Best Community Foundations: Compared (2026)
Compare 35 community foundations side by side — verified data, transparent methodology, and clearly labeled featured placements.
How we rank
Rankings are computed from verified listing data: facts we could confirm from official sources, publicly stated figures where available, and verification depth. Featured placements are labeled and never change editorial order. Rankings refresh as we verify more foundations — last updated October 2026.
Arizona Community Foundation
The Arizona Community Foundation (ACF), established in 1978 and headquartered in Phoenix, leads, serves and collaborates to mobilize enduring philanthropy for a better Arizona. With regional affiliates across the state, it is Arizona's largest independent provider of college scholarships and invests in nonprofits through competitive grant cycles.
Austin Community Foundation
The Austin Community Foundation (ACF), with $578 million in assets under management, is a cornerstone of giving in Central Texas, connecting donors with causes across the Austin metro. Its signature programs advance economic mobility for women and Latino families, and its Forever Austin grants fund economic mobility, health and humanities, and environmental work.
Boston Foundation
The Boston Foundation (TBF), founded in 1915, is the community foundation for Greater Boston. Led by President and CEO Lee Pelton, it funds economic opportunity, community wealth building, and equity across the region through programs including Open Door Grants, Safety Net Grants, and the Equality Fund.
California Community Foundation
The California Community Foundation (CCF), founded in 1915 and based in Los Angeles, is dedicated to strengthening communities of Los Angeles County through philanthropy and civic engagement. It manages about $1.9 billion in assets and makes grants across arts, education, health care, and housing.
Chicago Community Trust
Founded in 1915, The Chicago Community Trust is the community foundation serving Chicago, suburban Cook County, and the Illinois counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will. Its strategic plan focuses on expanding economic opportunity, closing the racial and ethnic wealth gap, and strengthening neighborhoods, administering more than $360 million in annual grantmaking.
Cleveland Foundation
The Cleveland Foundation, established in 1914 by lawyer Frederick Harris Goff, is the world's first community foundation and one of the largest today, with an endowment of about $2.8 billion. Its mission is to enhance the lives of all residents of Greater Cleveland, now and for generations to come.
Columbus Foundation
The Columbus Foundation, located at 1234 East Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio, is the community foundation for central Ohio. It supports nonprofits through operating and program support grants, capacity building, and The Giving Store, its online charitable giving marketplace.
Communities Foundation of Texas
Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT), established in 1953 and headquartered in Dallas, is one of the country's largest community foundations, managing more than 800 funds. Since 2009 it has powered North Texas Giving Day, the largest regional online giving event in the nation.
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, started in 1951, shepherds approximately $1.4 billion in assets through 1,000+ donor funds, deploying more than $120 million annually to nonprofits. It is a top-20 community foundation nationally and Georgia's second largest foundation, leading the Atlanta region toward equity and shared prosperity.
Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, based at 70 Audubon Street in New Haven, Connecticut, serves a 15-town region. It runs year-round competitive grant processes including the Basic Needs Fund and Small Grants program; the Foundation does not make grants or loans to individuals.
Dallas Foundation
The Dallas Foundation, established in 1929 as the first community foundation in Texas, drives enduring change for Greater Dallas through collaborative partnerships and strategic investments. It has facilitated over $1 billion in grants; its 2026 Spring Grants Cycle awarded $992,200 to 41 nonprofits across Dallas County.
Denver Foundation
The Denver Foundation, with 100 years of serving Denver, is the community foundation for the seven-county Metro Denver region. Its Community Grants Program supports organizations advancing economic opportunity, climate and environment, affordable housing, and youth well-being; the 2026 cycle 1 awarded $2.7 million to 70 nonprofits.
East Bay Community Foundation
The East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF), founded in 1928 and based at 200 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, California, partners with donors, social movements, and the community to eliminate structural barriers, advance racial equity, and transform political, social, and economic outcomes across the East Bay.
Foundation for the Carolinas
Foundation for the Carolinas (FFTC), founded in 1958 and based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is one of the largest community foundations in the United States, with more than $2.7 billion in charitable assets across nearly 3,000 funds. Its mission is to inspire philanthropy and empower individuals to create a better community.
Greater Houston Community Foundation
The Greater Houston Community Foundation serves as a bridge between donors and community causes in the Houston area, managing donor-advised, field of interest, designated, giving circle, and scholarship funds. It holds a Charity Navigator four-star (100%) rating and has granted funds to 757 organizations.
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation (GKCCF), founded in 1978 and based at 1055 Broadway Blvd in Kansas City, Missouri, has ranked among the top 1 percent of community foundations in America since 1999. It delivers donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grants across the Kansas City metro.
Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns in Connecticut. Founded in 1925, it has awarded more than $1 billion in grants, working to dismantle structural racism and achieve equity in social and economic mobility.
Maine Community Foundation
The Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF), with offices in Ellsworth and Portland and staff located across the state, brings people and resources together to build a better Maine through strategic giving, community leadership, personalized service, local expertise, and strong investments.
Marin Community Foundation
The Marin Community Foundation (MCF), founded in 1986 by Dr. Leonard and Beryl H. Buck and based in Novato, California, conducts its grantmaking primarily through the Buck Family Fund. It distributes roughly $100-150 million in grants each year, focused on education, health, economic opportunity, environment, and safety net services in Marin County.
Minneapolis Foundation
The Minneapolis Foundation, founded more than 100 years ago, connects people, resources, and ideas to improve lives in Minnesota and beyond. It manages nearly $700 million in assets and distributes an average of more than $50 million in grants annually, focusing on advancing racial, social, and economic equity.
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, founded in 1962, is New Hampshire's statewide community foundation. It manages about 2,000 funds created by generous individuals, families, and businesses, awarding $40-60 million in grants and scholarships every year, and is the largest provider of publicly available student aid in New Hampshire.
New Mexico Foundation
The New Mexico Foundation (NMF), formerly the New Mexico Community Foundation and based in Santa Fe, is the statewide community foundation prioritizing rural and Indigenous communities and the environment. Through a partnership with Anchorum Health Foundation, it recently awarded $559,520 in Community Health Fund grants to nonprofits addressing homelessness, basic needs, community health, and learning opportunities.
New York Community Trust
The New York Community Trust, established in 1924, is New York's largest community foundation, administering more than 2,200 charitable funds and about $3.5 billion in assets. It makes roughly $200 million in grants annually to nonprofits across the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County.
Orange County Community Foundation
The Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF), based in Newport Beach, California, has granted $1.25 billion since 1989 in Orange County, across the country, and around the world. Its Vision 2030 plan centers community power building and youth mental health.
Oregon Community Foundation
Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) is the statewide community foundation for Oregon, with offices in Portland, Medford, Eugene, Baker City, Bend, and Salem. It administers dozens of competitive grant programs statewide and one of the country's largest scholarship programs.
Pittsburgh Foundation
The Pittsburgh Foundation, located at 912 Fort Duquesne Blvd in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the community foundation for the Pittsburgh region. Its grantmaking is organized around Basic Needs, Equity and Social Justice, Arts and Culture, and Economic Mobility strategies.
Rhode Island Foundation
The Rhode Island Foundation, based at 1 Union Station in Providence, is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Through civic leadership, fundraising, and grantmaking, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation works to improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders.
Rose Community Foundation
Rose Community Foundation, based at 4500 Cherry Creek Drive South in Denver, Colorado (Tax ID 84-0920862), serves the seven-county Greater Denver area. Its impact areas include Community Wellbeing and Policy & Advocacy, with current open funding for immigrant and refugee inclusion.
San Diego Foundation
San Diego Foundation (SDF), founded in 1975, believes in just, equitable and resilient communities where every San Diegan can prosper. It has granted $1.8 billion to nonprofits since its founding, with about 85% of grantmaking staying in San Diego County.
San Francisco Foundation
The San Francisco Foundation (SFF), founded in 1948, is one of the nation's largest community foundations, with $1.9 billion in assets under management at the end of fiscal year 2025 and $216 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. Its mission is to mobilize resources and act as a catalyst for change to build strong communities, foster civic leadership, and promote philanthropy in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Santa Fe Community Foundation
The Santa Fe Community Foundation (SFCF), founded in 1981 and based at 501 Halona Street in Santa Fe, is confirmed in compliance with the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. It accepts community grant applications twice each year from nonprofits in northern New Mexico, awarding a record $1 million+ in Community Grants in 2025.
Seattle Foundation
The Seattle Foundation, started in 1946, is the community foundation for the greater Seattle region, holding around $1.4 billion in assets. In recent years it has focused on community-led priorities, racial equity and inclusion, and public policy advocacy.
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), established in 2006 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, is one of the world's largest community foundations. Its grantmaking centers on building equity and transforming systems so that Black and Indigenous communities, communities of color, women, and children in Silicon Valley can shape decisions that impact their lives.
St. Louis Community Foundation
The St. Louis Community Foundation works to facilitate charitable giving and promote philanthropic impact in the St. Louis region, managing 177 funds and making grants to 1,514 organizations. It also provides grants management and administrative support for private and family foundations.
Vermont Community Foundation
The Vermont Community Foundation, established in 1986, is an enduring source of philanthropic support for Vermont communities, with a family of more than 1,000 funds. Together with its partners it puts nearly $70-80 million annually to work in Vermont communities and beyond, focused on closing the opportunity gap.
FunderBase is free for nonprofits to use. We earn revenue from featured listings, and in the future may earn commissions from affiliate links to nonprofit tools we recommend — any affiliate link will always be labeled, and featured placements never affect our rankings. No affiliate links are live yet.