Endowments & Investing

At the Council on Foundations Annual Conference in San Francisco, there was enormous interest in how foundations can lead together by aligning all of their assets with their missions. However there is one investment nearly every foundation makes, but which many fail to properly evaluate.…

While attending the Council on Foundations annual meeting in San Francisco last week, I learned about exciting new trends in philanthropy. The theme that really stood out was the graying lines of business, investing, and philanthropy. For profit companies are being founded with the specific purpose…

One of the simplest steps a foundation can take to leverage its assets in service of its mission is to invest cash locally through community-based financing. Community banking increases access to capital for low-income borrowers and businesses. Cash deposits of $250,000 or less in community…

This learning forum, co-hosted by the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, the Council on Foundations, and the Southeastern Council of Foundations, will bring together a select group of staff and trustees from family and private foundations, family offices, community foundations, health foundations,…

For the first time in its history, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has expanded its mission to include promoting affordable housing for low-income residents who ride public transportation throughout the county.  Thanks to a voter-approved sales tax increase…

All entries must be from a 501c(3) organization that can receive the funding. Multiple people from the same organization may apply, but only one entry per organization may win. There is no entry fee for applicants. Awards will be presented as follows: - First place (1 winner) = $40,000 to…

The Council on Foundations is excited to partner with Village Capital, an organization that supports entrepreneurs seeking a positive benefit to society, on "Education Impact Day", a day-long series of events in Washington, DC on April 1. Impact investing is a rapidly growing approach that…

Presented in collaboration with Mission Investors Exchange, this webinar will preview some of the impact investing conversations at the Council's 2015 Annual Meeting. Expert speakers will explore the field of impact investing, where it's going in the next 10 years, and how different strategies can…

Where you live shouldn’t determine how far you can go in life. The Opportunity Index is the nation’s first tool to holistically measure opportunity in communities. Connecting multiple economic, educational, and civic factors, the Index is a powerful way for states and counties to track and advance…

What does revolutionary change look like? That question was at the heart of Confluence Philanthropy’s 2015 Practitioners’ Gathering. In the world of investment advisors and Wall Street finance, a revolution can start with two words: “Sell it.” Five years ago, my family and I decided that we would…

Economic development is at the center of the Maine Community Foundation’s strategic priorities. We believe greater access to lower cost capital will allow entrepreneurs and innovators from both the nonprofit and for-profit world to grow enterprises and expand projects that build off our natural…

Last week more than 200 foundation leaders, policymakers, academics, entrepreneurs, and experts came together at George Washington University (GWU) for an invitation-only gathering to advance the development of what many call the “fourth sector”—for-benefit organizations that primarily pursue…

Last week, the Milstein Commission, a national initiative co-chaired by Steve Case and Carly Fiorina, released a report, Can Startups Save the American Dream? The report  highlighted over how the past quarter-century, startups and small businesses accounted for 65% of net job creation, yet…

Here’s proof you don’t need an endowment to have a significant and disruptive impact on your region’s philanthropic landscape. This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The…