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. 

Strategic Use of IT for Community Foundation Success

  Designed to inform foundation executives as well as IT leaders on the strategic role technology can play in your organization's roadmap. Learn how a strategic IT roadmap from technology selection and implementation to internal governance and process design can play a strategic part in…

FOTH Congressional Reception

The FOTH Congressional Reception is being hosted by the Council on Foundations for friends of the philanthropic sector in Congress, FOTH attendees and philanthropic colleagues in Washington. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) and Rep. George Holding (R-NC) will be recognized for their legislative leadership…

Webinar Recording: Mo Data Mo Problems

  When the credit reporting agency Equifax announced in 2017 that it was breached, the personal data of 143 million people was exposed. The company subsequently agreed to a global settlement worth up to $425 million. Cyber attacks do not only occur in the private sector. Cybercriminals…

Growing Giving in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania

This report from Charities Aid Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and the UK Lottery Fund provides detailed data about the culture of giving in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Washington Snapshot: 2020 State of the Union; 2020 Budget; House Committees’ Infrastructure Principles Unveiled

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot... The White House House Committees’ Infrastructure Principles Unveiled House Ways and Means Committee House Energy and Commerce Committee Department of Treasury Department of Health and Human Services Department of Agriculture Department of Homeland…

A Global Society At Home: The Role of the Modern Community Foundation - CANCELLED

The CFUnited 2020 Conference is cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. For more information, please see the official conference statement. Learn More   Tapping into the vibrant yet often invisible transnational communities and recognizing local solutions are borrowed and replicated by…

The PayPal Charitable Giving Fund Settlement and Variance Power

Legal Compliance Guidance
A multi-state settlement agreement between PayPal Charitable Giving Fund (PPGF) and almost two-dozen states was announced to address issues of transparency and PPGF’s website disclosures. One notable area about which state regulators raised concerns was disclosure by PPGF of the fact…

Gifts of Cryptocurrency and Charitable Acknowledgments: IRS FAQs Provide Guidance

Legal Compliance Guidance
The IRS published 45 FAQs related to virtual currency (Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency), and foundations should note two of these questions address charitable acknowledgment of such gifts as well as IRS reporting requirements.  Briefly, a contemporaneous written acknowledgment is required…

Washington Snapshot: Earmarks Making a Return to the House; Congressional Budget Office

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot... Earmarks Making a Return to the House? Congressional Budget Office The White House Department of Health and Human Services Department of Commerce Department of Education Department of Energy Happening in the States News from the Hill The Senate was…

Foundations in the News

Philanthropy in the News Chronicle of Philanthropy Coverage Inside Philanthropy Coverage United Philanthropy Forum: "Joint PSO Statement: Keep Equity at the Forefront in Philanthropy's Response to Coronavirus" DAFNE: "Italian Foundations Emergency Response" Grant Oliphant: "COVID-19: A test of…

Global Philanthropy Update - January 2020

Happy 2020! January has kicked off with a bang as we’ve been hard at work at the Council to develop exciting programs, publications, and avenues for engagement in 2020 and beyond. I’m excited to share more about the work of our global program as the year progresses and I look forward to continuing…

Washington Snapshot: House Ways and Means Committee; Revisiting Opportunity Zones Designations?

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot... House Ways and Means Committee Revisiting Opportunity Zones Designations? Department of Treasury The Federal Reserve Department of Commerce Department of Housing and Urban Development Department of Transportation Happening in the States  …

As We Look to the Future...

Last year, the Council on Foundations did a lot of listening. In conversations across the country with those who generously helped to crystalize the Council’s vision for the future, one thing was clear. These philanthropic leaders are devoted to the missions and communities they support and are…

The Council on Foundations Announces 2020 Career Pathways Cohort

The Council on Foundations today, announced the 24 participants selected for the 2020 Career Pathways cohort, a leadership development program designed to increase the number of diverse candidates in the philanthropic leadership pipeline. The newly selected participants represent the seventh cohort…

Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Fundamentals Course - Baltimore, MD - CANCELLED

This event is canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We will work to find an alternate date to offer the course, subject to the containment of COVID-19 and ability to travel. Council Coronavirus Resource Hub   A well-trained staff and an informed board are critical to the success of…

Washington Snapshot: Private Foundation Excise Tax; Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Tax Act of 2019; President’s 2021 Budget

In This Week's Edition of Snapshot... Private Foundation Excise Tax Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Tax Act of 2019 UBIT Refunds Congressional Ties to Education President’s 2021 Budget  Executive Branch and Regulatory Affairs Happening in the States From the Council's…
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