International Giving

This month, work on public policy that impacts philanthropy has been a large focus across the Council. Most relevant to global grantmakers, I’ve been working with partners on the US Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA). There are more than seven bills currently proposed in the House and Senate…

The first-ever North American Community Foundations Summit was held in Mexico City on February 5-6 and was co-hosted with Comunalia, Community Foundations of Canada. With over 200 attendees, the Summit focused on achieving the SDGs and included discussions about reducing poverty, building resilient…

The Council on Foundations wrote, on behalf of our members, to the U.S. Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in response to Notice 2017-73—which was released on Dec. 4, 2017, and requested comments on the application of penalties with respect to donor advised…

View the Recording The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) is front page news in the wake of Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. Since its enactment in 1938, FARA has been rarely enforced, but Congress has recently considering several bills to increase its implementation…

Coming out of a historic meeting that brought together philanthropic leaders from Canada, Mexico and the United States, more than 80 philanthropic leaders have joined in solidarity and pledged to work to reduce poverty and increase opportunity for all across North America. This commitment marks the…

More than 200 leaders from across North America gathered in Mexico City for the inaugural North American Community Foundations Summit on February 5-6, 2018. Out of this historic gathering, the Council on Foundations and event co-hosts Community Foundations of Canada and Comunalia from Mexico…

Happy New Year! As you start 2018, I’m excited to continue working with you to support your international grantmaking. I’m kicking off the new year with a new job here at the Council—while continuing to lead our international program, I’m now also overseeing the work of our corporate, community,…

Season’s greetings from the Global Philanthropy team here at the Council! It finally feels like winter in D.C. and we’ve even had a taste of snow. Across the world, 2017 has been a year of change and transition. As the year ends, I’ve been reflecting on our program’s impact in 2017, especially as…

The Council on Foundations is thrilled to be co-hosting the first-ever North American Community Foundations Summit (NACF) in Mexico City, February 5-6, 2018. More than 120 community foundation leaders will gather in the capital of Mexico this winter to learn new ways to think globally and act…

Disaster Overview In December 2017, nearly 9,000 wildfires tore through the State of California, burning 1.2 million acres of land, destroying more than 10,800 structures and killing at least 46 people. Source: Washington Post Member and Partner Resources The Council co-sponsored a funders phone…

Monday’s blog kicked off Community Foundation Week (#CFWeek) and highlighted our inaugural North American Community Foundation Summit. Next February in Mexico City, we will explore bold and innovative approaches to address the multifaceted issues impacting our local communities, highlighting how…

The Council on Foundations is thrilled to co-host the first-ever North American Community Foundations Summit in Mexico City. I am excited to think creatively and collaboratively with philanthropy peers from across North America to ensure that our changing communities leave no one behind. There are…

Zero, in the context of a healthy world, is the most ambitious number of all. If the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were about making progress to achieve a healthy planet and people, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are about getting to zero, or as close to it as possible. The Global…

Disaster Overview Mexico experienced two major earthquakes in September 2017. The first, hitting the southern coast of Mexico on September 8th, was one of the biggest ever recorded in the area at a magnitude of 8.1. Only eleven days after this first major disastor, on September 19th, Mexico was hit…

In collaborative partnership, Global Impact, Blackbaud, Council on Foundations and Foundation Center developed a new resource to support organizations in aligning and tracking charitable giving to the United Nations (U.N.) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More specifically, the creation of “…