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.
Call Summary: China's Draft Law on Management of NGOs and Foundations
On May 27, the Council on Foundations and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) hosted a conference call on China's Draft Law on Management of Overseas NGOs and its potential impact on U.S. funders and other organizations working in and with China.
More than 130 participants…
Due Diligence that’s Built for Scale
The Social Impact Exchange exists to build a growth capital marketplace that supports scaling high-impact nonprofits in the U.S. Funders with shared interests convene in working groups (currently active in health and education) to identify and vet highly effective nonprofit initiatives primed…
Conference Call: China's Draft Law on Management of NGOs and Foundations: Impact on U.S. Funders
Check out the news release summarizing this call and listen to the full recording.
Over the past week, the Council has received many inquiries from foundations concerned about how a new draft Chinese law would impact grantmaking in China. In response to this feedback, the Council, in partnership…
Investing In The Future: Mission-Related and Program-Related Investments For Private Foundations
External Resource
Article published by Adler & Colvin summarizing the key differences between Mission-Related and Program-Related Investments for Private Foundations. The article also lays out many of the necessary legal and regulatory questions when determining if an impact investing strategy is appropriate for…
Why we joined the Philanthropy Joining Forces Impact Pledge?
In 2009, Blue Shield of California Foundation learned of the increasingly high rates and devastating impacts of domestic violence among military families. Given the incredible stress these families had endured after more than a decade at war, the findings were difficult to hear, but not surprising…
PHILANTHROPY-JOINING FORCES IMPACT PLEDGE MARKS FIRST YEAR WITH NEW COMMITMENTS
The Philanthropy-Joining Forces Impact Pledge today announced more than $106 million in new commitments to strengthen services and support for millions of veterans and military families throughout America. Six new grantmakers joined more than 30 philanthropic organizations and corporations that…
Philanthropy-Joining Forces Impact Pledge Reaches Important Milestone
This Memorial Day takes on new significance for the philanthropic sector as we take our commitment to veterans and their families to another level.
Building on last April’s historic Philanthropy-Joining Forces Impact Pledge convening, next week on May 12, the Council will host an event in…
Council on Foundations Applauds Introduction of The Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2015
The Council on Foundations applauds Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for introducing The Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2015 (S.1159). This measure would make permanent and expand the IRA charitable rollover, a valuable incentive for Americans to contribute to charitable organizations across the…
Council Comments on Treasury/IRS Priorities
The Council on Foundations wrote to the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) this week 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 the…
Nepal Earthquake: How Can Donors Help?
On April 25, 2015 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Nepal, in an area between the capitol city of Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Tremors and aftershocks were felt across the region in India, Bangladesh, Tibet and on Mount Everest. As the world has…
Telling a Fair and Balanced Story
Civil Society in America faces the challenge of storytelling. Democracy thrives on the free availability of information and viewpoints. We must guard against hegemony that stifles innovation and protect voices of the marginalized. To do so, we should ensure that everyone's story is told.
Making…
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Philanthropy and the Health of the Internet
On Feb. 11, the Ford, Knight, Open Society, MacArthur, and Mozilla, Foundations together launched NetGain: Working Together for a Stronger Digital Society as a major shared initiative. The NetGain initiative advocates that building the Internet as…
Council on Foundations Peer Networking Event
Join Council staff members, Kim Bluitt, Member Relations Director, Pacific, and your peers in the Southern California area for peer networking and conversation on the benefits of Council membership. The Council provides an array of services to assist foundation members. We are constantly seeking…
Dispatch from this Year's Hispanics in Philanthropy Conference and the HIP Giver Gala
A few weeks ago, we were happy to join several hundred of our colleagues in San Francisco for Hispanics in Philanthropy’s (HIP) 2015 Conference and HIPGiver Gala. The daylong series of events focused on Latino leadership in the philanthropic sector, as well as exploring the needs and opportunities…
Power in Philanthropy - Lessons of Failure & Success
Tiziana Dearing is the former CEO of Boston Rising, a place-based, anti-poverty, public foundation that aimed to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by replicating the Robin Hood Foundationand Harlem Children Zone’s models in Grove Hall, a Boston neighborhood inundated with poverty and…