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.
HIGHLIGHTS - Racial Equity: Moving Companies from Promise to Action
How do companies address racial equity and expand their role in driving impact within communities?
To accelerate the progress and impact of business efforts to address racial equity, Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP), Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), The…
Reflective Break: Summarize It
Join your fellow conference attendees for a fun activity to exchange thoughts and lessons learned from Leading Together 2021. We will utilize a Jam Board to help attendees visualize concepts and takeaways to ensure you can continue to share the knowledge you gained with your colleagues and networks.
Reflective Break: Goal Setting
It’s always a good time of year to set goals! Whether you’ve kept up with your professional or personal goals or need a reset (no judgment!), join us for this quick session to get you back on track with your goals for 2021 and beyond.
HUD Secretary's Award for Public Philanthropic Partnerships
The Secretary's Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships recognizes cross-sector partnerships between the philanthropic and public sectors that effectively increase the quality of life for low- and moderate-income residents across all American geographies—urban, suburban, and rural.…
Town Hall: Unveiling the Council's New Strategic Direction
How can philanthropy meet the needs of our communities and our world with fierce urgency? What does philanthropy need from the Council to be able to shape a future that is better for everyone? The board and staff of the Council on Foundations, with generous member guidance, have created a new…
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…