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2020 Council on Foundations - Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations (CCSF) Report

Publication, Research
The CCSF report is the field’s most comprehensive and authoritative study on investment and governance policies and practices. The 2020 CCSF studies 260 private and community foundations that represent $115.4 billion in assets. Topics covered include: Returns and Investment Objectives…

2020 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report: Key Findings

Publication, Research
For 40 years the Council has provided the most comprehensive analysis of salary and benefits for full-time staff at U.S. foundations through the Grantmaker Salary and Benefits (GSB) Report. This year, in addition to providing an analysis of salary and benefits data from 8,794 full-time paid…

2020 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report

Publication, Research
The Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report (GSB) provides salary, benefits, and diversity data for full-time staff at U.S. foundations to aid in budget planning and personnel practice benchmarking. Information is presented by grantmaker type, foundation type, asset size, and geographic location.…

2019 Council on Foundations - Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations (CCSF) Report

Publication, Research
The CCSF report is the field’s most comprehensive and authoritative study on investment and governance policies and practices. The 2019 CCSF studies 265 private and community foundations that represent $104.7 billion in assets. Topics covered include: Returns and Investment Objectives Asset…

2019 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report: Board Compensation Tables

Publication, Research
The 2019 Board Compensation Tables provide foundation board and staff with the tools they need to benchmark their board compensation policies and practices against peers in the field. This report contains data collected through the Council’s 2019 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey and presented…

The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations: 2011-2015

Publication, Research
The Council on Foundations and Candid (formerly Foundation Center) analyzed how U.S. foundations supported international communities, nonprofits, and programs between 2011 and 2015 for our report, The State of Global Giving by U.S. Foundations: 2011-2015. In addition to a detailed analysis of…

The State of Change: An Analysis of Women and People of Color in the Philanthropic Sector

Publication, Research
The Council’s report, The State of Change: An Analysis of Women and People of Color in the Philanthropic Sector, examines the demographics of the philanthropic sector, looking back over the last five and ten years, with a specific focus on the representation of women and people of color. The data…

2016 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report: Administrative and Program Expense Tables

Publication, Research
The 2016 Administrative and Program Expense Tables provide foundations with tools to benchmark their expenses – charitable administrative, program service, and qualifying distributions – against peers in the field. Containing data collected through the Council’s 2016 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits…

2014 Urban Institute Survey of Community Foundations

Research
On May 30, 2014, the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy conducted a survey of donor-advised funds (DAFs) operated by community foundations. All community foundations with total assets of $5 million or more were invited to take the survey. When the survey closed on June 20, we'd…

2009 Survey on Donor Advised Funds: Donor Advised Funds Provide the Majority of Grant Funds Awarded by Community Foundations

Research
Donor-advised funds are increasing in number and importance in the U.S. as more individuals, families, and organizations adopt this vehicle of philanthropic giving. A donor-advised fund enables a third party, usually a community foundation or other institution, to manage and distribute funds to…

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As a benefit of membership, the Council on Foundations attorneys and legal staff provide information and education to Council members regarding a variety of topics related to foundation operations and legal compliance. All information on this website, and all publications, articles, e-mail correspondence and telephone consultations provided by Council attorneys and legal staff are intended for informational purposes only and not as part of an attorney-client relationship. Council attorneys are not licensed in every state and cannot provide legal representation. 

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