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.
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Sample Document
You can use this document to guide the development of your disclosure and confidentiality statement for staff and board of directors.
Fundamentals
Both the board and CEO advance each foundation’s mission. They hold different responsibilities, but they need to support and balance each other.
The board chair-CEO partnership is crucial to your foundation’s effectiveness, as well as to your success as a CEO. As one CEO said, “To have a…
Sample Document
This is a sample document to guide the development of your Board of Directors election and retention policy.
Disaster Philanthropy
Foundations often play an essential role in disaster relief and recovery. Not only do foundations provide grants and help raise money, they also use their experience and expertise to help civic leaders and responders distribute aid and rebuild communities.
Our disaster grantmaking resource page…
India: My Five-Star Experience in Uttar Pradesh
Blistering sunlight broils our small group as we gingerly perch around the edges of the raised bed our hosts have set out for us in front of their hut in Godha Village. We’ve come to visit a few of the 100 ultra-poor women in rural Uttar Pradesh recently employed by our local partner, a social-…
Fundamentals
The Council on Foundations' definition of “international grantmaking” includes grants made by U.S. foundations and corporations to overseas recipients as well as grants made to U.S.-based organizations operating international programs. This also includes grants made toward activities wholly within…
990 Filing for Small Public Charities
Legal Compliance Guidance
Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA), any organization that is not required to file Form 990 because it is a “small public charity” will be required to submit an annual 990-N report to the IRS. The IRS posted FAQ's with additional information about the filing requirement. A “small public…
Public Disclosure of Form 990-T for Private Foundations and Public Charities
Legal Compliance Guidance
Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA), the rules for public disclosure of the Form 990-T by public charities and private foundations became identical to those for Form 990.
Which forms are affected?
Any Form 990-T filed after August 17, 2006.
What are the public disclosure requirements…
Contributions of Fractional Interests in Tangible Personal Property
Legal Compliance Guidance
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) imposes requirements for determining the charitable deduction permitted for gifts of fractional interests in tangible personal property.
What contributions are affected?
These requirements apply to contributions made after August 17, 2006.
What is…
Donor Guidance for Non-Cash Charitable Contributions
Legal Compliance Guidance
Contributions of clothing and household items
Section 1216 of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) imposes requirements for contributions of clothing and household items to charity. The provision is effective for contributions made after the date of enactment (August 17, 2006).
In general,…
Legal Compliance Guidance
Affected transactions: Returns filed for taxable years ending after August 17, 2006.
Are all supporting organizations required to file Form 990?
Yes. Prior to the enactment of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, public charities that normally received less than $25,000 in annual gross receipts…
Legal Compliance Guidance
This resource is a Council Summary of IRS Interim Guidance found in IRS Notice 2006-109, issued December 6, 2006, and explains steps for determining supporting organization status, and important information on the employer disaster relief fund exemption.
Responding to requests from the Council on…
Legal Compliance Guidance
This chart outlines all provisions that affect the operations of supporting organizations.
Legal Compliance Guidance, Fundamentals
Summary
A supporting organization qualifies as a public charity because it has a close relationship with another publicly supported section 501(c)(3) organization. Based on the relationship of the supporting organization to the public charity it supports, a supporting organization will be…
Tax Reporting for Organizations that Hold Donor-Advised Funds
Legal Compliance Guidance
If our organization holds donor-advised funds, what information must we provide on Form 990?
A sponsoring organization, such as a community foundation, must disclose on Schedule D, Part I of its 990 the following information:
Number of donor-advised funds owned;
Aggregate value of assets held…
Pension Protection Act
The Pension Protection Act (PPA) was signed into law by President George W. Bush on August 17, 2006. The PPA was designed to improve pension plan funding requirements of employers, as well as 401(k), IRA, and other retirement plans. The PPA also included numerous provisions that affect charitable…