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.
Roles of Congressional Staff Members
Each member of Congress has staff to assist him or her during a term in office. To be most effective in communicating with Congress, it is helpful to know the titles and principal functions of key staff.
Commonly used titles and job functions:
Chief of staff or administrative assistant
This staff…
Donor-Advised Funds
Issue
Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are a unique philanthropic tool that allow donors to establish charitable accounts at institutions, such as community foundations, and remain involved in supporting the issues and causes they care about. A DAF allows the donor to remain involved and active in…
2025 Tax Reform
With numerous provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expiring at the end of 2025, Congress is working towards passing a tax package this Congress. This page serves as a landing page for key Council resources related to the forthcoming tax package. For the most up to date information, join…
Federal Partnerships
The History
In 2008, incoming Obama Administration officials signaled to foundations that the Administration would be seeking partnerships with the philanthropy sector to realize the President's social innovation agenda across the federal government. In response to this outreach, and with the…
The Urban Institute Community Platform: Tools for Building Civic and Nonprofit Capacity
This webinar shows how 10 states are implementing a web-based platform to help foundations and other community organizations respond effectively to civic challenges.
The Urban Institute's system includes tools community foundations can use to:
map nonprofit organizations and areas of need…
Public Policy Webinar: Effective Communications to Congress in the Age of Social Media
This webinar covered effective ways of communicating with members of Congress using the Internet and social media.
Featured Speakers:
Bradford Fitch, President and CEO, Congressional Management Foundation
Susie Gorden, Vice President, Congressional Management Foundation
Andrew Schulz, Former…
Improving Internal Practices in Philanthropy
Is your foundation using best practices for internal processes? Hear how the Archstone Foundation addressed the various needs of a multigenerational workforce that values its employees and offers incentives to increase motivation, productivity, and employee satisfaction. You will also learn how The…
Improving Effectiveness in an Age of Uncertainty
In this age of austerity, it is more important than ever to ask and answer how foundations' decisions impact the fields they work in. Join foundation grantmakers for this two-part webinar as they share lessons learned from grantee budget reductions and business model changes.
Featured Speakers…
Becoming a Web 2.0 Philanthropy
Special thanks to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for sponsoring this webinar.
Representatives from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation discuss how their foundation became a Web 2.0 philanthropy and the effects it had on their employees, grantees, and programming.
Featured Speakers:
Steve Downs,…
Washington Snapshot - July 18, 2013
Up on Capitol Hill . . .
Tax Reform
The "blank slate" is still, well, blank...
As Politico notes, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Senators Baucus and Hatch and the “blank slate” approach to tax reform. Colleagues on both sides of the aisle seem reluctant to submit official letters of support for…
Washington Snapshot - July 11, 2013
Up on Capitol Hill . . .
Tax Reform
Should a newly reformed tax code raise more revenue than the old tax code?
Discussion this week has centered on whether tax reform will be revenue raising (the position reflected by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus) or revenue neutral (reflected by…
Washington Snapshot - June 27, 2013
BREAKING NEWS: Baucus and Hatch Call for "Blank Slate" in Tax Reform
This morning, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) held a closed door meeting with the committee to ask for their support in tax reform.
A Dear Colleague letter from Chairman Baucus and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch…
Washington Snapshot - June 20, 2013
June 20, 2013
Welcome to the Council’s Weekly Washington Snapshot
The Council on Foundations Public Policy and Legal Affairs team is pleased to launch a new weekly Washington Snapshot. Every Thursday afternoon, this newsletter will give you a quick glimpse at some of the pressing issues we’re…
Nonprofit Law in Vietnam
Legal Compliance Guidance
Current as of March 2024 | Download print version (PDF)
This section describes the legal framework of nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Vietnam, along with translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor undertaking an…
Nonprofit Law in Venezuela
Current as of November 2023 | Download print version (in PDF)
This report describes the legal framework governing nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Venezuela, and includes translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor…
Nonprofit Law in Uganda
Current as of March 2024 | Download print version (in PDF)
This section describes the legal framework governing nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Uganda, and includes translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or…