What AI has got to do with community foundations?
Last June, ECFI hosted an interactive webinar to explore how community foundations and community foundation support organisations
are beginning to experiment with and integrate AI into their work. This short report summarises the topics discussed and shares
insights from across the community foundation field.
CF2CF Exchange between Pécs and Mureș Community Foundations
This report documents a peer exchange between Pécs Community Foundation and Mureș Community Foundation focused on community fundraising and organisational development. Through visits to a Giving Circle in Pécs and the Bikeathon in Târgu Mureș, participants explored event design, donor engagement, volunteer involvement, professional staffing, communications and cooperation with businesses and local authorities. The report also reflects on how large-scale fundraising events can strengthen local participation, visibility and long-term sustainability.
Fostering the active engagement and civic participation of young people – community foundation exchange report
This exchange between Sibiu Community Foundation (Romania) and Assifero (Italy) highlights how peer learning strengthens the strategic role of community foundations. It focuses on fund development, donor engagement, and the positioning of community foundations within national philanthropy ecosystems. The visit illustrates how sharing practices across contexts helps refine approaches to sustainability, build stronger relationships with donors, and enhance the capacity of community foundations to act as trusted local intermediaries.
Fostering the Active Engagement and Civic Participation of Young People: Community Foundation Exchange Report
This exchange report shares learning from a peer visit between Sibiu Community Foundation and Assifero, joined by several Italian community foundations and youth-focused organisations. It explores how community foundations can involve young people in local action, organisational leadership and decision-making. The report highlights practical examples, including Future Chair, MIRACHALLENGE and the Urban Leadership Academy, while reflecting on youth brain drain, intergenerational spaces, shared ownership and the need to treat young people as active community participants.
Seeing Our Work Differently Through SDG Lenses: The experience of Siegen Community Foundation
This blog describes how Siegen Community Foundation began embedding the Sustainable Development Goals across its work following participation in the SDG Wake-Up Call workshops. It explains how the foundation uses an SDG lens to review supported projects, strengthen communications, develop partnerships and guide organisational changes. The article also highlights plans for more sustainable operations, an ESG-aligned investment policy and the importance of board support when adopting a whole-of-organisation approach
The SDGs Are Good For Us
This workshop report explores how community foundations and their support organisations can use the Sustainable Development Goals as a strategic framework. It presents Northamptonshire Community Foundation’s experience of embedding the SDGs across its vision, strategy, donor engagement, partnerships, community conversations and impact reporting. The report also examines effective partnership models and identifies practical roles for support organisations in building capability, sharing evidence and helping community foundations connect local action with global goals.
Safeguarding Principles and Community Foundations
This report explores how safeguarding principles can be embedded in the work of community foundations and their support organisations. It outlines what safeguarding means in practice, why it is essential for responsible and high-quality work, and how organisations can develop and implement policies. Drawing on examples from the UK and Serbia, it highlights safeguarding as an organisational development process that strengthens trust, accountability, and ethical standards while protecting beneficiaries, staff, and partners.
Creating the standards of the Federation of Community Foundations in Poland
This blog describes how the Federation of Community Foundations in Poland revised its membership standards to reflect the changing needs of the field. It traces the Federation’s development, its growing national role and the influence of international learning on the new framework. The article also explores two key debates: whether endowment capital should remain a membership requirement and whether organisations using community foundation principles should be eligible to join even without formally identifying as community foundations.
Community foundation building: Identifying key capacities for the Spanish context
This article examines how the community foundation model can be adapted to Spain and identifies six capacities needed for its development. These include community leadership, listening and engagement, growing local philanthropy, strengthening local organisations, preparing for disaster response and adapting to territorial context. Drawing on literature, expert interviews and analysis of existing Spanish foundations, it also proposes practical tools and recommendations for organisations supporting new and emerging community foundations.
The European Community Foundation Initiative: A peer evaluation
This peer evaluation assesses the European Community Foundation Initiative (ECFI) between 2020 and 2022, drawing on reflections from community foundation practitioners, support organisations and philanthropy experts across Europe. It reviews ECFI’s work in learning, research, networking, capacity building, advocacy and movement development, highlighting achievements, challenges and strategic recommendations for strengthening Europe’s community foundation ecosystem.
