Publications

With the pace of change in our world, disruption is a natural state in communities everywhere. Change is the new normal. So how do community foundations, institutions of long-standing tradition and influential in how communities address change, adapt themselves to the new normal? Competitive…

The Career Pathways program focuses on increasing the number of philanthropic professionals from diverse backgrounds ready to ascend to leadership positions within foundations. Diverse leadership fosters inclusion, innovation and excellence in philanthropy. The Career Pathways program evaluation…

Moved by widely publicized human suffering and increased disaster aid requests, foundations and corporations are becoming more active in the disaster relief field. Grantmakers have a distinct role to play in disasters because of their ongoing relations with grantees, long-term perspective,…

Leaders of corporate foundations and giving programs have an opportunity to redefine the role of corporate philanthropy. By taking the initiative to align and engage their efforts more closely with the business, these leaders can help unleash new resources and ideas to enhance the company’s…

The Council on Foundations, in collaboration with BoardSource, created this easy-to-use guide for new foundation board members. This publication is designed as a basic guide for new foundation board members, providing an introduction to tools and knowledge essential in your first years of service…

The report explores the ways in which infrastructure organizations think about the value and the mechanics of collaboration—the drivers and barriers to collaborative work—and determine ways to encourage more effective partnerships. The publication features a framework for understanding different…

Closing a nonprofit charitable institution presents a range of unknowns to the grantmaking community. In this analysis, authors John Dickason and Duncan Neuhauser provide guidance to foundations considering whether to create a time-limited foundation or bring a foundation to an end. Topics include…

Understanding the challenges of currency fluctuations on international grantmaking, and taking action to minimize their impact can ensure that this natural process does not become an added barrier to overseas giving. This resource focuses on some of the challenges foundations and giving programs…

The challenges of the recent financial downturn have inspired many community foundations to find new paths to business model innovation. Alliances, affiliations, and mergers offer one path to “shared success.” Seeking shared success with other community foundations is one intriguing way to innovate…

The Stewardship Principles for Corporate Grantmakers are a set of governance best practices that embody how corporate philanthropies can reflect fundamental values including honesty, integrity, fairness, and trust, in their board governance, management, and grantmaking.

The role of the foundation CEO is pivotal to the success of a foundation’s goals. Even at foundations without a staff, the tasks of the CEO do not disappear, but rather are carried out by board members. In this publication, we explore some of the critical issues and challenges foundation CEOs face…

While philanthropy that crosses national borders has much in common with domestic giving within a country, it also differs in significant and challenging ways. Language differences, communication across vast distances, unfamiliar cultural values and perspectives, multiple legal systems, and…

This document attempts to codify the job functions of private foundation CEOs and the skills and knowledge needed to perform these functions, referred to as competencies.

Please note: This resource was published in 2010.   This guide is designed to help foundations consider how more diverse and inclusive practices might advance their mission by making their work more effective and more reflective of communities served. By highlighting 10 ways family foundations…