Board members and staff of philanthropic institutions regularly reach out to CMF to orient themselves to the unique legal regulations and best practices of private foundations. As a subset of 501(c)(3) organizations, private foundations have many similarities to public charities, but have additional rules and regulations that must be followed. This resource is intended to provide an orientation to private foundations, including their common areas of activity and key regulated spaces that both new and experienced staff and board members should be prepared to navigate in their work.

Individuals considering starting a private foundation as an option for their philanthropic giving can reference CMF’s resource, "Options for Your Financial Giving," while corporations can use "Choosing a Corporate Philanthropy Approach" to learn more.

The “What Boards and Executives Need to Know” series of resources is designed to address questions of interest to board members and senior leaders of grantmaking organizations. These resources may be particularly useful for orientations, board trainings and general professional development and provide better understanding of key concepts that are necessary for the success of the governance and management of foundations in the field.