--- title: Community Philanthropy Update - May 2026 --- Welcome to the new members of the Community Foundation Advisory Group! Plus your legal question of the month and more! ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­    ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­   | | | --- | | | | --- | | Greetings Friend, The Community Foundation Advisory Group reconvened in late 2022, with support from the Council, and since then we’ve sought to nourish a close partnership to guide and shape our work with community foundations across the country. The Advisory Group’s members bring diverse perspectives representing the dynamism and diversity of our field. It has been a joy for us to be a part of it. In that time, this Advisory Group helped: inform the direction of Leading Locally, the Council’s place-based philanthropy conference, champion the Council’s acquisition of CF Insights, guide the creation of the Center for Community Foundations, and shape the new Community Foundation Leadership Coalition membership add-on. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish and look forward to what comes next. For now, we want to thank the 11 founding members of the Advisory Group who are now completing their service this month. We greatly appreciate their leadership in helping to start this committee, and their willingness to lend their time and talents toward creating a truly impactful vehicle for giving back to the field. As this work continues, we’re looking forward to partnering with our new incoming Advisory Group members, and those current members serving another term. We’re also excited to have Simeon Banister, the President and CEO of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, lead as the Advisory Group’s new Chair, and Michelle Foster, President and CEO from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, serve as Vice Chair. You can see the current Advisory Group roster on the Council’s website. We’re grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the field in this capacity, in partnership with the Council. Mike Parks Outgoing Chair President, The Dayton Foundation Simeon Banister Incoming Chair President and CEO, Rochester Area Community Foundation   | | --- | | Updates and Resources Advocacy Essentials for Community Foundations Government policies and programs, at the federal, state, and local level, affect almost every aspect of our lives, from housing, healthcare and the environment to education, transportation, and safety. For foundations striving to create equitable, inclusive, and widely prosperous communities, it is necessary to focus on strengthening and reimagining policies and systems. Advocacy Essentials for Community Foundations is a two day training that will help you understand a comprehensive picture of community foundation strategies to engage in effective public policy advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels, that advances the greater good. You'll learn how to improve your foundation’s grantmaking to more effectively participate in policy advocacy, and how to build support for advocacy among your foundation’s staff and board. Register for Advocacy Essentials for Community Foundations today. Legal Question of the Month with Senior Staff Counsel Remy Barnwell Question: We recently were told we were named to receive a large gift via an estate. I did tax research to see if we can exclude this from our 33.3% public support calculation as an unusual grant. I wanted to see if you have come across this with any other foundations. Answer: I have seen several foundations opt to classify large gifts as unusual grants under Treasury Regulation 1-170A-9(f) (6) (ii)(A) to ensure they still pass the public support test. That’s precisely what this mechanism is for, and it allows you to exclude the gift from the numerator and denominator of your public support test calculation. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any follow up questions—I’m glad to hear that you have found some resources around classifying the gift as an unusual grant. Did you know? 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. 2026 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits (GSB) Survey The 2026 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits (GSB) Survey deadline was extended to 5p.m. ET on May 28! (That's one week from today!) Your participation ensures that the GSB Report remains the most comprehensive guide to compensation and benefits information for philanthropic organizations in the country. Plus, participants receive early access to GSB data and a free copy of the report in the fall. Join hundreds of community foundations by taking the 2026 GSB Survey by May 28. CF Insights Highlight The CF Insights Add-On gives you access to our Community Foundation Business Models online exchange If your community foundation has the CF Insights membership add-on, visit our online exchange dedicated to community foundation business models and CF Insights benchmarking data, including the just released field-wide snapshot. Ask questions to dig deeper into how the makeup and performance of peer operating models can inform changes to your own and share how you’ve leveraged the CF Insights tool to inform any shifts in your community foundation’s operations. Email cfinsights@cof.org to learn how to access the community or sign up to access the CF Insights benchmarking platform and we will auto-enroll you if you have the CF Insights Add-On. Visit our website to learn more about CF Insights and the CF Insights membership add-on, or email the team at cfinsights@cof.org anytime with your questions. Council/Commonfund Survey Still Accepting Responses Are you a fiduciary that oversees an endowment? The 2025 Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations (CCSF) is accepting responses. Join over 200 foundations in participating in the leading annual study of investment and governance policies and practices at foundations. Philanthropy Exchange Conversations for You Legacy Challenge? The good, the bad and the ugly? Office Open Hours & Summer Hours Donor-Friendly Ways to Present Nonprofit Organizations News Articles The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Matchmaking Database Offers Easier Path to Grants Stanford Social Innovation Review: Grant Writing Is Infrastructure The NonProfit Times: Survey Data Shows Challenges Of Tech Stacks, AI Readiness The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Lawsuits Against GoFundMe, PayPal Fire a Fundraising Warning Shot Opinions expressed in articles belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Council. | | --- | | 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 Community Foundation of Nevada County and Community Foundation Sonoma County as new members. | | --- | | Upcoming Events Peer Events Public Policy Action Network June 1 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Leading Across Differences Peer Learning Circle June 10\| Virtual \| Peer Event Virtual Meet-Up: Community Foundation Donor Services June 10 \| Virtual \| Peer Even National Standards Monthly Meet-Up June 10 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Council & CEONet \| Community Foundation CEO Roundtable - June 2026 June 11 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Member Communications Briefing July 15 \| Virtual \| Peer Event   Trainings Legal Basics for Community Foundations June 3 \| Virtual \| Training Better Stories, Better Language: Building Trust, Showing Your Value, and Using Language That Resonates June 10 \| Virtual \| Training Better Stories, Better Language: The Ethics of Great Storytelling June 23 \| Virtual \| Training Better Stories, Better Language: Showing Your Work July 8 \| Virtual \| Training | | --- | | | | --- | | 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. | | --- | | | | --- |