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FEATURED EVENT
Practice and Purpose of Policy
A Training for Community Foundation Leaders
July 30 and August 6, 2024 | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
Virtual
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.
Thank You for a Great Year!
As 2019 comes to a close, I’m reflecting on my first year at the Council on Foundations. I’m proud of the strides we’ve made in forging strong relationships across the sector, moving our policy agenda forward, supporting the professional growth of members and reimagining both our membership model…
Understanding the Landscape of Global Family Philanthropy
Philanthropic families face a multitude of challenges when giving across borders. From coordinating family strategy to navigating complex tax regimes, global family philanthropy is not a simple feat. However, due to generational change and technological advancements, it’s becoming far more…
Career Pathways: The Unintended Consequences of Leadership Development
I’ve just finished a year-long program that aims to bring more diverse senior leadership to the philanthropic sector. My time with Council on Foundations’ Career Pathways program was transformative and will, no doubt, have an impact on my thinking and career trajectory in ways that I can’t yet even…
2019 Chapman Prize Awarded to Opportunity Fund, a Leading Nonprofit Microlender
The Council on Foundations and the Daniel and Barbara Chapman Trust today announced Opportunity Fund as the recipient of the 2019 Chapman Prize.
For more than 25 years, Opportunity Fund has served as a trusted partner to small business owners in underserved communities by providing access to…
Community Foundations at the Heart of Building Broader Communities in Americas
A Mexican American Linguist describes that in U.S. we would say “why has one of us stolen a television?”.
In Mexico, it would be, “one of us has stolen a television, why have we done this?”
The emphasis is not on punishing the individual at fault but recognizing our collective failure to support…
Nonprofit Law in Ethiopia
Legal Compliance Guidance
Current as of August 2022 | Download print version (PDF)
This describes the legal framework of nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Ethiopia, along with translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor undertaking an…
Inclusive Economic Prosperity White Paper
In 2018, the Council on Foundations introduced a series of summits on inclusive economic prosperity. These summits were designed to help foundation leaders better understand the leading role that philanthropy can play in developing inclusive economic prosperity outcomes locally.
Given the…
Membership Renewal 2020: Calling All Private Foundation Members
Members, View the Recording
The Council launched a new approach to membership to better reflect the diversity of the field, but what does that mean for you? Join this members-only conference call to hear more about the model, understand the new renewal process and get your questions answered by…
Philanthropy and the SDGs: Practical Tools for Alignment
External Resource
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' guide for philanthropists to align your practices with the SDGs.
Philanthropy and the SDGs: Getting Started
External Resource
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' strategic guide for philanthropy to get started implementing the SDGs.
Shaping the global agenda to maximize city leadership on the SDGs
External Resource
A Brookings Institution report on the experiences of vanguard cities in implementing the SDGs.
Goalkeepers 2019 Report
External Resource
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 2019 report on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Global Philanthropy Update - October 2019
From Greta Thunberg’s passionate climate advocacyto concerns about the efficacy of multilateralism that the UN represents, there was no shortage of news from the 74th UN General Assembly. Despite only having ten years left to achieve the SDGs, recent reports are bleak. Of more than 1,000 CEOs…
Forget the Divide: It's time for us all to be "glocal"
West Central Initiative (WCI) is one of six community foundations in Minnesota created by the McKnight Foundation in 1986 to response to the farm crisis. Together, we cover the area of the state called “Greater Minnesota.” We have cities and towns in all of our regions, but we are commonly…
Career Pathways: Who are the people in your neighborhood?
I once joked with a friend that I had no personality of my own, rather that I was made up of a Frankenstein patchwork of all the people I’ve met. The tendency to wander in my storytelling? Let me introduce you to my late grandfather. The courage to opine on things not even remotely in my ken? Let…
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