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.
Getting Started with Grantmaking in Nigeria
Getting Started is a new members-only resource within Country Notes. To help connect you with others working in Nigeria, we have identified:
Local nonprofit and philanthropic networks
Key local legal contacts
U.S. foundations with local offices
You may also want to reference our…
Getting Started with Grantmaking in China
Getting Started is a new members-only resource within Country Notes. To help connect you with others working in China, we have identified:Local nonprofit and philanthropic networksKey local legal contactsU.S. foundations with local officesLocal community foundationsNational regulations to noteYou…
Getting Started with Grantmaking in Kenya
Getting Started is a new members-only resource within Country Notes. To help connect you with others working in Kenya, we have identified:
Local nonprofit and philanthropic networks
Key local legal contacts
U.S. foundations with local offices
National listing of certified NGOs
Local…
Getting Started with Grantmaking in Canada
Getting Started is a new members-only resource within Country Notes. To help connect you with others working in Canada, we have identified:
Local nonprofit and philanthropic networks
Key local legal contacts
Council members in Canada
National listing of certified NGOs
Local community…
Getting Started with Grantmaking in Mexico
Getting Started is a new members-only resource within Country Notes. To help connect you with others working in Mexico, we have identified:
Local nonprofit and philanthropic networks
Key local legal contacts
Council members in Mexico
U.S. foundations with local offices
National…
Getting started with Grantmaking in Germany
Getting Started is a new members-only resource within Country Notes. To help connect you with others working in Germany, we have identified:
Local nonprofit and philanthropic networks
Key local legal contacts
U.S. foundations with local offices
Local community foundations
You may…
Getting Started with Grantmaking in the Philippines
Getting Started is a new members-only resource within Country Notes. To help connect you with others working in the Philippines, we have identified:
Local nonprofit and philanthropic networks
Key local legal contacts
U.S. foundations with local offices
Local community…
Getting Started with Grantmaking in South Africa
Getting Started is a new members-only resource within Country Notes. To help connect you with others working in South Africa, we have identified:Local nonprofit and philanthropic networksKey local legal contactsU.S. foundations with local officesNational NGO networksLocal community foundationsYou…
Brief Overview of Civil Society Organizations in Mexico
This article from NGOSource explains authorization laws and regulations for civil society organizations in Mexico.
Getting Started with Grantmaking in Uganda
Getting Started is a new members-only resource within Country Notes. To help connect you with others working in Uganda, we have identified:
Local nonprofit and philanthropic networks
Key local legal contacts
U.S. foundations with local offices
National listing of certified NGOs
Local…
A Portrait of Canadian Foundation Philanthropy
A report from Philanthropic Foundations Canada on trends, resources, and strategies in community philanthropy in Canada.
The Global Landscape of Philanthropy
This report from Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS) presents an analysis of the current trends in global philanthropy.
Getting Started Grantmaking in India
Getting Started is a new members-only resource within Country Notes. To help connect you with others working in India, we have identified:
Local nonprofit and philanthropic networks
Key local legal contacts
U.S. foundations with local offices
National regulations to note
Local…
Kenya: Data Strategy and Capacity Building
This report from Foundation Center highlights the key findings and outcomes from a workshop on data strategy and capacity building in Kenya.
Corporate Philanthropy in Kenya: A Report on Nature, Trends, and Engagements by Corporates in Philanthropy
A summary of key findings from the Yetu Initiative on corporate philanthropy in Kenya.
Bringing Foundations and Governments Closer: Evidence from Kenya
This study from The Development Center of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) provides an overview of the current state of collaboration between foundations and the government in Kenya, and offers recommendations for enhancement.