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.
Paradox Community Trust Story
This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, by highlighting the roles of community foundations with this series.
See where it all began at our
Fall…
Washington Snapshot - August 15, 2014
With lawmakers out of town for the month, the action—and the policy news— has shifted away from Washington to local communities. As a reminder to our readers, Washington Snapshot will be taking a short summer break the next two weeks, returning on Friday, September 5th. We hope you enjoy the last…
Does Certainty Matter? Why We Are Activating in August
Ready to Activate?
See how you can get involved with efforts to pass the America Gives More Act when the Senate returns to Washington. Our easy to use toolkit includes customizeable documents will walk you step by step through the process of meeting with your lawmakers and engaging the media…
In Lexington, KY, Blue Grass Community Foundation serves as liaison between grassroots movements and national funders
This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, by highlighting the roles of community foundations with this series.
See where it all began at our
Fall…
WEBINAR: How Funders Can Respond to the Surge of Unaccompanied Children Migrating to the United States
Thousands of children are making the dangerous journey north from Central America and Mexico alone. The number of unaccompanied immigrant children migrating to the United States has increased, and experts anticipate 80,000 to 120,000 new arrivals in 2014. A complex array of federal agencies handle…
4 Lessons About Getting Started with Giving Days
Online giving days are generating huge interest among community foundations.
Giving online is increasing in double digit percentages year over year, yet in our community, many of the nonprofits we serve have barely have a website let alone a “Donate Now” button. As a result, we thought it was…
Community Foundation of Utah's Social Investors Forum
Here’s proof you don’t need an endowment to have a significant and disruptive impact on your region’s philanthropic landscape.
This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The…
You don't need an excuse to tell a great story
You don’t need an excuse to tell a great story.
You simply need a great story.
And every community foundation has a great story to tell. Whether your foundation is large or tiny, or is located in a big city or a small town, it likely has a powerful story of how it is improving its community and…
Philanthropic Paths: An Exploratory Study of the Career Pathways of Professionals of Color in Philanthropy
External Resource
This study conducted by Forward Change provides a holistic, in-depth picture of the career experiences of 43 philanthropic professionals of color ranging from Program Officers to CEOs working in a diverse array of foundations. The study surfaced a set of potentially common points of entry, career…
Flint Neighbors Connect the Blocks
Over the last two years, the City of Flint has been working on its first master plan since 1960. It serves as a blueprint for land use over the next 20 years.
This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first…
Strategic Partner
The Greater Houston Community Foundation donor-centered focus helps philanthropists make a bigger impact
Lessons Learned
Ramping up its advisory services for local philanthropists has been a multi-year process for the Greater Houston Community Foundation. Renee Wizig-Barrios, Senior Vice…
A Historic Culture Threatened by Wildfires
This blog was originally posted by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Visit their website for more information.
Does it seem to you that we are hearing more about wildfires?
There’s a reason: they are increasing in frequency and intensity and occurring over a longer period of months. According…
Mental Health and Military Families
Join the Council for a briefing by Purdue University’s Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) on Monday, August 11 at 1:00 PM ET, regarding mental health issues faced by Active, Guard, and Reserve service members and their families.
After 13 years at war, our nation has lost over 5,800 service…
Washington Snapshot - August 1, 2014
In this week's Washington Snapshot:
August Recess
Council August Tool Kit
Dynamic Scoring Hearing
Eric Cantor Resigns
New Bills
Social Impact Bonds Senate Bill
Regulatory Updates
And more!
Read this issue today!
A Transformational Gift from an Unexpected Source
The Elkhart County Community Foundation's mission:
To improve the quality of life in Elkhart County by inspiring generosity.
This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The…
Telling the Stories of Community Foundations Through Video
I dare you to watch the video below and not smile.
It’s ok – I’ll wait the three and a half minutes it will take you to watch it. Just click “play” and I’ll pick up this post when you’re done.
So, was I right?
Not only did you smile, but I bet this wonderful kid – known online as Kid President –…