Community Foundations for Civic Health: Learning & Action in 2025 and Directions for 2026
Key Finding
Synthesizes how 168 community foundations across 45 states are operationalizing “civic health” as a strategy — useful for practitioners looking to partner with or seek funding through community foundations.
About this research
This white paper synthesizes a year of field-building work by CFLeads and partners including the Rhode Island Foundation and National Civic League, drawing on virtual engagement sessions and a national summit in Chicago that brought together leaders from 168 community foundations across 45 states. Rather than presenting original data findings, it documents how these foundations are defining and operationalizing “civic health” as a strategy, and reports that the field shows strong readiness to move from exploration into concrete implementation. It is intended as a practical resource for practitioners looking to partner with or seek funding through community foundations pursuing civic health work.