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.
Shifting Power to Young People: New Visions for Philanthropy
Youth worldwide are mobilizing to protect human rights, fight climate change, and call for racial justice. They are reshaping civil society, and with it the possibilities of transformational change. In this session designed by young leaders, participants will explore what philanthropy can learn and…
Community Foundations as Civic Homes
In 2020, a cohort of five California community foundations partnered with Justice Funders to imagine new possibilities for the future of community philanthropy. We explored concepts of civic identities and political journeys, questioned our notions of what makes a home and co-created a vision of…
The Family Giving Lifecycle: Orienting Toward Effective Outcomes
While every philanthropic family is unique, there are common points of inflection. The NCFP Family Giving Lifecycle names those inflection points and provides questions for donors to ask at each stage, recognizing that philanthropy is iterative and ever-evolving. This session will share the…
Centering Black Community Voices in Pandemic Response – Regional and National Approaches
Join a conversation about how two community foundations stepped up to respond to the Pandemic. Early in the Pandemic, the Community Foundation of Greater Flint convened the Greater Flint Coronavirus Taskforce on Racial Inequities building on the lessons of the Flint water crisis. The East Bay…
Creating a Racial Equity Community Narrative with Strategic Plan Alignment: "A Milwaukee For All" Case Study
Are you preparing to launch your new strategic plan or give lift to advancing your leadership position within the community? Does your organization want to develop a bolder voice around its commitment to racial equity and inclusion? Achieving your organizational goals takes buy-in, inspired donors…
Crisis, Connection, & Collaboration: Learning and Growing Impact in a Challenging Year
2020 forced everyone to think differently. For many communities in East Texas and Louisiana, the crisis of the pandemic was an additional blow to families already struggling due to devastating storms and chronic systemic disparities. However, new opportunities have emerged spurred by the…
Introducing Ethos: A Way to Address Dilemmas with Empathy and Integrity
To make progress on the urgent challenges faced today, we need to stop funding just the “usual suspects” and bravely invest in movements and traditionally under-funded changemakers. Choosing equity isn’t without risks. Philanthropists and those who support them face many ethical…
Strategies for Shifting Power
Do your foundation’s policies and procedures reflect a changing philanthropy that raises the bar on diversity, inclusion, and equity? Learn about one global foundation’s journey to ensure that grassroots partners have a place at the table and that their voices are heard. During this…
Values-Aligned Philanthropy: Saying No to Hate
This interactive panel discussion will discuss the ways in which foundations have encountered and confronted the issue of hate funding. Roey Thorpe, a social justice strategist, will discuss the research she’s conducted for the Council on Foundations on values aligned philanthropy that…
Equity Everywhere for Everyone: A Place-Based Model for Community Change
The status quo of current policies, processes, and institutions that perpetuate inequities in the American South must change. The solution is to transform perceptions, beliefs and behaviors so that a community-driven value of racial equity is common place. To do so requires a movement, a set of…
The Path Forward: Prioritizing Racial Equity in Unexpected Places
Let’s be honest: when you think of regions in the U.S. where you expect funders to commit long-term effort to centering racial equity in their work, Appalachia does not come to mind. But the Appalachia Funders Network is doing just that — committing 10% of its annual budget to anti-…
Bridging Across Toxic Political Division
The violent breach of the U.S. Capitol represents only the beginning of the destructive effects toxic polarization will bring to America if left unchecked. Researchers see America’s polarization crisis as closer to political sectarianism -- and they point to how so many of us perceive those…
Committing to Equity and Inclusivity: Moving from Words to Action
Sponsored by Knight Foundation
How can philanthropy advance equity and inclusivity in every aspect of our work? The compounding crises of the last year prompted many foundations to commit to embedding equity across their organizations and in their funding, but many remain unsure where to start.…
Transformational Leadership
During this inspiring Fireside Chat, New York Times bestseller and former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, Wes Moore, will share his inspiring life story and perspective on how philanthropy can help address poverty.
Wes led the Robin Hood Foundation to one of its strongest years in the anti-…
Disrupting the Narrative: The Power of the Story
How do you change the narrative of a continent that has been entrenched in people’s minds for hundreds of years? The story of Africa is one that is often told by outsiders through frames that no longer serve this dynamic and evolving continent. Storytelling is a powerful way to shift…
The Power of Relationships to Build Equity and Change Systems
In response to severe racial disparities in COVID-19 impacts, Maine’s philanthropic sector has used its social capital to help facilitate access to emergency resources from the public sector for grassroots, immigrant-led organizations. Three Maine funders will explore philanthropy’s…