The New Generation of Community Foundations

Jenny Hodgson, Barry Knight and Alison Mathie (2012) GFCF and Coady International Institute

Community foundations have enjoyed considerable growth in recent years, not only in their number but also in their character. This emergence of a ‘new generation’ of community foundations is occurring within a larger context of other emerging forms of ‘social solidarity’ movements and institutions, including rural development philanthropy, member‑based organizing and other hybrid forms of citizen‑led actions.

“The New Generation of Community Foundations”, published by the GFCF and the Coady International Institute, explores the emerging community foundation phenomenon in the context of disillusionment with conventional channels of international aid.

The report draws on the literature relating to community philanthropy, mutual responsibility and the broader social economy, as well as empirical data on the growth of the field, and it provides an analysis of five case examples of community foundations in the Global South as evidence for a re‑conceptualization of their role and potential contribution as catalysts for citizen‑led and socially inclusive development.

Read the report

Community Foundations Addressing Poverty in their Communities: Toolkit

In April 2010 TCFN and GFCF held a peer event in Riga, Latvia that offered participants the opportunity to explore their work in reducing poverty.

Toolkit

Powerpoint overview

Mexican Community Foundations: a Comprehensive Profile

Berger, R., Bermúdez, D., Carrillo Collard, P., and Tapia Álvarez, M. (2009) Mexico City, Mexico: Alternativas y Capacidades / Teamworks

Community foundations began emerging as philanthropic institutions in Mexico less than two decades ago. As Mexican civil society flourished, many leaders with strategic vision realized that institutions needed to be created in order to effectively gather and channel local resources to various social development initiatives. This report is a comprehensive study of Mexico’s community foundations, the purpose of which is to provide a detailed picture of their organizational, financial, and programmatic characteristics, ascertain how they meet their own institutional development needs, and identify the obstacles they face in fulfilling their goals. The report (funded by the C.S. Mott Foundation, Ford Foundation, Inter-American Foundation and the Global Fund for Community Foundations) is based on extensive research that included interviews, site visits, and analysis of financial data. It was prepared by a bi-national collaboration, joining Teamworks (San Francisco) and Alternativas y Capacidades (Mexico City).

The full is available from the Teamwork's website:

Read the Complete Report in English
Read the Summary Report in English
Read the Complete Report in Spanish
Read the Summary Report in Spanish

The Story Behind the Well: a case study of successful community development

Halima Mahomed and Brianne Peters, 2011.

This report by the GFCF and the Coady International Institute, tells the story of how a community in rural Kenya became a hotbed of social and economic development. It describes the role played by two Kenyan institutions, the Kenya Community Development Foundation and the Makutano Community Development Association, in driving the process.

The Story Behind the Well: a case study of successful community development

Russian Community Foundations: Practice and Strategies

Charities Aid Foundation (2009) Johannesburg, South Africa: Global Fund for Community Foundations

This report summarizes the findings and conclusions of over six months of consultation activities carried out by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in Russia and commissioned by the Global Fund for Community Foundations. A key conclusion of the exercise is that community foundations in Russia constitute the only functioning and relatively well distributed model of community philanthropy, rooted in the local community and recognized and valued by a variety of stakeholders at community, regional and federal level.

Russian Community Foundations: Practice and Strategies

The outcomes of consultation activities and research on Community Foundations and Community Philanthropy in the Philippines

Association of Foundations (2008) Johannesburg, South Africa: Global Fund for Community Foundations

This report documents key findings from consultation activities conducted by the Association of Foundations on behalf of the Global Fund for Community Foundations.  The consultation process confirmed that community philanthropy is active in many forms throughout the Philippines and that support for institutional forms of community philanthropy such as community foundations is growing. This growth in interest can be attributed to a number of factors such as: a decline in the availability of donor funds for civil society activities; the desire of civil society groups for more autonomy and freedom from donor demands; donor fatigue among Filipinos working overseas, whose gift-giving capacity is becoming overstretched; and the emergence of at least one successful Philippine community foundation that provides a model.

The outcomes of consultation activities and research on Community Foundations and Community Philanthropy in the Philippines