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.
Career Pathways: The Unintended Consequences of Leadership Development
I’ve just finished a year-long program that aims to bring more diverse senior leadership to the philanthropic sector. My time with Council on Foundations’ Career Pathways program was transformative and will, no doubt, have an impact on my thinking and career trajectory in ways that I can’t yet even…
2019 Chapman Prize Awarded to Opportunity Fund, a Leading Nonprofit Microlender
The Council on Foundations and the Daniel and Barbara Chapman Trust today announced Opportunity Fund as the recipient of the 2019 Chapman Prize.
For more than 25 years, Opportunity Fund has served as a trusted partner to small business owners in underserved communities by providing access to…
Community Foundations at the Heart of Building Broader Communities in Americas
A Mexican American Linguist describes that in U.S. we would say “why has one of us stolen a television?”.
In Mexico, it would be, “one of us has stolen a television, why have we done this?”
The emphasis is not on punishing the individual at fault but recognizing our collective failure to…
Nonprofit Law in Ethiopia
Legal Compliance Guidance
Current as of June 2025 | Download print version (PDF)
This describes the legal framework of nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Ethiopia, along with translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor undertaking an equivalency…
Inclusive Economic Prosperity White Paper
In 2018, the Council on Foundations introduced a series of summits on inclusive economic prosperity. These summits were designed to help foundation leaders better understand the leading role that philanthropy can play in developing inclusive economic prosperity outcomes locally.
Given the…
Membership Renewal 2020: Calling All Public Foundation Members
Members, View the Recording
The Council launched a new approach to membership to better reflect the diversity of the field, but what does that mean for you? Join this members-only conference call to hear more about the model, understand the new renewal process and get your questions answered by…
Philanthropy and the SDGs: Practical Tools for Alignment
External Resource
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' guide for philanthropists to align your practices with the SDGs.
Philanthropy and the SDGs: Getting Started
External Resource
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' strategic guide for philanthropy to get started implementing the SDGs.
Shaping the global agenda to maximize city leadership on the SDGs
External Resource
A Brookings Institution report on the experiences of vanguard cities in implementing the SDGs.
Goalkeepers 2019 Report
External Resource
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 2019 report on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Global Philanthropy Update - October 2019
From Greta Thunberg’s passionate climate advocacyto concerns about the efficacy of multilateralism that the UN represents, there was no shortage of news from the 74th UN General Assembly. Despite only having ten years left to achieve the SDGs, recent reports are bleak. Of more than 1,000 CEOs…
Forget the Divide: It's time for us all to be "glocal"
West Central Initiative (WCI) is one of six community foundations in Minnesota created by the McKnight Foundation in 1986 to response to the farm crisis. Together, we cover the area of the state called “Greater Minnesota.” We have cities and towns in all of our regions, but we are commonly…
Career Pathways: Who are the people in your neighborhood?
I once joked with a friend that I had no personality of my own, rather that I was made up of a Frankenstein patchwork of all the people I’ve met. The tendency to wander in my storytelling? Let me introduce you to my late grandfather. The courage to opine on things not even remotely in my ken? Let…
Announcing the Council's New Membership Model – We Heard You!
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Grantmaking Public Charity Membership
At the Council, Public charity members are grantmaking organizations that include intermediary grantmakers, health-conversion foundations, and public charities that make grants and operate programs.
Need more information? A member of our team is available to assist at membership@cof.org.
Join now