The Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF) is a grassroots grantmaker working to promote and support institutions of community philanthropy around the world.

They work with individual community foundations and other local grantmakers and their networks around the world, with a particular focus on the global south and the emerging economies of Central and Eastern Europe. Through small grants, technical support and networking, they help these local institutions to strengthen and grow so that they can fulfil their potential as vehicles for local development and as part of the infrastructure for sustainable development, poverty alleviation and citizen participation. 

Their core objectives are:

To build institutional capacity (through the provision of small grants and technical assistance) among community foundations and similar philanthropic organizations to enable them to build social capital and enhance local decision-making processes in their communities

To promote collaboration and networks which advance the field of community foundations and other local philanthropic institutions to increase their effectiveness

To influence and build the relationship between the community foundation field and policy makers, governments and international development agencies

Geographic Focus

The Global Fund for Community Foundations provides grants and technical support to community foundations and other local philanthropic institutions and support organizations primarily in developing economies in Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, East and Central Europe, and Central Asia. Priority is given to those countries where access to other funding opportunities is limited. Applications from community foundations representing disadvantaged communities in the global north – particularly from those community foundations working with and representing disadvantaged communities – are also considered on a case-by-case basis.

Program Areas

The Global Fund for Community Foundations’ approach to grantmaking is flexible as the organisation funds different types of activities depending on the stage of an organisation’s development and the local context. A core underlying principle, however, is that grants are given to organizations and institutions that demonstrate a commitment to social change. In addition to grant money, the Global Fund also brings technical skills, knowledge and experience to its relationships with grantee partners, seeking to leverage relationships and resources to strengthen the local impact of grants. Grants are intended for developing the organisational capacities of community philanthropy institutions, rather than supporting their programme areas, in order to increase their effectiveness.