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.
High-Quality Ways to Hear Directly From Communities
Many funders rely on feedback from grantees to improve their grantmaking, but hesitate to go right to the source and listen to the people at the heart of their work. It can be daunting to listen directly to communities, but it’s an essential part of responsible stewardship and equitable strategies…
Getting to 100% Mission Alignment
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation, designed for organizational leaders and foundation investment professionals, that challenges the conventional philanthropic dialogue on grantmaking. Rather than focusing solely on the 5% spending debate, we will discuss the often overlooked 95% of funds…
Looking to the Future of Board Governance
Are foundation boards composed in a just way? Are they equipped to enhance the creativity and innovation needed across the nonprofit sector? Foundation governance mostly occurs out of view and often flies under the radar of discussion and debate in the sector. Two Minnesota foundation CEOs—Tuleah…
Lunch Plenary Session: Funding the Rural-Urban Connection
Rural and urban communities need each other. But while their interdependence plays out in their economies, cultures, and environments, prevailing narratives center on differences and divides. Meanwhile, rural communities account for close to 20 percent of the population, but they receive only 7…
Breakfast Plenary Session: From Rupture to Repair
The journey beyond toxic polarization and record levels of mistrust begins when we reknit the fabric of our civic lives: our places, our institutions, and, most importantly, our relationships. A critical first step is to take responsibility for harm and actively work to repair the ties that have…
Examining Your Foundation's Systems Through an Equity Lens
Hosted by Community Foundation Opportunity Network (CFON)
Join us for an opportunity to examine and gain a deeper understanding of the internal systems change needed for community foundations (and other grantmaking organizations) to authentically engage in external systems change and equity work.…
Moving from Surviving to Thriving Using the Vital Conditions for Health and Wellbeing Framework
Healthy Communities Delaware (HCD), a public private initiative of the Delaware Community Foundation, and ReThink Health, an initiative of the Rippel Foundation are partnering to catalyze and foster thriving communities. Learn how HCD leverages the Vital Conditions for Health and Wellbeing…
Engaging Communities Across Geography
How do community foundations engage people across expansive geographies to support local communities and yet achieve economies of scale to maximize the impact their work? This session will explore various models of community foundations attempting to do this work — from the traditional affiliate…
Navigating the 119th Congress
In Washington, D.C. there’s a new Congress, a Republican trifecta, and a slew of expiring tax provisions. A budget reconciliation package is coming soon — and issues that impact philanthropy may be on the table. Join this session to hear about the current congressional environment and learn how to…
Developing Community Co-Designed Strategy
A few years ago, U.S. Bank started working on place-based investment programs. To help build out the strategy of the programs, USB partnered with the community to create design sessions that were community-led and community-focused. U.S. Bank learned a lot through this process about how to center…
New Approaches to Disaster Recovery
On December 30, 2021, the Marshall Fire burned over 1,000 homes in Boulder County, CO. As Boulder County’s trusted philanthropic partner for over 30 years, The Community Foundation Boulder County (CFBC) quickly opened a disaster fund, raising over $43 million. CFBC’s trauma-informed, people-first…
Overcoming Psychological Barriers to Giving in Family Philanthropy
The National Center for Family Philanthropy, Ideas42, and Arabella Advisors recently released a report that explores top psychological barriers to giving in family philanthropy. Reasons included too many choices, fear of uncomfortable family dynamics, and lack of urgency. The research draws on…
Lunch Plenary Session: Partnering for Resilience and Justice
How are community and place-based funders partnering with communities to build resilience? With a commitment to righting past wrongs, responding to crises, and preparing for future challenges. Sit in on a conversation between members of the Groundbreak Coalition, a group of public, private,…
Partnering to Identify Overlooked Artists, Increase Visibility, and Build Community
The first step to greater investment in historically under-resourced communities is making the unknown known -- identifying who is out there and where they live and work. In 2024, two place-based funders, working in partnership with the public sector and an equity-forward researcher, created a…
Partnering with Youth Programs to Expand Impact
Solutions to challenges in our communities often require expertise and insight from many stakeholders, yet we struggle to engage with those who may be different from us, specifically intergenerationally. This session will describe a case study pairing youth with grantees to amplify voices and co-…
Philanthropy as a Force for the Frontline’s Mental and Physical Wellbeing
The goal of the philanthropic sector is to mobilize the funds that allow us to create change in the world. Layered underneath that sweeping vision are the staff and frontline fundraisers who dedicate their lives to this work. Whether they are in the trenches in conflict zones or regularly engaging…