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.
COF TBT: A Glimpse at Past Interns
Editor’s Note: As our Summer 2017 Intern Class wraps up, we asked Communications Intern Meghan Ervine to track down past interns and see where they are now and what they gained from the Council internship experience. Details on the Council’s Fall 2017 internship opportunities and how to apply can…
2018 HR Summit
The 2018 HR Summit: Developing Our Talent, co-hosted by the Council on Foundations and CHANGE Philanthropy, is your unique opportunity to share your personal and organizational journey as it relates to talent management and development. This collective will provide a forum for peer-to-peer…
A Word on Partnerships: Leveraging Partnerships to Discuss Global Issues in Local Communities
Recently, Council staff traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico to join more than 50 funders to discuss how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are relevant to local challenges facing communities across the Southwest. The gathering was the sixth city in a series of national conversations about the…
The Council and San Diego Grantmakers: Partnering to Support Veterans Philanthropy
The Council and the San Diego Grantmakers are teaming up to support the Veterans Philanthropy Exchange by co-hosting a mid-year convening in San Diego on November 29 and 30. The Veterans Philanthropy Exchange is a network of grantmakers that support nonprofits providing services and resources to…
Private Foundations Lunch with Legal Counsel: Self-Dealing
Members Access the Recording
Which of the following transactions are generally considered acts of self-dealing between a private foundation and a disqualified person?
Sales, exchanges, or leasing of property
Providing goods, services or facilities
Lending money or other extensions of credit…
Washington Snapshot - August 3, 2017
In This Week's Edition of Snapshot
Tax Reform Update: Tax reform faces competing legislative priorities
Move to weaken the Johnson Amendment advances in the House, NASCO speaks out
Kautter confirmed for key Treasury position
IRS takes steps to encourage charitable giving in the wake of…
Recollections from the Next Generation: Council Interns Reflect
By Meghan Irvine
It is truly mind boggling to think that my time at the Council is wrapping up. It seemed like just yesterday, or six short weeks ago to be exact, that I was nervously entering a new internship in an unfamiliar city, with little knowledge about foundations and having no idea what…
Council Comments on Treasury/IRS Priorities 2017-2018
The Council on Foundations wrote to the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to urge them to prioritize several regulations and guidance documents that impact our members. Each year, the Priority Guidance Plan identifies and prioritizes those tax issues that…
Toward More Inclusive Diversity in the Philanthropic Sector: LGBTQ People and People With Disabilities
Editor's Note: This was first published on Philanthropy News Digest's PhilanTopic blog.
The philanthropic sector has taken steps to address the lack of inclusion of women and people of color in its talent pool. But newly released research from the Council on Foundations reveals that…
Washington Snapshot - July 27, 2017
In This Week's Edition of Snapshot…
Tax Reform Update: Senate begins debate on health care, tax reform continues moving forward
Update on Treasury personnel
President Trump issues EO for Commerce Department
In the States: State budgets remain in flux, NYC arts funding plan to promote diversity…
New Report Finds Little Change in Proportions of Women and Minorities on Foundation Staffs
Despite concerted efforts by the field to advance more diverse, inclusive, and equitable recruitment and retention practices, the proportions of women and racial/ethnic minorities on foundation staff and at the most senior levels of leadership has changed very little over the past five and 10 years…
The State of Change: An Analysis of Women and People of Color in the Philanthropic Sector
Publication, Research
The Council’s report, The State of Change: An Analysis of Women and People of Color in the Philanthropic Sector, examines the demographics of the philanthropic sector, looking back over the last five and ten years, with a specific focus on the representation of women and people of color. The data…
Important Tax Reform Update
We wanted to share this important breaking news on the status of tax reform legislation. As you know, in Washington, D.C., things can change quickly. Just last week, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said that the tax reform framework document should be done in early September.…
Have Bold Ideas & Dare to Do Them
Award Nominations
The Council is currently accepting nominations for the 2017 Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking. Nominate a courageous leader and innovative grantmaker today.
Learn More
The Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking honors grantmakers who, with a…
Global Philanthropy Update - July 2017
For the last three years, I’ve noticed a growing trend in community foundations asking for support to make international grants, often from donor or corporate advised funds. We’ve never had data on how many community foundations are making global grants, which is why I’m delighted to share that…
Private Philanthropy Update - July 2017
In May, I invited the Council on Foundations' private foundation members to participate in a survey to help me gather information that will shape future Council programming tailored to private foundations. The results of the survey identified several areas of interest and need.
Participants…