Family Foundations

The Council on Foundations defines a family foundation as one whose funds are derived from members of a single family, though this is not a legal term and has no precise definition. The Council on Foundations suggests that family foundations have at least one family member serving as an officer or board member of the foundation and, as the donor, that individual (or a relative) must play a significant role in governing and/or managing the foundation. Most family foundations are run by family members who serve as trustees or directors on a voluntary basis. In many cases, second- and third-generation descendants of the original donors manage the foundation.

Family foundations make up over half of all private (family, corporate, independent, and operating) foundations, or 40,456 out of approximately 73,764 foundations (Foundation Center, 2011). Family foundations make up approximately one-third of the Council’s membership.

Family foundations range in asset size from a few hundred thousand dollars to more than $1 billion. The holdings of family foundations total approximately $294 billion, or about 44 percent of all foundation holdings of $662 billion. Despite this, three out of five family foundations hold assets of less than $1 million. Family foundations gave away approximately $21.3 billion in grants in 2011 (The Foundation Center, 2011).

Below is everything on our site for family foundations. Due to the large number of resources on our website, we highly recommend you use the site navigation or the search feature to find what you are looking for.

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Washington Snapshot - April 11, 2014

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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

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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…

2014 Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study of Investments for Private Foundations (CCSF)

Participate now in the in the 2014 Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study of Investments for Private Foundations (CCSF) being conducted by the Council and the Commonfund Institute. This study, now offered for a second year, will enhance the understanding of key trends in the field and of…

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…

Speaker Highlights

Speaker Highlights Kate Ahern, Vice President of Social Innovation, Case Foundation Ahern oversees a portfolio of activities, including the foundation’s impact investing work and its Be Fearless initiative. She also oversees corporate pro bono campaign A Billion + Change. In addition, she…
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