About Community Foundations

Community foundations build and strengthen communities by making it possible for a wide range of donors to create permanent, named component funds to meet critical needs. Community foundations – through philanthropy that is visionary, diverse, and inclusive – have become catalysts for improvement within urban centers and in rural settings.

There are more than 700 community foundations in the United States, holding approximately $44.8 billion in assets and granting $3.2 billion in 2005 to a wide variety of nonprofit activities.

Community foundations focus on grantmaking, fundraising, and positive community change in a specific geographic area.

Community foundations offer donors many services and benefits. They routinely work with families, individuals, attorneys, and estate and financial planners to design gift plans that fit every economic situation, ensuring that donors receive the most benefit from their charitable contributions and that their philanthropic dollars are used to the fullest extent.

They accept gifts of various sizes and types from private citizens, corporations, government agencies, and other foundations. Nearly every type of gift – including real estate, closely held stock, and artwork – can be contributed to a community foundation. Gifts are made from bequests and by living donors through various types of funds and deferred giving vehicles.

All community foundations, large or small, share the common goal of serving donors, nonprofit organizations, and the community as a whole. In addition, one of a community foundation’s special functions is to evaluate and help coordinate the services in its communities, so that charitable gifts are used effectively to fulfill a community’s most critical needs. In addition, many community foundations convene thought leaders on important issues facing their regions and impact policies that affect generations to come.