Publication
Community Foundations for Civic Health: Learning & Action in 2025 and Directions for 2026
More than 900 community foundations operate across the United States — in rural towns, suburban counties, and urban centers that span the full political spectrum. They are place-based, nonpartisan, and trusted. They take a long view, think across sectors, and have deep roots in the communities they serve. At a time when conflict often overshadows collaboration, community foundations serve a unifying purpose — and that is precisely why they are uniquely positioned to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time: the erosion of civic health in America.
Civic health encompasses all the ways people make decisions, solve problems, and build community together. Research shows that strong connections between residents, robust relationships between people and their institutions, and a sense of belonging to a place are correlated with better health outcomes, higher employment, greater economic resilience, and stronger communities overall. When civic health falters — when people feel powerless, disconnected, and unheard — the effects ripple outward, deepening polarization and undermining trust in institutions at every level.
Community foundations are built to address exactly this kind of challenge. They have the ability to convene across difference, respond nimbly to community needs, and take a whole-of-community view that most other institutions simply can't — all while their endowment model allows them to think and invest for the long term.
Community Foundations for Civic Health: Learning & Action in 2025 and Directions for 2026 is the product of a year of deep engagement across the community foundation field, led by a partnership of CFLeads, National Civic League, and Rhode Island Foundation. The report covers what civic health means in practice, how community foundations are already doing this work, and what it takes to sustain and scale it. It also addresses the practical challenges foundations face: finding the right language in a polarized environment, measuring progress on something as intangible as trust, and making the case to donors and boards.
The challenges facing communities across the country are real, but they are also surmountable. Community foundations have always been in the business of building stronger communities. This report makes the case that to do so they must lead boldly in civic health.
About CFCH
Community Foundations for Civic Health (CFCH) is a national initiative working to increase the number of community foundations confidently strengthening civic health in their communities. Looking ahead, CFCH has set an ambitious goal: to work with 250 community foundations over the next five years — grounding the work in shared principles, catalyzing local investment, and building the networks and tools foundations need to lead with confidence.
The initiative is housed at CFLeads and led by three organizations with distinct and complementary strengths.
CFLeads is the only national organization exclusively serving community foundations, with over 15 years of experience in field-building, peer learning, and cohort delivery.
National Civic League, which has supported civic engagement since 1894, serves as lead design partner and expert advisor, contributing deep expertise in civic measurement, language, and community engagement.
Rhode Island Foundation, established in 1916 and led by David Cicilline — former Member of Congress, Mayor, and Rhode Island State Representative — serves as an expert advisor and advocate for the perspectives of community foundations.
Together, the three organizations bring the national reach, civic expertise, and local credibility that this work demands.
Contact Us: civichealth@cfleads.org
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