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. 

#CF100 - Aligning Social Action

Centennial News Pittsburgh Foundation Video on Reaching $1 Billion in Assets Cleveland Foundation Day was busiest Monday in film festival history, Crains Cleveland Celebrating 100 years in America, Charlevoix Courier Celebrating Community Foundations: 100 Years in America, 98 Years in Indiana…

A Community Foundation’s Grassroots Approach to Revitalizing Neighborhoods

Lessons Learned For organizations, seeking to engage with the communities they serve in more meaningful ways requires an openness to new ideas, perspectives, and approaches. Denver Foundation President David Miller recommends exploring the Asset Based Community Development approach that focuses…

Washington Snapshot - April 4, 2014

IRA Charitable Rollover Included in Senate Extenders Bill The Council’s Public Policy team has been closely tracking a flurry of activity on the Hill this week, as the Senate Finance Committee considered which of the 55 expired “tax extenders” to extend for another two years. The IRA charitable…

Statement on Retirement of Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp

Vikki Spruill, President and CEO, Council on Foundations: On behalf of the Council on Foundations, I would like to thank Chairman Camp for his decades of public service to the people of Michigan and to the U.S. House of Representatives. We wish him the very best in months and years ahead. We are…

More than just a window to the web - Apps and extensions for your browser

Do you know more about apps for your phone than apps for your browser? Many are unaware that apps and other add-ons are available for their browsers, are often free, and can provide unique tools to make their online experience better. So if you are a busy philanthropic professional, what apps might…

Council on Foundations Board of Directors - Official Notice

Board of Directors Official Notice The Council on Foundations Governance Committee has nominated the following individuals to serve on the Council’s Board of Directors: Class of 2017 Ken M. Jones, II* Vice President, Chief Financial Officer The Annie E. Casey Foundation Baltimore Ann M. Cramer…

Washington Snapshot - March 28, 2014

Council Releases Summary of Camp Bill For the past few weeks, we’ve working to analyze Chairman Camp’s tax reform bill, assess its potential impact on philanthropic and charitable organizations, coordinate with our colleagues in the field, and most importantly determine how to best represent the…

Girls' Health in Girls' Hands: Mobilizing Monterey County to Align Social Action

  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. Monterey County, California, is a…

Washington Snapshot - March 21, 2014

Council to Senate: Preserve & Expand IRA Rollover As our members know, the Council has long supported a permanent extension of the IRA charitable rollover, and an expanding the rollover by eliminating the $100,000 cap, allowing donors to make rollovers beginning at age 59 ½, and permitting…

NCG's 2014 New Grantmakers Institute

Register Today Are you new to philanthropy and unsure about the due diligence process for making a successful grant? Have you been in the field for several years, but are still unclear on the legal aspects of grantmaking or how to spot red flags in grantee financial statements? If you answered "yes…

Leading Forward: Innovations in Philanthropy Webinar Series

Next month, the Council on Foundations and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are kicking off a new webinar series on issues affecting philanthropy at a national level. Titled Leading Forward: Innovations in Philanthropy, the webinars will focus on three topics that are contributing to the…

Washington Snapshot - March 14, 2014

Camp Bill Sets Critical Precedent Stakeholders in every sector—including the Council—continue to delve into House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp’s (R-MI-4) Tax Reform Act of 2014 to get to the bottom of its wide-reaching implications. As we’ve been commenting since the bill’s…

Approaches to Place-Based Philanthropy

Communities across the country are experiencing rapid demographic shifts, and foundations that use place-based giving strategies must adapt their grantmaking to recognize these changes. Join us in a discussion about the multiple ways foundations define place-based philanthropy, its potential…

Blurred Lines and New Approaches to Working with Business, Nonprofits, and Government

As communities are being asked to address growing social challenges with diminishing resources, the field of philanthropy is placing increasing emphasis on collaboration with businesses, nonprofits, and government in its work for the common good. The webinar will examine the dynamic role of…

The Practices and Opportunities of Big Data in Philanthropy

‘Big Data’ is a hot topic in philanthropy. But what does it actually represent, and how can foundations be most effective in using this data to help inform and advance their work? The first installment of our Leading Forward webinar series will highlight different ways foundations are using Big…

Rallying Support for Rural Schools

Lessons Learned Julie Leeth, Executive Vice President for the Community Foundation of the Ozarks says many lessons emerged from the effort to develop and sustain the Rural Schools Partnership. Here are some of her takeaways about how to get strong alignment and support behind a major…
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