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. 

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All Global Grantmaking Resources

Washington Snapshot: Update on Public Policy Doctrine Regulations

The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has finished its review of proposed regulations applying the public policy doctrine to tax-exempt organizations. It is unclear which activities and which types of exempt organizations the regulations will cover. Plus, the Federal Tax…

Community Philanthropy Update - August 2026

There's still time (but not much) to complete the CF Insights Annual Survey FY2025!

Multilateral Institutions - Center for Global Grantmaking

While a U.S. foundation’s primary concern should be following U.S. law and policies, there are a variety of multilateral institutions that may be relevant to global grantmakers. These organizations can play an enabling role, such as a co-funding partner or grantee partner, or they can be…

Sanctions and Counterterrorism - Center for Global Grantmaking

A vital part of any U.S. foundation’s global grantmaking process includes a set of steps to ensure the foundation’s compliance with non-tax laws. In the international grantmaking context, this often means:Ensuring your foundation is not supporting a sanctioned country, organization, or…

Equivalency Determination (ED) and Expenditure Responsibility (ER) - Center for Global Grantmaking

There are two mechanisms for U.S.-based foundations to make grants abroad: equivalency determination (ED) and expenditure responsibility (ER).These procedures must be followed by private foundations and grants from donor-advised funds (DAFs). Other types of funders often utilize aspects of ER or ED…

Application Q and A: Community Foundations Working Across Differences Accelerator

Join us for an open office hours session to learn more about applying to and participating in the Community Foundations Working Across Differences Accelerator.Details to NoteThis session will NOT be recorded, but we will add frequently asked questions to our FAQ page.Applications for the Community…

Preserving Black History in Indiana

Halle Heather shares how the Stan Cox fund through Central Indiana Community Foundation is preserving historic African American sites across the region. body.group-subsites.node--type-blog.gb-anim .gb-reveal { opacity: 1 !important; }     View this post on Instagram …

2025 Council on Foundations - Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations (CCSF)

Publication, Research
The CCSF Study is the field’s most comprehensive and authoritative study on investment and governance policies and practices, and the 2025 CCSF studies 285 private and community foundations representing $126.9 billion in assets. Topics covered include:Returns and Investment ObjectivesAsset…

Philanthropy's Response to the 2026 Earthquake in Colombia

OverviewA powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10, 2026 causing widespread destruction across critical infrastructure. The earthquake killed over 200 people, with 4,000 missing and nearly 2,000 injured. Recovery efforts from complex humanitarian emergencies will be…

Supporting Workers in Western North Carolina

Megan Nichols shares the impact of The Industrial Commons, a nonprofit in Morganton, North Carolina. body.group-subsites.node--type-blog.gb-anim .gb-reveal { opacity: 1 !important; }     View this post on Instagram          …

Asia-Pacific Funder Circle - August 2026

This peer-learning space brings together funders working across the Asia-Pacific region and is designed to be an informal, peer-led conversation where participants can share experiences and learn from one another as legal, regulatory, and security dynamics continue to shift across the region. ICNL…

Responding to the Wildfires in California

Caitlin and Tiptoe the tortoise show how organizations in their community are helping rebuild after the 2025 California Wildfires. body.group-subsites.node--type-blog.gb-anim .gb-reveal { opacity: 1 !important; }     View this post on Instagram     …

Training - Legal Matters for Community Foundations

Led by the Council's legal team, this two-day virtual training is designed to answer your broad legal and practical questions on administering funds, grants, and community foundation activities.This training will provide technical and practical understanding of complex legal rules and regulations…

Training - Legal Basics for Community Foundations

This half-day virtual training covers some of the most fundamental aspects of the law of nonprofit organizations and how community foundations work within that larger sphere. It serves as a helpful introduction to the field for new staff as well as a refresher for more experienced professionals.…

Training - Building a Culture of Dialogue Across Differences

Join us for this half-day interactive workshop for an introduction to Resetting the Table’s celebrated approach to building a culture of productive dialogue on charged issues, even in the face of strong differences. You'll exchange your perspectives and experiences with your peers, while developing…
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