--- title: Community Philanthropy Update - August 2025 --- Our new Community Foundation Legal Support Fund provides funding to support responding to litigation, audits, or investigations. | | | --- | | | | --- | | Greetings Friend, This past June, we shared details about a newly expanded set of legal resources for community foundations designed specifically to help the field prepare for escalating scrutiny and potential legal action. We are proud to share that the latest of those resources is now live: a Community Foundation Legal Support Fund to help community foundations that might become the target of litigation or investigation with associated legal expenses. We know the legal landscape for grantmaking is difficult to navigate, and our expanded resources and legal team are available to help you continue your work within the boundaries of the law. Should your foundation face any potential litigation, audits, or investigations, especially where such actions might affect the legal landscape for the broader field, our Fund is ready to support you. Membership with the Council is not required to apply for funding; you can review all the Fund’s application criteria and other details on our website. You can also reach out if you’re interested in bolstering this work by contributing to the Fund — its capacity to assist the field is limited to the amount of contributions that we receive. It’s your support and partnership that made the creation of these resources possible. Let’s continue to work together to protect your ability to serve your communities, today and in the future. Best, David Rosado Senior Advisor, Community Philanthropy PS — Remember, the deadline for Community Foundations National Standards Board director nominations has been extended to August 31st. Nominate a community foundation leader today! | | --- | | Upcoming Events Summer Member Policy Briefing August 26 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Leading Locally All Year Long: Community Philanthropy and Advancing Immigrant Inclusion August 27 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Legal Matters for Community Foundations September 9, 11 \| Virtual \| Training Council & CEONet \| Community Foundation CEO Roundtable September 10 \| Virtual \| Training Leading Across Differences Peer Learning Circle September 18 \| Virtual \| Peer Event CF Insights Office Hours September 24 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Member Communications Briefings September 24 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Plus Member Peer Connections October 23 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Building Together 2026 May 4-7, 2026 \| In-person \| Seattle | | --- | | New Member Spotlight Welcome to the community foundations that have joined as new Council members since our last newsletter! We're excited to have The Boston Foundation, Omaha Community Foundation, and Railsplitter Community Foundation as new members. | | --- | | Resources You Can Use Giving is Here for Good - Share your story! Our national storytelling campaign advocates for the freedom to give and highlights the crucial role that our sector plays in American life. But we can't tell this story alone — we need your voice. Choose one of the following options to help us spread the word. Post on social media, and use the hashtags #GivingIsHereForGood and #ShareTheGoodYouDo (our toolkit with template language makes this easy!) Complete our webform, and we’ll share your story on our social channels. Record a 1-minute video, and we’ll share the final files for you to post. Legal Corner In lieu of the Legal Question of the Month, we wanted to highlight some of the new Expanded Legal Resources that are available for community foundations.  Losing Tax-Exempt Status Risk Management Resources Actions Upon Potential Arrest of a Senior Leader Responding to a Congressional Inquiry Values-Aligned Philanthropy Council members are able to send their questions to our legal team for expert advice and analysis. You can take advantage of this member benefit by becoming a member today. CF Insights Highlight Join CF Insights Office Hours to Make the Most of Community Foundation Benchmarking Data CF Insights is the only benchmarking platform of its kind specifically designed to help community foundations make informed operational decisions, and our team is here to help you make the most of this resource. On Wednesday, September 24 at 3 p.m. ET, join Dave Rosado, Senior Advisor, Community Philanthropy for CF Insights Office Hours, an informal space to bring your questions and receive guidance on how to find relevant data, form the ideal peer group, and message your findings internally to help move your community foundation’s work forward. If you’re ever interested in learning more about Plus Membership or CF Insights, visit cof.org/cfinsights, or email cfinsights@cof.org. Legal Matters for Community Foundations We know that the legal landscape for grantmaking is shifting and can be difficult to navigate. Last month, the Department of Justice released guidance for recipients of federal funding, citing several examples of what the administration views as unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment, and an executive order explains how the administration will oversee federal grantmaking moving forward. Our next Legal Matters training on September 9 and 11 will help you make sense of current developments like these, and will help you dive into the legalities of your foundation’s business model and unlock effective management and leadership. Register with your team for a discounted rate. Leading Locally All Year Long Our Leading Locally All Year Long webinar series explores topics designed specifically for community foundations and place-based funders, including some of our most popular sessions from Leading Locally 2025! Even though the conference is over, the learning continues. All webinars are free for Council members. Check out the full schedule. Following our recent session on building trust with storytelling, our next webinar will explore how community philanthropy can advance immigrant inclusion (August 27) — followed by sessions on designing for place-based and systems change, investing in constructive journalism, and advancing economic stability for families through advocacy. Philanthropy Exchange Conversations for You Recommended ERPs/CRMs for Community Foundations Seeking Survey Questions for Donor Advisor Feedback Guidance on granting from a DAF to a 501c3 engaged in lobbying News Articles The Chronicle of Philanthropy: New Emergency Funds Open as Federal Funding Tightens The Associated Press: A $200 million endowment focused on Black Americans is taking shape The Chronicle of Philanthropy: How Funders Can Protect Grantees — and Themselves — From Civil Society Attacks Stanford Social Innovation Review: Do and Learn, Don’t Wait and See | | --- | | | | --- | | Keep in Touch! Share your organization’s impact story with us at communications@cof.org. View this email as a web page. | | --- | | Shared purpose. Collective voice. Greater impact. Council on Foundations \| 1255 23rd Street NW, Suite 200  \| Washington,  DC  20037 You received this email because you are subscribed to receive emails from the Council on Foundations. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. View our Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe from all future emails. | | --- | | | | --- |