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. You can use the filtering options on the right to narrow these results.
Philanthropy's Response to Kentucky Floods
Overview
Severe storms dumped torrential rain across eastern Kentucky, causing at least 37 deaths and severe damage to hundreds of houses, bridges and infrastructure. Multiple mudslides, mountainous terrain, and strong currents are delaying rescue missions and thousands are left without water…
ARPA and Philanthropy: Seizing the Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) enacted in March 2021 provided a historic commitment of federal funds to address critical needs of communities responding to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Of the larger federal investment, $350 billion is designated for state,…
2020 UN General Assembly Philanthropic Side-Events
This page highlights events that may be of interest to foundations and other philanthropic actors and includes links to register for each event.
If you are hosting side-events featuring philanthropy that we should include in our calendar, please send event details to brian.kastner@cof.org so we…
Accepting Charitable Contributions from Cannabis Businesses
Legal Compliance Guidance
With the sale and use of cannabis still federally prohibited while more states legalize it to varying degrees, the industry is creating far-reaching financial implications for the philanthropic sector.
“Accepting Charitable Contributions from Cannabis Businesses” will help community foundations…
Alliances in Disaster Recovery: FEMA and Foundations Collaborate for Resilience
In this webinar, we learned how your foundation can complement FEMA's disaster recovery efforts in your community. To recover successfully from major natural disasters, coordination of public, private, and philanthropic resources is important to avoid duplication of effort and to deepen the…
Increasing Equitable Infrastructure Investments in Underserved Communities
In this webinar, the Council hosted Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, Christopher Coes and Department of Transportation (DOT) officials responsible for community outreach for a conversation about how foundations can collaborate with community partners to support the…
Philanthropy's Response to the 2022 Afghanistan Earthquake
Overview
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on June 22, 2022, resulting in the deadliest earthquake to hit the region in over two decades, killing more than 1,000 people and injuring 1,500. Before the devastating impact of this earthquake, Afghanistan was already grappling with…
Shared purpose. Collective voice. Greater impact.
You may notice something different about our website and social media presence. That’s right: Your 73-year-old Council on Foundations has a new look! We’re particularly excited to share this during the Council’s Member Week – a time when we celebrate and connect with our nearly 850 member…
Essentials of Policy Advocacy for Grantmakers
Registration now open!
The Essentials of Policy Advocacy for Grantmakers course will help foundation staff use their resources effectively to advance public policies that support the greater good. Rather than focusing on what policies foundations should address, this training will focus on how to…
Rules of Advocacy and Lobbying for Grantmakers
It is easy to get hung up on what you think you cannot do when engaging with policymakers. The good news is, you can do more than you may think!
Though the law varies among different types of foundations, all foundation types can engage in advocacy! The Council on Foundations Legal Team explained…
ARPA Funds Peer Discussion
Peer Discussion Leads
Laura Simmelink, Senior Director of Programs, Community Foundation of Collier County
Marian Clowes, Associate Director for Community Leadership, Parkersburg Area Community Foundation
Philanthropy Exchange is a peer-to-peer platform that connects Council members through…
Philanthropy and COVID-19: Examining Two Years of Giving and What’s Next
Presentation Slides
Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) recently released a report "Philanthropy and COVID-19: Examining two years of giving" to see how philanthropy has responded to the pandemic. In partnership with the Council on Foundations, CDP and Candid presented a…
Global Philanthropy Update - June 2022
It has been an eventful year for new laws targeting nonprofits and philanthropy across the world. We know you have many questions and concerns about the rapidly changing state of global giving; join us at a Legal Office Hours event for international grantmakers on June 16 (see the News and…
Rebuilding Trust in Nonprofits and Philanthropy
Recent data and research from sources such as the Edelman Trust Barometer suggest declining trust in nonprofits and philanthropy in the United States. Fraying trust in institutions, perceptions that nonprofits and philanthropy are politicized, intensifying critiques of philanthropy as a “…
2022 Member Week
Member Week is a time to celebrate and connect our 850 members within the philanthropic sector. We believe that when we come together as a membership community to connect through shared purpose, we can speak with a collective voice and achieve greater impact than we could alone. There are many…