Public Foundations
Public foundations are grantmaking public charities that gain their funds from a variety of sources, which may include foundations, individuals, corporations, or public entities. Public foundations may engage in fundraising, and may seek broad public financial support. They may or may not have endowments. There is no legal definition of a public foundation, but most dedicate a significant portion of their annual budgets to grantmaking. Most community foundations are also grantmaking public charities.
Since public foundations may be defined in different ways, and there is no official IRS or legal definition of public foundations, it is difficult to arrive at statistics that are fully representative of the field.
Below is everything on our site for public foundations. We strongly recommend that you use the navigation or our search feature to find what you're looking for on our site. Please also visit cof.org/programs-services/public-grantmaking-charities for curated public foundation content.
Pluralism in Action: Bridging Divides through Philanthropy
Discover how philanthropy can actively fund and model pluralism to strengthen democracy and social cohesion in a time of deep division. Guided by New Pluralists and featuring case studies from Convergence, WV Can’t Wait, and Citizen University, participants will learn to spot, support, and scale…
How Donors Can Support Community-Led Processes for Healing, Reconciliation, and Justice
Stories from around the world reveal how donors can effectively support community-healing processes anchored within the communities most impacted by high polarization. This session will use storytelling and interactive learning to provide practical strategies for how nonprofits and donors can…
Climate Action in a Polarized U.S.
Partisan gridlock has hampered U.S. climate progress, but funders have the power to change that. This session explores how philanthropy can unlock durable, bipartisan action by embracing ideological diversity and supporting authentic voices across the political spectrum. Attendees will leave with…
News That Builds: Philanthropy’s Urgent Opportunity
Like sidewalks and libraries, local news is an essential resource for strong communities. But as once-thriving local newsrooms have disappeared across America, this vital public resource is at risk. Participants will examine roles and identify integration strategies philanthropy can use to…
Measuring What Matters: Tracking Belonging in Practice
Belonging is a basic human need associated with a range of positive outcomes, but how do you know if programs or investments are meaningfully building it? Presenters in this session will spotlight nonprofit and philanthropic leaders who are piloting early efforts to measure the hard-to-measure.…
Leading Teams in Polarizing Times
Polarization is making it harder to lead organizations with diverse views. Leaders often face challenges when staff want them to speak out on polarized issues. Using new data from More in Common, presenters in this session will discuss evidence-based strategies to navigate internal pressures from…
From Gridlock to Groundbreaking Wins for Family Flourishing
How can funders convene truly diverse groups and ensure their solutions make a difference? This session features Convergence’s Supports for Working Families Collaborative, which built cross-partisan consensus on family policies like paid leave, cash support and childcare. Participants will hear…
Fearful? Furious? Get Curious
Deep canvassing is a powerful, research-proven way to lastingly change hearts and minds by building connection across lines of difference. Participants will learn how to have authentic conversations grounded in vulnerability, curiosity, and story sharing. Using case studies, video of real…
Washington Snapshot: 2025 Year in Review
The last Washington Snapshot of the year. Looking back on 2025, state legislation taking effect in 2026, and more.
Basics of Civic Engagement for Foundations
Philanthropic organizations face heightened attention and expectations. To support Council members, our Legal Resources team hosted a webinar on what philanthropic organizations need to know to engage confidently and responsibly in civic engagement work.This session covered what organizations can…
Better Stories, Better Language: The Ethics of Great Storytelling
We’ll discuss the essential elements of stories that are authentic, accurate, and ethical and that serve our communities and issues well.
In this session, you’ll learn:
How to incorporate a range of voices into your stories, including those closest to the issue, decisionmakers and…
Better Stories, Better Language: Building Trust, Showing Your Value, and Using Language That Resonates
Annual reports, 990 PFs, and all the other language foundations use don’t help people understand what we do. This workshop will help you replace the jargon and harmful metaphors with visual, memorable language. You’ll also learn the essential elements of stories that build trust. Bring your…
Better Stories, Better Language: Showing Your Work
In this session, you’ll learn to align your stories with your theory of change and develop meaningful measurements that go beyond clicks, likes and shares.
You’ll learn:
How to set meaningful goals that align with your organization’s mission and theory of change.
How to write a theory of…
Washington Snapshot: Congressional Philanthropy Caucus Launched
This week, Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT) and Danny Davis (D-IL) announced the launch of the bipartisan Congressional Philanthropy Caucus. Plus, IRS guidance on Trump Accounts, new AAER case, tax conformity in the states, and more.
Trump Accounts Explainer
What are Trump Accounts?Trump Accounts are new accounts—structured as Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) but with special rules—that are created or organized for the exclusive benefit of a child. U.S. citizens with social security numbers are eligible. Once the child turns eighteen, funds from…
2026 Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort Application Q&A
Are you looking for a supportive community of funders to help you build constructive dialogue and understanding across differences? You’ll get just that with the Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort.
The Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort is a facilitated virtual learning experience meeting…