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.
Washington Snapshot - January 19, 2017
In this Week's Edition of Snapshot...
Senate Finance Committee considers Mnuchin for Treasury Secretary
Trump butts heads with House Republicans on key tax reform issue
Council sends letter from Vikki to every Congressional office
IRS issues guidance on rules for private foundation…
Looking To The Future: Localizing The Global Goals In Minnesota
There are significant challenges facing Minnesota’s communities, including racial inequality in education, economic opportunities and health outcomes. In Minnesota, members of the philanthropic community work in a variety of innovative and collaborative ways to address these challenges and create a…
Healing Divisions: A National Day of Racial Healing
As the nation approaches the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, our society remains conflicted on our ability to be united as a people. We find ourselves seeking relief from the divisiveness brought about by several events of the prior year: the civil unrest in many of our…
A Day On, Not a Day Off: Serving Your Community on MLK Day
Monday, January 16, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day), a federal holiday in the U.S. The fact that a federal holiday was designated to commemorate the birthdate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is significant - only two other figures have national holidays in the U.S. honoring them: George…
Washington Snapshot - January 12, 2017
In this Week's Edition of Snapshot...
Ways & Means to hold hearing on changes to committee rules
Senate sets deadline to repeal ACA, move closer to tax reform
Treasury requests input on guidance for tax-exempt leases
How Philanthropic is the Trump Cabinet?
In the States: State…
Washington Snapshot - January 6, 2017
In this Week's Edition of Snapshot...
Tuesday kicked off the 115th Congress
The proverbial ball is officially rolling toward tax reform
House and Senate tax-writing committees welcome new members
In the States: NY and DC take action on minimum wage and paid family leave
Opinion: nonprofits…
2017 Annual Conference - Plenary Sessions
Plenary Sessions
Opening Plenary: Philanthropy's Role in Vibrant Communities
Monday, April 24 - 8:30-10:15 a.m.
Breakfast starts at 7:45 a.m. — Doors Close Promptly at 8:30 a.m.
IMPORTANT: During President George W. Bush’s speech all mobile devices must be silenced and put away.…
Public-Private Partnership Opportunities with the Administration for Children and Families
The Council’s Public-Philanthropic Partnership Office hosted a webinar for funders only with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Children and Families to help foundations understand the regular programs and goals of the agency.
The webinar was moderated…
Council on Foundations Holiday Schedule
The Council on Foundations offices will be closed from December 24, 2016 - January 2, 2017. During this time, Council staff is available to assist our members with their time-sensitive needs. Please dial the membership line directly at 703-879-0645 or email Membership at membership@cof.org.
A Leadership Conversation: Philanthropy’s Post-Election Assessment
This past Friday a diverse group of philanthropic leaders gathered in New York City to discuss the unexpected election results, what those results mean for our nation and what they mean for our work, both individually and as a sector. The meeting, convened by the Council on Foundations and hosted…
Five Trends in Philanthropy
2017 will be a year of change, as orthodoxies in the field get tested and philanthropy steps up and into a more prominent national role.
This post is part of our inaugural Trendspotting Series profiling important ideas that will be shaping some major fields of interest in 2017. Each…
Final Chinese Overseas NGO Law Guidelines Released
In early December 2016, the Chinese government released the official and final version of their new Guidelines on Organizational Registration and Temporary Activities Reporting. These guidelines provide needed information for compliance with the 2016 Law of the People’s Republic of China on…
Five Trends in U.S. Politics
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) shows President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, the Speaker's Balcony at the U.S. Capitol on November 10, 2016.
(Photo credit - Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
This post is part of our inaugural Trendspotting Series profiling important ideas that…
Washington Snapshot - December 15, 2016
We will be taking a break from sending Washington Snapshot through the end of this year, and will resume on January 5, 2017. We wish all of our readers a safe and enjoyable holiday season!
News from the Hill
Update on Tax Reform Progression in the Senate
This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch…
Five Trends in Public Opinion
The American public is divided in its attitudes toward important national issues, and historic allegiances have shifted.
This post is part of our inaugural Trendspotting Series profiling important ideas that will be shaping some major fields of interest in 2017. Each piece represents the…
Five Trends in Communications
"In this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed." ~ Abraham Lincoln
This post is part of our inaugural Trendspotting Series profiling important ideas that will be shaping some major fields of interest in 2017. Each piece…