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.
Ending Violence Against Girls: The Summit on FGM/C: Giving Innovative Leaders the Resources They Deserve
My great aunt, Georgeanna Gibbs Browne, born in 1876 in Philadelphia, was a victim of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Her upbringing was church-going and “upper crust.” Newspaper clippings describe her twirling across dance floors at summer soirees and charity balls.
Old medical journals…
Five Trends in Media
How did we get it so wrong? (Photo Credit: Marco Verch / CC-BY-SA-4.0)
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 views of its author(s) and not the views of the…
Taking a Step Back: Understanding North Carolina’s Changing Landscape
During my seven-year tenure as superintendent of Guilford County Schools, I was committed to listening to and learning from others. I listened to parents, teachers and students to understand what we could do in order to make our schools better for each child. Much of that listening and learning…
Washington Snapshot - December 1, 2016
News from the Hill
Here Comes Tax Reform!
With the stars, and both house of Congress, now aligned, comprehensive tax reform is on the horizon. Last week Ways and Means Chairman, Kevin Brady (R-TX), penned an op-ed about how he hopes to give a boost to the economy by reforming the tax code, with…
Minor Successors, or What to Do When Your New Fund Adviser Isn’t Old Enough to Vote
At the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, we’ve been talking about how to deal with minor successors being named on a fund. We started looking into it after reading a discussion about it on the Philanthropy Exchange. It’s a tricky situation: If your fund adviser is underage, they may not…
World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day — a time for people all over the globe to remember those we have lost to HIV and to recommit ourselves to ending the AIDS epidemic once and for all. On this day, the Council on Foundations salutes the many individuals and organizations united in the fight against HIV and…
Acts of Kindness Amplified This #GivingTuesday
Hundreds of stories are amplified by the minute during #GivingTuesday. The global and social movement captures the hearts, minds, and spirits of many who look to philanthropy on this day.
On the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday puts the focus back on the giving season by…
Implementation of Department of Labor Overtime Rule Halted
Following up on the webinar we presented in August on the overtime rule that was issued by the Department of Labor in May, we wanted to inform the field that a federal judge in Texas has issued a nationwide injunction to halt the implementation of this rule. The injunction is effective immediately—…
Council on Foundations Now Accepting Nominations for 2017 Council Awards
The Council on Foundations today announced that the nomination period for its 2017 Awards Program is open now through January 18, 2017.
Every day, Council members stand at the forefront of innovation, exploring creative ways to advance the common good and finding solutions for complex issues. The…
Washington Snapshot - November 17, 2016
In this week's Washington Snapshot:
Updates from the Council
Congressional Leadership Falling into Place
State and Local Election Results
Pennsylvania Legislator Seeks to Legislate Discredited "Overhead Ratio"
Read the full Snapshot Now
Washington Snapshot - November 10, 2016
The Election Results are in...
So What Does all of This Mean for Philanthropy?
Early on Wednesday morning, President-elect Donald Trump was confirmed in winning the election to become the 45th President of the United States. But the Presidential race was not the only landmark in American politics…
2017 Annual Conference - Awards Programming
Awards Programming
Join the Council in honoring exemplars in the field of philanthropy at our 2017 Annual Conference. The Council will present the 2017 Distinguished Service Award and Wilmer Shields Rich Award for Excellence in Communications at the Annual Meeting of the Members, and the Secretary…
Investing in Communities - National Entrepreneurship Month
We all knew that November was going to be a tumultuous month (if you hadn't heard, there's an election today). When the polls close and the dust settles, the country could be set on one of a number of starkly different paths. Perhaps because of this uncertainty, President Obama took the…
Washington Snapshot - November 3, 2016
Philanthropy News and Op-Eds
The Council Speaks Out on the Value of DAFs
On Thursday, October 27, the Chronicle of Philanthropy released this year’s Philanthropy 400. Of particular note is the fact that Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund moved into the number one spot on the list. Accompanying the list…
Trending in Legal Affairs: Foundation Events, Elections and Political Campaign Activity
On Tuesday, November 8, Americans will go to the polls to elect the forty-fifth president of the United States, 34 Senators, and the entire House of Representatives, as well as hundreds of state and local officials. And while interested parties may urge constituents to get involved and participate…
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Fundraising Year
As preparation for winter holidays begin earlier and earlier, the Council wants to provide an important resource for your year-end fundraising and grantmaking activities. The IRS provides a wealth of resources on charitable contribution deductions. While I’d enjoy writing details about each of them…