Select the ‘Login’ icon at the top right of the screen. If you do not have a Council account, please select ‘Don’t Have an Account?’ If you have already created an account and have forgotten your password, please select ‘Forgot Your Password?’ Once you have signed in as a member, you can navigate the Council’s member-only resources. Non-members can easily download a publication or register for a convening!

You can contact the Membership Operations team at membership@cof.org to request an update to your organization’s employee roster. A team member will work with you to make the necessary changes. 

You may review our payment options on our Membership Renewal page.

Yes. The Council on Foundations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Members can choose to pay membership fees over $1,000 as a grant. No custom reports will be provided for members paying dues through grants, although we can provide our year-in-review document. 

Head to https://cof.org/membership and select the membership type that best reflects your organization. Once selected, click ‘Join Now’ to apply. 

After you submit your application, the Council's membership team will review it within 2-3 business days. If we have any questions, we’ll contact you.

Once approved, an invoice, including payment instructions, will be sent. Membership is activated upon payment, and the primary contact will receive a welcome email with account setup and benefit access details.

Information provided on the membership application is confidential and for the internal use of the Council only. For more information, please visit the Council’s privacy policy.

Yes! The Council on Foundations membership is organizational. All employees/board members can access the Council’s member benefits and resources. However, if you join as an individual associate member, only the individual who joins has access to our member benefits and resources. 

Membership renewals follow an anniversary billing cycle. Your renewal date will be one year from the month you originally joined.

The Council prohibits organizations from paying membership dues through a donor-advised fund. This would violate IRC section 4967. Under that statute, distributions from a DAF can't result in benefits of more than an incidental value to the donor, advisor, or a related person/entity, and the fair market value of our membership is higher than what could be considered incidental. 

We don’t offer temporary or trial memberships, but we’d love to chat about how Council membership can benefit your organization. Let us know if you’d like more information!

IRS self-dealing rules prevent private foundations, including corporate foundations, from engaging in certain transactions with disqualified persons, such as corporations that often fund the foundation. If both a corporate foundation and its giving program share membership in an organization like the Council, the corporation must pay the dues to avoid self-dealing issues, allowing both entities to benefit. In cases where joint memberships aren’t offered, each entity can pay for its own membership without self-dealing concerns.

Read the full membership policy.

The Council on Foundations database includes organizations that have interacted with us before, such as through membership, attending an event, or downloading a publication. If your organization is not listed, it means your organization has not had any prior engagement with the Council.  Please contact the Membership Operations team at membership@cof.org for assistance. 

Please provide your IRS Determination Letter (if you do not yet have your IRS Determination Letter, the Form 1023 is sufficient), a list of your most recent grants or a prospective/approximate start date for your grant program, and a brief description of your grant program (area of focus, philosophy, etc.). In addition to applying, you can send this information to the Membership Operations team at membership@cof.org. 

The Council may, in its sole discretion, admit provisional voting members on a case-by-case basis. Membership dues may be based on projected grantmaking, budgeted management expenses, or assets. If you do not have self-reported data, please contact the Membership Operations team at membership@cof.org.

Voting members of the Council are foundations, corporations, or philanthropic entities that provide charitable support to qualified organizations or individuals annually and that support the greater good.

Associate members (non-voting) are individuals and organizations that work to support the philanthropic field and/or wish to support the work of the Council. Examples include, but are not limited to, philanthropy-serving organizations, financial and investment advisors, law firms, consulting firms that advise in philanthropy, vendors to the philanthropic field, and academic institutions and programs that support and serve the philanthropic sector. 

No. Please see the question above for the difference between voting and associate membership.

The Council’s individual pricing model for associate members is reserved for sole practitioner consultants, attorneys, and advisors unaffiliated with any member or non-member eligible institution.

A digital membership invoice will be sent to the identified primary and billing contact 45 days before your membership expires. This invoice was created using the most recent data in our system. If you believe your invoice is incorrect or do not intend to renew, please email the Membership Operations team at membership@cof.org. 

The identified primary and billing contact of your organization should receive a digital copy of your organization’s invoice 45 days before your membership expires. If you believe your organization has not received a digital invoice, please contact the Membership Operations team at membership@cof.org. Please allow up to 3 business days to receive your digital invoice. 

Yes. If you would like to receive your invoice in advance, please contact the Membership Operations team at membership@cof.org. 

The Council offers a 60-day grace period for membership renewals. If we are unable to confirm your organization’s intention to renew by the end of this period, your membership will be discontinued.

Please contact the Membership Operations team at membership@cof.org with your updated self-reported data. We will ensure that the dues determinant total is reflected in your invoice. 

Please contact the Membership Operations team at membership@cof.org with your updated member type and self-reported data. We will ensure the new dues determinant total is reflected in your invoice and the updated member type is reflected in our member directory.