Research

Community foundations, one of the fastest growing forms of philanthropy, often forge partnerships with semiautonomous "affiliates." These entities can be incorporated or unincorporated charities that work in a specific geographic area, using the community foundation's financial management and legal expertise, and other centralized services. Affiliates serve two fundamental purposes: conducting local grantmaking and developing local assets. A soon to be released Council on Foundations survey of community foundations measures the number of foundations that manage affiliate funds for the first time. The results: Every asset group but one manages at least one such fund; overall, one of every four respondents are involved with at least one affiliate fund.

SOURCE: Council on Foundations, Community Foundations in the United States: 1996 Status Report, to be released in the summer of 1998. For more information, call 202/467-0438.