Expansion Yesterday, Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL-18) and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3) introduced H.R. 4619, legislation to make the IRA charitable rollover, which expired December 31, 2013, permanent. The Council has been…

When Community Foundations Convene, Collaborate and Connect - The Artificial Reef Project at the Community Foundation of Collier County

  The problem was as vast as the ocean – or in our case, the Gulf of Mexico, floor. Over time, the reef system in the Gulf waters bordering Collier County in SW Florida had been destroyed by hurricanes and shifting currents. For fish and other marine life, there was nowhere to run – or hide –…

19 Years Searching for a Cure to AIDS

A lot has been accomplished over the years since HIV/AIDS first was discovered. Scientists have come a long way toward finding a cure, and in the process many of those afflicted with the disease are living much longer than in the past. It’s the incremental steps made by scientists around the world…

Win-Win Solutions for Community Challenges

At a recent gubernatorial candidate forum I attended in Rhode Island, a Brown University professor presented on the challenges of climate change for the Ocean State. His last slide gave three examples of “win-win solutions.” At the top of the list was the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI…

Washington Snapshot - May 2, 2014

First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden Announce Philanthropy-Joining Forces Impact Pledge This week, at the American Red Cross national headquarters, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden joined Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill, Chairman of the Board of the American Red Cross Bonnie McElveen-…
Subscribe to Community Foundations