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.
Best Community Foundations (2026)
Community foundations are place-based public charities that pool donations from local individuals, families, and businesses, then run competitive grant cycles for nonprofits in their service area. For most US nonprofits, the local community foundation is the single most reachable institutional funder — it exists to serve your geography. This category covers 35 of the largest and most active: the Chicago Community Trust, the New York Community Trust, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Boston Foundation, California Community Foundation, the Seattle Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, the Minneapolis Foundation, the Denver Foundation, the Oregon Community Foundation, the Pittsburgh Foundation, and the Cleveland Foundation, among others. Community foundations typically run several grant programs at once — responsive/project grants, donor-advised funds, scholarship funds, and sometimes giving circles or emergency funds — and most publish annual guidelines with real deadlines. The critical filter is geography: these funders serve defined areas, and applying outside a service area wastes everyone's time. Naming can be confusing (the New Mexico Foundation is also known as the New Mexico Community Foundation; Greater Kansas City operates as Greater Horizons; the Dallas Foundation's formal name is The Dallas Foundation), so aliases are noted where they matter. If you're new to institutional fundraising, start here before chasing national foundations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 (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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 (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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 (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.
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.
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, 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 (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.
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.
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.
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 (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.
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is a community foundation?
A place-based public charity that pools charitable donations from local donors and makes grants to nonprofits in its service area. Most run competitive grant cycles with published guidelines and deadlines — and for local nonprofits, they're usually the most accessible institutional funders.
Can my nonprofit apply if we're outside their service area?
Generally no. Community foundations exist to serve defined geographies. Check the service area on each listing before applying — an out-of-area application is almost always declined.
What is a donor-advised fund?
A charitable account a donor opens at a community foundation; the donor recommends grants and the foundation administers them. Nonprofits can't apply to donor-advised funds directly, but building visibility with the foundation helps donors find you.
How does FunderBase rank community foundations?
We rank by verified listing data — facts confirmed from official sources and verification depth. Featured placements are marked and never affect editorial order.