Council on Foundations

In 1949, Edward L. Ryerson of Chicago, IL founded the Council on Foundations (COF; previously known as the National Committee on Foundations and Trusts for Community Welfare, and the National Council on Community Foundations). The council is a nonprofit association of grantmaking foundations and corporations in the U.S. and abroad, which supports private giving for public good. Its inaugural board had representatives from community chests and councils, community trusts, and social service organizations like the YMCA. Today, the Council’s initiatives include inclusive economic prosperity and economically depressed U.S. communities in need of investment known as Opportunity Zones.