International Giving
Indicates Members-Only Content
Nonprofit Law in Canada
Current as of March 2026 | Download print version (in PDF)This section describes the legal framework governing charities and nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Canada, and includes translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or…
Nonprofit Law in Brazil
Current as of April 2026 | Download print version (in PDF)This section describes the legal framework of nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Brazil, along with translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor undertaking an…
Nonprofit Law in Australia
Current as of May 2021 | Download print version (in PDF)
This report describes the legal framework governing nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Australia, and includes translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor…
Nonprofit Law in Argentina
Current as of November 2024 | Download print version (in PDF)
This report describes the legal framework governing nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Argentina, and includes translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor…
Nonprofit Law in Afghanistan
Current as of April 2024 | Download print version (in PDF)
This section describes the legal framework governing nonprofit organizations (also known as non-governmental organizations or NGOs) in Afghanistan, and includes translations of legislative provisions relevant for a foundation or advisor…
Global Philanthropy
The focus of the Council's global program is to support U.S. philanthropy’s international engagement – including through cross-border grantmaking – but also by applying a global perspective to domestic philanthropy within the United States. We make it our mission to play a key role in facilitating…
NGOsource, the game-changing equivalency determination service that revolutionizes global philanthropy for U.S. grantmaking, is now operational and open for business.
A project of TechSoup Global that was started with the support of the Council on Foundations, NGOsource employs a…
Principles of Accountability for International Philanthropy
Publication
While cross-border philanthropy has much in common with domestic giving within a country, it also differs in significant and challenging ways. Language differences, communication across vast distances, unfamiliar cultural values and perspectives, multiple legal systems, and disparate accounting…
Legal Compliance Guidance, Fundamentals
This brief provides practical advice on setting strategy, ensuring on-the-ground presence, and selecting partners for U.S.-based companies with foundations and/or giving programs that are either venturing into the international giving arena or seeking to enhance their current programs. The last…
Sample Foreign Grant Expenditure Responsibility Letter
Sample Document
Sample foreign grant expenditure responsibility letter.
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 information…
The EDGE Funders Alliance Just Giving conference in Washington DC, 21-23 May, brought together some 250 donors, activists and allies on the theme of ‘What is to be done? And how do we do it?’ Participants enjoyed a casual yet focused environment to gain a deeper understanding of the…
India: My Five-Star Experience in Uttar Pradesh
Blistering sunlight broils our small group as we gingerly perch around the edges of the raised bed our hosts have set out for us in front of their hut in Godha Village. We’ve come to visit a few of the 100 ultra-poor women in rural Uttar Pradesh recently employed by our local partner, a social-…
I enjoyed presenting at a great session, “Small Grants, Big Difference,” during last week’s Council on Foundations Annual Conference with Daniel Tillias of Pax Christi Sakala in Haiti; Kate Ahern of the Case Foundation; and Monica LaBiche Brown of Water for People. It was great that 75 or more…
First Timer from Across the Pond
Having moved from London to New York just two weeks earlier, I walked into the Council on Foundatons’ day-long global preconference session with trepidation; would I remember what my organization did? Would the other attendees groan when they realised I was a fundraiser? Would they understand my…
How a Private Foundation Can Use "Friends of" Organizations
Legal Compliance Guidance
U.S. private foundations are increasingly involved in international grantmaking. One way for a private foundation to give overseas is to make grants directly to foreign charities. Many U.S. private foundations, however, may want to consider giving overseas indirectly through a "Friends of"…
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…