Here for Good: Community Foundations and the Challenges of the 21st Century

Community foundations bring together the resources of individuals, families, and businesses to support effective nonprofits in their communities. Over the years, foundations have come to engage community problem-solving through more than just grant-making. They have added a rich array of other activities, including programs of community capacity building, active modes of advocacy, and centers for meeting. In 2011, the 700+ institutions in the United States gave an estimated $4.2 billion to a variety of nonprofit activities in fields that included the arts and education, health and human services, the environment, and disaster relief.
The origins of this book stem from conversations among the leadership of community foundations about the challenges they must overcome in order to make such "foundational" contributions to their communities. As community foundations enter the second century of their existence (the first foundation was formed in Cleveland in 1914), the need for knowledge and best practices has never been greater. This book, with expert authors representing the best and the brightest in this important field, fills that need.
Key questions addressed in this book include:

• How do community foundations define and measure impact?
• How do community foundations collaborate with donors and other philanthropic institutions to pursue individual and collective interests?


• How involved is each place-based sector in identifying key issues, strategies, and projects for the region in planning and community development?


• What are the implications for equity and distribution of resources?


• How do community foundations transform themselves into sites of discourse that meaningfully develop their "places"-- that is, reasserting themselves into the anchors, or "foundations," of community?