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.
2020 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report: Key Findings
Publication, Research
For 40 years the Council has provided the most comprehensive analysis of salary and benefits for full-time staff at U.S. foundations through the Grantmaker Salary and Benefits (GSB) Report. This year, in addition to providing an analysis of salary and benefits data from 8,794 full-time paid…
Blog Series: How the Philanthropy Pledge is Being Used by Global Funders
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COVID-19 has had a substantial impact on philanthropy and the way it does business. In the wake of this global pandemic, foundations took immediate action to do more – pledging to support nonprofit partners, people and communities…
Call Summary: Funder Roundtable on Indian FCRA Amendments 2020
Summary of Funder Roundtable on Indian FCRA Amendments, held on September 30, 2020.
Washington Snapshot: President Trump and the First Lady Test Positive For COVID-19
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2020 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report
Publication, Research
The Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report (GSB) provides salary, benefits, and diversity data for full-time staff at U.S. foundations to aid in budget planning and personnel practice benchmarking. Information is presented by grantmaker type, foundation type, asset size, and geographic location.…
Washington Snapshot: Nonprofit CEOs Urge Congress to Act on Another COVID-19 Relief Package
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Funder Roundtable on Indian FCRA Amendments 2020
Members View Call Summary
On September 20, 2020, the lower house of the Indian parliament passed a bill amending the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), signaling a significant shift in how foreign funding is regulated in the country. The bill has since become law after the president…
New Indian FCRA Amendments Impact Foreign Grants to Indian NGOs
The Ministry of Home Affairs released guidance indicating that FCRA-Registered nonprofits have until March 31, 2021 to open the new designated FCRA bank account. Nonprofits do not need to visit the State Bank in Delhi to open this account. Funders may consider resuming grantmaking to Indian…
National Study Reports Strong Investment Results in 2019 Increased Foundations’ Intermediate-Term Returns
Contact:
William Szczecinski
Prosek Partners
646-818-9029
wszczecinski@prosek.com
Contact:
Nicole Forman
Council on Foundations
202-991-5913
nicole.forman@cof.org
New York, NY, (September 24, 2020) — Data gathered in the 2019 Council on Foundations–Commonfund Study…
2019 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 2019 CCSF studies 265 private and community foundations that represent $104.7 billion in assets. Topics covered include:
Returns and Investment Objectives
Asset…
Washington Snapshot: Congress Returns to DC with a Long To Do List
The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW
World Health Organization: Situation Dashboard
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Center for Disaster Philanthropy
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List of COVID-19 Response Funds
Council's Comprehensive Coronavirus…
New Report Outlines How Philanthropy is Responding to 2020 Crises
WHO:
Dalberg
Philanthropy California
Council on Foundations
WHAT:
The public health, racial justice, and economic crises of 2020 have affected millions of Americans and laid bare the glaring inequities in our systems and institutions.
A new report from Council on…
2020 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 12 - Navigating the Post-Election Policy Landscape
12:00-12:15 p.m. ET
Welcome & Opening…
2020 Public Policy Summit - Working Group
Working Group
Ken Austin
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
The Wallace Foundation
Ben Chandler
President and CEO
Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky
Sally Ehrenfried
Principal, Government Relations
Blackbaud…
Shifting Practices, Sharing Power? How U.S. Philanthropy is Responding to the 2020 Crises
Publication
The public health, racial justice, and economic crises of 2020 have affected millions of Americans and laid bare the glaring inequities in our systems and institutions.
A new report from Council on Foundations, Philanthropy California, and Dalberg Advisors outlines how the US philanthropic…
Washington Snapshot: Senate Republicans Introduced a Slimmed-Down COVID-19 Bill
With Congress adjourned for the summer, Snapshot will not be published again in full until September 18. However, it is our goal to keep you informed on key updates as they occur.
The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW
World Health Organization: Situation Dashboard
How Philanthropy Can…