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.
FAQ: AAER v. Fearless Fund Settlement
Legal Compliance Guidance
What is Section 1981?
Does the outcome of this case set a new standard for grants that are race-based or race-conscious? If so, why?
How will this settlement impact a foundation’s ongoing commitment to DEI within their grantmaking?
Will the settlement impact foundations collection of…
Values-Aligned Philanthropy: Foundations Resisting Hate and Extremism
Publication
In late 2020, the Council on Foundations (the Council) launched the Values-Aligned Philanthropy project to continue to build on their previous efforts within the philanthropic sector to respond to growing concern about the issue of funding hate and extremism. The Council took this step recognizing…
Disaster Relief: A Practical Guide for Foundations and Corporations
Publication
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,…
FAQ: Global Grantmaking
Legal Compliance Guidance, Fundamentals
What are the legal requirements for private foundations wishing to make cross-border grants?
What is equivalency determination?
What is expenditure responsibility?
How do I decide whether to use equivalency determination or expenditure responsibility?
What are the legal requirements…
FAQ: Scholarships
Legal Compliance Guidance, Fundamentals
What are the advantages, disadvantages, and likely costs of scholarship programs?
What do the private foundation rules require, and how should community foundations apply the rules?
What rules or procedures govern community foundation scholarship programs?
Does a community foundation need to…
Recommended Best Practices in Managing Foundation Investments
Fundamentals
The Council's Board of Directors released this guidance memorandum in March 2010 and strongly recommends that when reviewing and approving foundation investment policies and procedures practices, all foundations—private and public—consider these best practices in foundation investment management.
Networking for Success: Building Networks Is Essential to Investment in Social Impact Bonds
Toolkit
Working in collaboration with the Center for American Progress, the Council co-hosted conversations among foundations, community development financial institutions, and investment firms about social impact bonds and Pay for Success. Out of these conversations, two issue briefs were created:
“…
Legal Basics: What Every Foundation Leader Should Know
Legal Compliance Guidance
A guide to legal basics for foundation leaders covering: tax on investment income, self-dealing, payout requirements, excess business holdings, jeopardy investment rules, taxable expenditures, intermediate sanctions, reasonable compensation, and grants to non-charities.
Board Compensation
Fundamentals
Introduction
Should your foundation board members be compensated for service, or should they serve in a voluntary capacity? Whether you are considering this issue for the first time, or whether it’s a question that has arisen before, compensation has become more than an internal management…
Planning for CEO Succession
Fundamentals
Many foundations may be uncertain about what’s involved when it comes to succession planning. Some wonder why they should worry about the future at all when they have so much work to do in managing their grantmaking, community leadership and development, and administrative duties.
Succession…
Basic Options for Global Grantmaking by U.S. Foundations
Fundamentals
The Council on Foundations' definition of “international grantmaking” includes grants made by U.S. foundations and corporations to overseas recipients as well as grants made to U.S.-based organizations operating international programs. This also includes grants made toward activities wholly within…
FAQ: Supporting Organizations
Legal Compliance Guidance, Fundamentals
Summary
A supporting organization qualifies as a public charity because it has a close relationship with another publicly supported section 501(c)(3) organization. Based on the relationship of the supporting organization to the public charity it supports, a supporting organization will be…
What to Require of Grantees
Fundamentals, Legal Compliance Guidance
Good relationships between grantmakers and grantees promote more effective philanthropy. But there's nothing that can mess up a good partnership faster than an overzealous lawyer. In seeking to protect their foundation clients, lawyers can sometimes impose excessive requirements on grantees,…
Sample Conflict of Interest Policy
Legal Compliance Guidance
Editable conflict of interest policies for staff and board members.
This sample document is being provided for informational purposes and is not to be shared without the permission of the Council on Foundations. Use of the sample document does not create an attorney-client relationship, and the…
Starting a Foundation
Fundamentals
Does the Council on Foundations provide assistance with starting a foundation?
Can we join the Council before our foundation is formed?
What are the general steps in starting a foundation?
Should we set up our foundation as a trust or a corporation?
What are the costs of starting a…
Document Retention & Destruction Guidelines
Sample Document
This Document Retention and Destruction Policy of the Council on Foundations ("the Council") identifies the record retention responsibilities of staff, volunteers, members of the Board of Directors, and outsiders for maintaining and documenting the storage and destruction of the Council’s documents…