Private Foundations
Private foundations make grants based on charitable endowments. The endowment funds come from one or a small handful of sources -- an individual, a family or a corporation. Because of their endowments, they are focused primarily on grantmaking and generally do not raise funds or seek public financial support the way public charities (like community foundations) must.
“Private foundation” is the umbrella term that includes corporate, independent, family, and operating foundations. As of 2011, there were 73,764 private foundations in the United States (Foundation Center, 2011).
In 2011, private foundations held more than $604 billion in assets and gave away more than $45 billion (Foundation Center, 2011).
Below is everything on our site for private 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.
Nonprofit Law in Australia
Current as of May 2021 | Download print version (in PDF)
This report describes the legal framework governing nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Australia, and includes translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor…
Nonprofit Law in Argentina
Current as of July 2023 | Download print version (in PDF)
This report describes the legal framework governing nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Argentina, and includes translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor…
Nonprofit Law in Afghanistan
Current as of April 2024 | Download print version (in PDF)
This section describes the legal framework governing nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Afghanistan, and includes translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor…
The California Wellness Foundation, Violence Prevention Initiative: Accomplishments, Challenges and Lessons Learned
This report highlights the accomplishments, challenges and lessons learned from TCWF's Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI or Initiative) during the period 1992-2003.
Harvard Injury Control Research Center Firearms Research
Research publications on firearm violence from the Harvard Injury Control Research Center.
National League of Cities Violence Prevention Tools & Resources
A collection of case studies, strategies and reports from the National League of Cities.
Foundation Center Issue Lab on Gun Violence
A collection of publications, news articles, and issue papers on gun violence from the Foundation Center.
The California Wellness Foundation Resource Center on Violence Prevention
This collection of resources provides ideas, best practices and lessons learned about what works in violence prevention — for those who would like to be part of the solution
National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention: Strategic Planning Toolkit for Communities
This Toolkit was developed to support cities in developing youth violence prevention plans by building partnerships, taking an inventory of local resources and assets, and designing strategies, based on local data, that address the nature of youth violence and its causes. The goal is to create a…
The History of Violence
This publication from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explores the history of violence and the reasons why it has become a greater focus for public health in recent decades.
What if we treated violence like a contagious disease?
In this video from TEDMED 2013, epidemiologist Gary Slutkin of Cure Violence says the issue has been misdiagnosed, and instead created science-based strategies that aim to stop violence before it erupts.
Global Philanthropy
The focus of the Council's global program is to support U.S. philanthropy’s international engagement – including through cross-border grantmaking – but also by applying a global perspective to domestic philanthropy within the United States. We make it our mission to play a key role in facilitating…
Catalytic First Loss Capital
External Resource
This issue brief from the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) details the motivations, benefits, considerations, and suitable scenarios behind the use of catalytic first-loss capital in impact investing transactions. Catalytic first-loss capital refers to socially- and environmentally-driven…
Impact Investing 2.0: The Way Forward: Insight from 12 Outstanding Funds
External Resource
The Impact Investor Project was established in 2012 as a two-year research partnership between InSight at Pacific Community Ventures, CASE at Duke University, and ImpactAssets. The goal was simple: supplant the guesswork and conjecture in impact investing with solid evidence of high performance and…
From the Margins to the Mainstream: Assessment of the Impact Investment Sector and Opportunities to Engage Mainstream Investors
External Resource
In this report, the World Economic Forum Investors Industries consulted the senior decision-makers and portfolio managers of the largest and most innovative investors in the world to facilitate a more realistic vantage point on the challenges in scaling the sector.
Limits to the Charitable Deduction: Bad Timing & Faulty Logic
Council on Foundations president and CEO Vikki Spruill and several Council members met with Congressional leaders today to deliver the important message that changes to the charitable tax deduction would diminish its value and have an undeniably negative impact on communities across the United…