- About
-
Resources
-
Peer Communities
Get StartedPhilanthropy Exchange Basics
Learn how to get started on the exchange and the basics of posting.
-
Advocacy
-
Programs
-
Events
FEATURED EVENT
Global Grantmaking Essentials
Practical Solutions for Foundation Staff Making Grants Abroad
October 9, 10, 16, 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.
Charitable Foundations: The Essential Guide to Giving and Compliance
My book Charitable Foundations: The Essential Guide to Giving and Compliance was published in May 2015. Since publication, a number of people have asked me what led me to write the book. The Council on Foundations has asked me to address that subject in a blog.
According to published reports there…
Here's What Marriage Equality Should Actually Mean to Philanthropy
The year I was born, 1963, being gay was officially deemed a mental illness by the medical establishment. Same-sex relationships were illegal in every state, save Illinois. The federal government maintained a policy that prohibited the hiring of "known perverts,” then referring to lesbian, gay,…
A Historic Step Forward for Equality
Social change transpires at a blistering pace, in both promising and discouraging trajectories. After growing up in isolation in South Dakota and cutting my teeth decades ago as an LGBTQ human rights activist, I’m gob-smacked and elated by today’s Supreme Court decision.
This decision is historic…
Can My Foundation Fund Legal Aid for Individuals?
Legal Compliance Guidance
Legal aid provides assistance to people who would otherwise not be able to afford legal representation or access to the court system. While it is an integral part of the American justice system, especially to the most vulnerable in our society, many legal aid programs are unsustainable or have seen…
Celebrating ADA: It’s Time to Add a Disability Lens to Our Philanthropy
This article originally appeared on the D5 coalition blog, on 18 June 2015. The original article can be found here.
Darren Walker, bold leader of the Ford Foundation, just made a dramatic announcement. The Ford Foundation’s work, which is deep and rich with eight decades of positive practices, will…
The Thread of Mental Health
The fabric of Foundations funding human services forms a rich mosaic with themes as diverse as housing, education, employment, social justice issues, physical and public health. The thread that interconnects with all of these is the mental health of the individuals and communities who are targets…
HistPhil: A Serious Effort To Bring Our Past To Today
This week, Stan Katz, Benjamin Soskis and Maribel Morey released HistPhil, a new blog that focuses on both “the studying of history and the making of history”. The blog is a result of the co-founders insight that philanthropy as a whole has much to gain from studying its past. The founders hope…
Leading Together for Greater Impact
Building Successful Collaborations in Philanthropy
This morning, Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill helped launch a new platform on the Huffington Post that highlights important developments and leading thinkers on social innovation. The blog features thoughts from leaders such as Clara Miller…
Challenges and Opportunities for Grantmaking in Mexico
Access the Summary, Resources, and Recording
This teleconference provided an overview for foundations on policy developments in Mexico that are impacting the flow of U.S. philanthropy into the country. On the call, expert speakers delved into the implications for philanthropy of a new anti-…
Announcing Canopy: A New Model for Place-Based Investing
While the globalization of markets has dispersed investments around the world, we’ve hatched a plan to bring capital back to our communities in a transparent, coordinated, and collaborative way. I’m excited to announce Canopy, an innovative, member-owned, for-benefit company designed to advance…
Career Pathways: The First Three Years (A Summary Evaluation Report)
Publication
The Career Pathways program focuses on increasing the number of philanthropic professionals from diverse backgrounds ready to ascend to leadership positions within foundations. Diverse leadership fosters inclusion, innovation and excellence in philanthropy. The Career Pathways program evaluation…
What is Expenditure Responsibility?
Legal Compliance Guidance
Expenditure responsibility is a five step procedure that is designed to ensure that foundation funds are used for exclusively charitable purposes.
The five basic steps that are required for completing expenditure responsibility include:
Conducting a pre-grant inquiry including a reasonable…
Washington Snapshot - June 5, 2015
Leading Together to Advance Philanthropy
Joint Letter Published in The New York Times
On Sunday, a New York Times opinion piece offered a troubling take on the state of the charitable sector. David Callahan, who writes for Inside Philanthropy, expressed his view that the sector is the “wild west”…
Expenditure Responsibility Chart for Private Foundations
Legal Compliance Guidance
This document is a tool to help you as a private foundation determine when to use expenditure responsibility for grants to public charities.
Joint Letter Published in the New York Times
On May 30, David Callahan, editor of Inside Philanthropy, published a short-sighted opinion piece on philanthropy in the New York Times. Given its reach, the Council believed that the piece warranted a strong and united response.
Working with our colleagues who understand the value of philanthropy…
Nepal 60 Days Later: What Funders Should Know
Listen to a Recording of the Webinar
On April 25, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rattled Nepal. About two weeks later, a second earthquake occurred in a nearby area that overlapped parts of the first disaster. The combined disasters killed more than 8,500 people and injured more than 18,000. During…
Pagination
- First page
- Previous page
- …
- 88
- 89
- 90
- …
- Next page
- Last page