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. 

Community Philanthropy Update - July 2021

A worldwide pandemic is something that few of us expected to experience in our lifetimes. As the global community continues to struggle through the hardships of containing the pandemic, funders are demonstrating the many ways we can learn from each other, especially in times of crisis. Although the…

SDG Learning Community for Community Foundations

Join us for the launch of a new Peer Learning Circle dedicated specifically for community foundations who are working on advancing the Sustainble Development Goals (SDGs) or are open to learning more about how the SDGs can fit within their work. Connect with community foundation peers to learn…

Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Fundamentals Course - Virtual December 2021

Virtual Course December 8 | 9 | 15 | 16  1:00-4:30 p.m. ET SOLD OUT! A well-trained staff and an informed board are critical to the success of community foundations in our fast-changing world. This traditionally in-person, two-day course adapted to virtual in four, half day sessions helps…

Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Fundamentals Course - Virtual October 2021

Virtual Course October 13 | 14 | 20 | 21 1:00-4:30 p.m. ET THIS COURSE IS SOLD OUT You should have received an email from Zoom with your unique information to join the virtual classroom. If you did not receive the email, contact daniela.rodriguez@cof.org. WORKSHOP HOURS Wednesday, October…

HR Leaders Peer Exchange: Plans for Reopening Offices

As more organizations move to reopen physical offices, HR leaders in philanthropy are grappling with the challenges of reintegrating employees to in-person work after more than a year of isolation. Other organizations are also turning to hybrid or permanently remote models, which bring their own…

Washington Snapshot: Supreme Court Releases Decision on California Donor Disclosure Case

What You Need to Know About Public Policy This Week... News From the Council Supreme Court Releases Decision on California Donor Disclosure Case White House Announces Measures to Mitigate End of Eviction Moratorium House Urges Biden Administration to Step Up Assistance to India USDA Seeks…

Disaster Philanthropy and Native Americans: Practical Tips for Funding On and Off Reservations

  Download Slides   Native Americans are a richly diverse and growing population, but as an ethnicity, they are disproportionately affected by disasters. This reality is true for those who live on reservations and in urban areas. And yet, Native Americans are greatly underfunded by…

Community Philanthropy Update - June 2021

Dear Friend, It’s been an eventful month in Congress! In addition to the ACE Act, another bill was introduced last week that will have a significant impact on community foundations – by providing you with new ways of giving scholarships. We know that scholarships are a vital tool for community…

Philanthropy's Response to the National Evictions Crisis

Community foundations and place-based funders should be aware of the impending rental evictions crisis on the horizon. Money is available in every state to help renters who are behind on rent due to the pandemic’s impacts and are at risk of eviction when the federal pandemic eviction moratorium…

Council on Foundations Applauds Re-Introduction of the “Workforce Development through Post-Graduation Scholarships Act”

The Council on Foundations applauds the reintroduction of the Workforce Development Through Post-Graduation Scholarships Act (S.2191/ H.R4095) by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Terri Sewell (D-AL). The bill would…

Unexpected Partners and Unlikely Allies: Seeking Common Ground at Leading Together 2021

When I formally entered the field of philanthropy, I was certain of my commitment to improving the overall quality of life for children and families. But to be frank, what I was not certain of was the full scope of the vast and unique role philanthropy could play in facilitating such change. As a…

Normal Wasn’t Working: Raising the Bar at Leading Together 2021

The idea of raising the bar in the philanthropic sector is a great one, but we need to acknowledge some potentially hard truths first: a) the bar is actually set pretty low, so the idea of raising it shouldn’t be the pinnacle of our aspirations; b) we haven’t reached the goals represented by the…

Storytelling as a Pathway to Equity: Leading Together 2021

Like many of us in the philanthropic sector, I have, over the past year, been to more than a few webinars and conferences on philanthropy’s role in advancing equity. It can often feel like we’re all following a standard script. We acknowledge that racism exists, and has in fact existed for a while…

Reinventing Our Battered World through Kindness and Curiosity at Leading Together 2021

I came away from the second day of the Council on Foundations’ Leading Together 2021 conference with an enormous amount of hope. Hope in humanity and in the kind and equitable future we will create together, if we challenge ourselves to do better and shift many of our sector practices. The…

The LA Story: Bringing All Voices to the Table at Leading Together 2021

Over the past year, the COVID-19 crisis and violent racism against the Black and AAPI communities provided a moment of reckoning for philanthropic practitioners across the United States. We can capitalize on this moment if we work together, and if we understand that the greater good is more than a…

Knowing Yourself to Better Know Others: Advancing Equity at Leading Together 2021

During sessions on the first day of Leading Together 2021, three words resounded in the conversations: respect, trust, and equity. These three words have tremendous importance, both in our lives as individuals and as philanthropy professionals, and they have the power to reshape the ways that we…
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