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.
Balancing Purpose, Payout, and Permanence: Strategy Guide
Publication
This Strategy Guide, developed in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy, invites you to reflect more deeply on how your foundation chooses to balance the four factors of Purpose, Conditions and Trends, Time Horizon, and Assets for Mission, especially in times of greater…
Outsized Challenges Demand Creative Solutions: Expanding Payout through Debt Financing
Many philanthropic institutions are exploring ways to access additional resources to respond to the deep seeded racial inequities that permeate most aspects of American society and the devastating effects of COVID-19, which is widening inequality around the globe.
The Ford Foundation…
2020 UN General Assembly Virtual Philanthropic Side-Events
This page is an archived schedule of philanthropic side-events from the 2020 United Nations General Assembly. See the most recent UNGA schedule instead.
This September, many parts of the United Nations General Assembly and its hundreds of side-events will be held virtually for the first time due…
Disaster Assistance and Emergency Hardship Funds: Charitable Assistance for Individuals and Communities
Legal Compliance Guidance, Publication
A Chapter in Mastering Foundation Law:
The Council on Foundations Compendium of Legal Resources
The Council on Foundations has long been involved in helping foundations and funders navigate grantmaking in times of disaster and hardship. We have published various materials over the years related to…
Trends in Disaster Philanthropy: Examining 15 Years of Disaster Giving to the Asia-Pacific
External Resource
Give2Asia's report looks at 15 years of its grantmaking to understand giving patterns, program impact, and opportunities in the philanthropy sector.
Philanthropy's Response to 2020 Hurricane Laura
OVERVIEW
Communities across the Caribbean are reeling from Atlantic Tropical Storm Laura, which caused loss of life in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Laura strengthened into a Hurricane as it is forecasted to strike the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts. This is particularly devastating for the…
Philanthropy's Response to 2020 North American Wildfire Season
OVERVIEW
Communities in California, Oregon, and Washington continue to face devastation from mega wildfires, while Colorado wildfires remain mostly contained.
As updates about the impact of these disasters are known and opportunities to support long-term recovery become available, this page…
Philanthropy's Response to 2020 Iowa Derecho
OVERVIEW
Communities across the Midwest and primarily in Iowa are reeling from a range of catastrophic events caused by a Derecho that hit the area on August 10, 2020. Devastating crops and farmland, and leaving thousands without power for weeks, many in Iowa are still reeling from the significant…
2020 HR Retreat - Speakers
Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Trina C. Olson
Team Dynamics
Alfonso Wenker
Team Dynamics
Culture Speakers
Galen Maness
San Francisco Foundation
Maria Hannon
The Colorado Health Foundation
…
2020 HR Retreat - Sponsors
Sponsors
The Council would like to thank all of the sponsors for their support of the 2020 HR Retreat.
If you would like to learn more about becoming a sponsor, contact Tara Cox at tara.cox@cof.org.
Silver Sponsor
Colorado Health Foundation
Bronze Sponsors
ABD Insurance &…
Washington Snapshot: No Movement, No Deal
With Congress adjourned for the summer, Snapshot will not be published again until September 18. We will issue breaking news as stimulus talks continue or consequential presidential actions occur.
The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW
World Health Organization: Situation Dashboard
How…
Balancing Purpose, Payout, and Permanence
"How much should we spend?" It's an essential question for all funders, and an especially complex one for endowed private foundations. The answer of "around 5%" was never universal as foundations sought creative means of ensuring that assets would serve mission rather than the other way…
Career Pathways Alumni | September Community Building Hour
The Council on Foundations’ Career Pathways program (CP) has strengthened and expanded the capacity of philanthropic professionals within the leadership pipeline who are considered, appointed, and retained in senior and executive philanthropic leadership positions. The Council is committed to…
Washington Snapshot: The Next COVID-19 Package
The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW
World Health Organization: Situation Dashboard
How Philanthropy Can Respond:
Center for Disaster Philanthropy
Council on Foundations:
COVID-19 Resource Hub
List of COVID-19 Response Funds
Council's Comprehensive Coronavirus…
Washington Snapshot: A Stalled COVID-19 Package
The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW
World Health Organization: Situation Dashboard
How Philanthropy Can Respond:
Center for Disaster Philanthropy
Council on Foundations:
COVID-19 Resource Hub
List of COVID-19 Response Funds
Council's Comprehensive Coronavirus…