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…
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! The Leading Locally All Year Long webinar series will explore key topics that impact your place-based work.
The Role of Community Philanthropy in Advancing Immigrant Inclusion
Local foundations play a critical role in fostering welcoming environments for immigrants. Leaders from the Walder Foundation and Welcoming America will share examples, lessons learned, and strategies for advancing immigrant inclusion — providing actionable insights for attendees to implement in…
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
The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga and The Pew Charitable Trusts will share examples of recent partnerships in Tennessee and Minnesota as well as strategies and tools to address eviction and court-enforced debt collection. This webinar will share key takeaways on how to engage donors,…
Building Trust With Policymakers Using the Science of Storytelling
This webinar will help you use stories and data to communicate the value of philanthropy and charitable giving. It builds on research from “Philanthropy’s New Voice,” the largest study of narratives in philanthropy, which examined what types of stories are more likely to build trust, what…
SDG Learning Circle for Foundations - June 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…
Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report: Administrative Expense Tables
The Grantmaker Salary and Benefits (GSB) Administrative and Program Expense Tables provide your foundation the data you need to benchmark your organization's administrative, program, service, and qualifying distribution expenses against peers in the field. Containing data collected through the…
SDG Learning Circle for Foundations - March 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…