Embracing Better Ways of Operating
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:
“…
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…
FAQ: Agency Endowment Funds
Legal Compliance Guidance, Fundamentals
What is an agency endowment?
What types of organization can establish an agency endowment at a community foundation?
When a public charity establishes an agency endowment at a community foundation, which organization owns the contributed funds?
Since the agency is releasing legal…
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,…
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…
IRS Search Tool: Select Check
External Resource
Grantmakers searching for more detailed information about the charitable status of their potential grantees may find the answers they need in the IRS Select Check tool.
This IRS online search tool allows the user to:
(1) search the IRS public charity list, known as IRS Publication 78, for…
Better Stories, Better Language: A Communications Workshop Series
This series is a collaboration between the University of Florida’s Center for Public Interest Communications and the Council on Foundations. These three workshops will offer you the skills and tools to tell more complex, robust stories about the charitable sector and your work. You'll learn how to…
Better Stories, Better Language: Showing Our Work
How do we show we’re making a difference? How can you evaluate your narrative strategy?
Metrics provide tangible evidence of the effectiveness of your communications efforts, which is crucial, especially if your efforts are underfunded. They hold you accountable to your strategy by tracking…
Better Stories, Better Language: Making the Case
You understand the value of better stories and better language, but you may not have the support and resources you need to engage in this work long-term. This workshop will help you identify your specific needs in terms of resources, skills and support, as well as the people who control those…
Better Stories, Better Language: Stories of Value and Values
Learn to tell fascinating, compelling stories about how change happens and how the charitable sector works with communities to make a difference on today’s most pressing issues. We’ll discuss how narratives are formed, the essential elements of stories that build trust and understanding, and how to…
SDG Learning Circle for Foundations - August 2025
Join us for this peer-led event dedicated specifically to foundations working on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or are open to learning more about how the SDGs can fit within their work.
Connect with foundation peers to learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development…
Leading Locally All Year Long - 2025
Leading Locally All Year Long
Even though the conference is over, the learning continues! Our Leading Locally All Year Long webinar series explores topics designed specifically for community foundations and place-based funders, including some of our most popular sessions from Leading Locally 2025…
The Role of Community Philanthropy in Advancing Immigrant Inclusion
This is a session in our Leading Locally All Year Long series, featuring content designed for place-based funders.
Members, view the event recap and the session recording.
Designing a Foundation for Both Place-Based and Systems Change
In 2024, the Best Buy Foundation took an audacious leap. Building on its history of place-based work in its hometown of Minneapolis-St. Paul, it launched a national systems change effort around economic mobility for young people. This created a tension between its local and national strategies that…
How Foundations Can Affect Family Economic Stability Through Advocacy
How can funders drive lasting, systemic change in their communities? In this session, the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga and The Pew Charitable Trusts will highlight recent collaborative efforts in Tennessee to reform court-enforced debt collection practices. Through real-world…