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.
How Philanthropy Can Best Support Nonprofits in a Pandemic
COVID-19 has rocked the United States and threatened the safety, health, and financial security of our communities and the nonprofits that support them. As communities across the US experience the impact of this pandemic to varying degrees, they are also facing different needs. Some, in…
Washington Snapshot: Coronavirus Emergency Legislation in Negotiation
The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW
World Health Organization: Situation Dashboard
How Philanthropy Can Respond:
Center for Disaster Philanthropy
NEW! Council on Foundations:
COVID-19 Resource Hub
In This Week's Edition of Snapshot...
News from the Council
News from the Hill…
Funder to Funder Call: Sharing Approaches to COVID-19 Community Response
View the slides
The Council on Foundations hosted a Funder to Funder Call: Sharing Approaches to COVID-19 Community Response on Thursday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m. ET | 11:00 a.m. PT to discuss the emerging challenges of the coronavirus and philanthropy’s response.
This conversation…
COVID-19 Resource Hub
As COVID-19 continues throughout the world and in the United States, the Council remains committed to helping our members and the philanthropic sector respond to this global health pandemic. We continue to update this Hub with resources from our team and partners across philanthropy and the…
Washington Snapshot: Senate passed $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus funding package
The Coronavirus - THE MORE YOU KNOW
For Global Updates: World Health Organization
How Philanthropy Can Respond: Center for Disaster Philanthropy
In This Week's Edition of Snapshot...
The White House
House Ways and Means Committee
Department of the Interior
Department of Commerce…
Council News & Announcements Regarding COVID-19
Council Commitments during COVID-19
Updated February 24, 2021
This is an important time to leverage our leadership voice on behalf of our sector. Alongside partner philanthropy networks, we’ve lifted our voice throughout the pandemic in calls to action around policy and philanthropic practice,…
External Resources for Responding to COVID-19
Updated November 9, 2021
Access Council legal, FAQs, public policy resources and more on the Council Resources for Responding to COVID-19 page.
Reopening the Workplace
Cushman & Wakefield – Recovery Readiness: A How-To Guide for Reopening Your Workplace
Organizational Operations…
Connecting Community Foundations with the SDGs (Europe)
External Resource
The European Community Foundation Initiative report provides in-depth examples of community foundations throughout Europe adopting the SDGs and how they can work towards achieving the goals.
SDG Partnerships Agenda 2030: Accelerating Progress
External Resource
Philanthropy University, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and GSVlabs published a new report on the SDGs and how the various sectors, including philanthropy, can drive progress towards achieving the SDGs.
FOTH Congressional Reception
The FOTH Congressional Reception is being hosted by the Council on Foundations for friends of the philanthropic sector in Congress, FOTH attendees and philanthropic colleagues in Washington. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) and Rep. George Holding (R-NC) will be recognized for their legislative leadership…
Webinar Recording: Mo Data Mo Problems
When the credit reporting agency Equifax announced in 2017 that it was breached, the personal data of 143 million people was exposed. The company subsequently agreed to a global settlement worth up to $425 million. Cyber attacks do not only occur in the private sector. Cybercriminals…
Growing Giving in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania
This report from Charities Aid Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and the UK Lottery Fund provides detailed data about the culture of giving in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Washington Snapshot: 2020 State of the Union; 2020 Budget; House Committees’ Infrastructure Principles Unveiled
In This Week's Edition of Snapshot...
The White House
House Committees’ Infrastructure Principles Unveiled
House Ways and Means Committee
House Energy and Commerce Committee
Department of Treasury
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Agriculture
Department of Homeland…
The PayPal Charitable Giving Fund Settlement and Variance Power
Legal Compliance Guidance
A multi-state settlement agreement between PayPal Charitable Giving Fund (PPGF) and almost two-dozen states was announced to address issues of transparency and PPGF’s website disclosures. One notable area about which state regulators raised concerns was disclosure by PPGF of the fact…
Gifts of Cryptocurrency and Charitable Acknowledgments: IRS FAQs Provide Guidance
Legal Compliance Guidance
The IRS published 45 FAQs related to virtual currency (Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency), and foundations should note two of these questions address charitable acknowledgment of such gifts as well as IRS reporting requirements.
Briefly, a contemporaneous written acknowledgment is required…
Washington Snapshot: Earmarks Making a Return to the House; Congressional Budget Office
In This Week's Edition of Snapshot...
Earmarks Making a Return to the House?
Congressional Budget Office
The White House
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Commerce
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Happening in the States
News from the Hill
The Senate was…