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.
2021 UN General Assembly Virtual Philanthropic Side-Events
This page is an archived schedule of philanthropic side-events from the 2021 United Nations General Assembly. See the most recent UNGA schedule instead.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the UNGA side-events will be remote or hybrid again. This page highlights events that may be of interest to…
Better Ways of Working: Notes from the Journey at Walmart.org
The challenges of the past year have exacerbated inequities around the world and caused many of us in philanthropy to reflect on how we can change our own ways of working to be more effective partners in transforming societal systems for equity.
At Walmart and the Walmart Foundation, where…
2020 Council on Foundations - Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations (CCSF) Report
Publication, Research
The CCSF report is the field’s most comprehensive and authoritative study on investment and governance policies and practices. The 2020 CCSF studies 260 private and community foundations that represent $115.4 billion in assets. Topics covered include:
Returns and Investment Objectives…
Philanthropy's Response to Afghanistan Refugee Crisis
OVERVIEW
With the departure of U.S. armed forces and the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, a refugee crisis is unfolding throughout the region. According to the UNHCR, since the start of this year 550,000 Afghans have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict and the numbers…
COVID-19’s Long Tail: Developing a Mental Health Strategy for Recovery
COVID-19 is leaving a long tail of psycho-social impacts from the variety of losses that people have experienced during the pandemic such as death, illness, housing and job insecurity, and absence of in-person treatment. Policymakers and funders need a sustained and intentional strategy to address…
Highlights of the 2020 Council on Foundations–Commonfund Study of Foundations
Join Commonfund Institute and the Council on Foundations for a discussion of the results from the newly released 2020 Council on Foundations–Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations® (CCSF). This webinar will mark the culmination of the ninth year…
Disaster in a Crisis Zone: Understanding the Impact of Haiti's Earthquake
Download Slides
An M7.2 earthquake struck southwest Haiti on Aug. 14, leaving hundreds dead and causing widespread devastation, and Tropical Storm Grace is expected to pass over Haiti on Monday, Aug. 16, bringing heavy rains and strong winds.
The Center for Disaster…
Philanthropy's Response to 2021 Haiti Earthquake
Overview
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti on August 14, 2021, killing more than 2,000 and crippling buildings and infrastructure. Haiti is also sustaining an almost direct hit from Tropical Storm Grace as of Monday, August 16. Compounding the turmoil caused by the natural disasters is…
Bridging Our Divides Begins with Building Trust and Finding Common Ground with Each Other
We are in a moment of dramatic change and re-imagining, what my friend and futurist Ari Wallach calls “The Intertidal”: a significant shift in global human culture and narrative, where what has been gives way to what will be.
As we witness this profound shift, we also bear the responsibility,…
2021 Public Policy Summit - Schedule
Schedule
Stay on the lookout for new speakers, information and updates to the Summit schedule. Please note, this schedule is based on Eastern time.
Thursday, November 4
11:00-11:15 a.m. ET
Welcome & Opening Remarks
This year's Council on…
2021 Annual National Conference for Growing Community Foundations
Please join your community foundation colleagues in person or online for the 2021 HYBRID Annual National Conference for Growing Community Foundations. Travel for some good old-fashioned networking and professional development to embrace peers you have missed or explore what modern technology has to…
It is Not Enough to be Trustworthy, Philanthropy Needs to be a Trusted Partner
A few years ago, in my role guiding strategy and programs at the Democracy Fund, I took some time to explore the idea of “trust.” It was a construct that came up over and over again in conversations about democracy – for instance, do we trust elections to be safe and secure? What news sources can…
Council on Foundations Launches Executive-in-Residence Program, Names Sharon Alpert as First Resident
The Council on Foundations today announced the launch of an executive-in-residence program to support its new strategic direction. The program will leverage the expertise of executive-level leaders to shape new areas of work that advance the Council’s long-term goals of supporting philanthropy to…
Washington Snapshot: Eviction Moratorium Expires This Weekend
What You Need to Know About Public Policy This Week...
News From the Council
Eviction Moratorium Expires This Weekend
House Passes Appropriations Bill
States Encouraged to Educate Eligible Immigrants about Medicaid Coverage
Department of Commerce Announces Investing in America's Communities…
Council Response to ACE Act
Why is the Council on Foundations pushing back on the ACE Act?
The Accelerating Charitable Efforts (ACE) Act would decelerate the expansion of charitable giving by adding complexity for foundations and donors and making it harder for philanthropy to address emerging and long-term challenges…