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 - July 25, 2014
Just Announced: August Recess Toolkit
Have you scheduled time with your Congressional delegation during August recess? If so, we have just the tools and resources you might need . . .
In the past few editions of our weekly Washington Snapshot newsletter, we have been previewing an upcoming policy…
Dollar-a-day giving circle creates new philanthropists in Memphis
“You can do a lot with $1.” A simple but powerful phrase at the heart of GiVE 365, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis’ dollar-a-day giving circle. Formed in 2010, GiVE 365 unites and informs emerging philanthropists to make a collective impact on Greater Memphis. Members donate $365 a year…
The Austin Giving Pledge: A Call to Action for Our Future
Austin, Texas, is the top spot to be an entrepreneur, make movies, get fit, have a dog, and eat barbeque—but as recently as a decade ago we ranked near the bottom of per capita giving. While other Texas cities, like Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, have a long history of philanthropy,…
Bipartisan House Super-Majority Passes "America Gives More Act"
This afternoon, the United States House of Representatives passed an important legislative package impacting philanthropy, the “America Gives More Act of 2014” (H.R. 4719), with a bipartisan super-majority vote of 277-130.
While a sizable number of Democrats voted against the bill because of…
Washington Snapshot - July 17, 2014
Breaking News: House Passes Key Charitable Bill
Bill Would Simplify Excise Tax to 1% & Make IRA Rollover Permanent
We’re excited to report that this morning, the United States House of Representatives passed an important legislative package impacting philanthropy, the “America Gives More Act of…
Dream-maker: The Foundation for the Mid South helps see the possibilities, secure substantial funding
Lessons Learned
Ivye Allen, President of the Foundation for the Mid South offered some advice on how to be better positioned to tap public and private funding to support local community efforts. Here are some of her takeaways:
Narrow your focus: With communities, schools or organizations facing…
Bringing the community together in unexpected ways: A successful online giving challenge
In conjunction with our 90th Anniversary, the Connecticut Community Foundation hosted our first online giving challenge, Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills in November 2013.
This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th…
Washington Snapshot - July 11, 2014
Welcome back! We hope all of our readers had a wonderful 4th of July holiday weekend.
Coming Soon - Council Advocacy Toolkit
As Congress breaks at the end of the month for August recess, we know many of our readers will want to connect with their elected officials as they spend time back in their…
BLOOM Takes Root in Los Angeles to Impact Young Black Men and Boys
For nearly 100 years, the California Community Foundation (CCF) has been defined by the diverse passions of the more than 1,700 donors who share a dream for a better future. CCF’s initiative, Building a Lifetime of Options & Opportunities for Men (BLOOM), exemplifies this passion by addressing…
5 Things You Should Know About the Philanthropy Exchange
When we face a new challenge, one of our first instincts is to reach out to someone for advice. By collaborating, sharing resources, and discussing common challenges, you and your peers multiply your impact and advance the common good.
Now the Council on Foundations is offering you a new way to…
Mission investing and lessons learned
Many community foundations are recognizing that impact investing can be a powerful tool in our philanthropic toolbox. Mission investments are investments made by foundations to further their philanthropic goals. Since 2009, the Seattle Foundation has committed $4 million of its unrestricted…
5 Things Your Foundation Should Know About the Future of Impact Investing
At the White House last week, foundation executives, including the Council’s President and CEO Vikki Spruill, met with senior Administration officials for a roundtable on the future of impact investing. A complement to charitable giving and foundation grantmaking, impact investing offers a powerful…
Washington Snapshot - June 27, 2014
We want to remind our readers that we will not be publishing Snapshot next week, in light of the Fourth of July holiday. We wish you all a happy Fourth!
News from the Hill
Republican Lawmakers Slam IRS Over Lost E-mails
We told you last week about the fury on Capitol Hill over thousands of e-mails…
Lending a Hand: Southwest Initiative Foundation taps unique micro-financing program to help local entrepreneurs and businesses
Lessons Learned
The Southwest Initiative Foundation got interested in becoming a Kiva loan administrator after a staff member learned about the program at a conference. Now two years into the program, Greg Jodzio, Microenterprise specialist at SWIF, offered up some insight into how to get the…
Why we depend on our peers to do our jobs better
When Jessica David was wondering how to support her new hire, who was tasked with telling her foundation’s story online, she turned to her peers for advice.
Jessica, the Vice President of Strategy and Community Investments of the Rhode Island Foundation, posted a question to the Council’s new…
Getting more out of your ideas with authentic partnerships
With partnerships being very important in making the most of innovative ideas, how does one develop an authentic partnership? In a recent situation, I developed a partnership with several individuals to implement an idea at a large conference. Here are the lessons I learned:
I. Make sure that the…