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.

Leading Together 2021 - All Programming

  All programming

Raising the Bar: How can Philanthropy Help Build a Better Future for Everyone?

Sponsored by Walton Family Foundation How do we rebuild in the wake of a series of global crises? And what is philanthropy’s role in the work ahead? Hear compelling visions from three innovative thinkers with different perspectives on and experiences with philanthropy as they motivate and…

Designing Women: Why Women of Color Hold the Key to True Equity

Join us for a conversation with a group of highly experienced women of color from different sectors within philanthropy and investment who coalesced to create a Design Council, ultimately helping to build the investment strategy of a major foundation. We’ll share both their vision for the…

Shifting Power to Young People: New Visions for Philanthropy

Youth worldwide are mobilizing to protect human rights, fight climate change, and call for racial justice. They are reshaping civil society, and with it the possibilities of transformational change. In this session designed by young leaders, participants will explore what philanthropy can learn and…

Community Foundations as Civic Homes

In 2020, a cohort of five California community foundations partnered with Justice Funders to imagine new possibilities for the future of community philanthropy. We explored concepts of civic identities and political journeys, questioned our notions of what makes a home and co-created a vision of…

The Family Giving Lifecycle: Orienting Toward Effective Outcomes

While every philanthropic family is unique, there are common points of inflection. The NCFP Family Giving Lifecycle names those inflection points and provides questions for donors to ask at each stage, recognizing that philanthropy is iterative and ever-evolving. This session will share the…

Centering Black Community Voices in Pandemic Response – Regional and National Approaches

Join a conversation about how two community foundations stepped up to respond to the Pandemic. Early in the Pandemic, the Community Foundation of Greater Flint convened the Greater Flint Coronavirus Taskforce on Racial Inequities building on the lessons of the Flint water crisis. The East Bay…

Creating a Racial Equity Community Narrative with Strategic Plan Alignment: "A Milwaukee For All" Case Study

Are you preparing to launch your new strategic plan or give lift to advancing your leadership position within the community? Does your organization want to develop a bolder voice around its commitment to racial equity and inclusion? Achieving your organizational goals takes buy-in, inspired donors…

Crisis, Connection, & Collaboration: Learning and Growing Impact in a Challenging Year

2020 forced everyone to think differently. For many communities in East Texas and Louisiana, the crisis of the pandemic was an additional blow to families already struggling due to devastating storms and chronic systemic disparities. However, new opportunities have emerged spurred by the…

Introducing Ethos: A Way to Address Dilemmas with Empathy and Integrity

To make progress on the urgent challenges faced today, we need to stop funding just the “usual suspects” and bravely invest in movements and traditionally under-funded changemakers. Choosing equity isn’t without risks. Philanthropists and those who support them face many ethical…

Strategies for Shifting Power

Do your foundation’s policies and procedures reflect a changing philanthropy that raises the bar on diversity, inclusion, and equity? Learn about one global foundation’s journey to ensure that grassroots partners have a place at the table and that their voices are heard. During this…

Values-Aligned Philanthropy: Saying No to Hate

This interactive panel discussion will discuss the ways in which foundations have encountered and confronted the issue of hate funding. Roey Thorpe, a social justice strategist, will discuss the research she’s conducted for the Council on Foundations on values aligned philanthropy that…

Equity Everywhere for Everyone: A Place-Based Model for Community Change

The status quo of current policies, processes, and institutions that perpetuate inequities in the American South must change. The solution is to transform perceptions, beliefs and behaviors so that a community-driven value of racial equity is common place. To do so requires a movement, a set of…

The Path Forward: Prioritizing Racial Equity in Unexpected Places

Let’s be honest: when you think of regions in the U.S. where you expect funders to commit long-term effort to centering racial equity in their work, Appalachia does not come to mind. But the Appalachia Funders Network is doing just that — committing 10% of its annual budget to anti-…

Bridging Across Toxic Political Division

The violent breach of the U.S. Capitol represents only the beginning of the destructive effects toxic polarization will bring to America if left unchecked. Researchers see America’s polarization crisis as closer to political sectarianism -- and they point to how so many of us perceive those…

Committing to Equity and Inclusivity: Moving from Words to Action

Sponsored by Knight Foundation How can philanthropy advance equity and inclusivity in every aspect of our work? The compounding crises of the last year prompted many foundations to commit to embedding equity across their organizations and in their funding, but many remain unsure where to start.…
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