An institutional partner for stronger communities
Common Ground Foundation is a public benefit organization that strengthens communities by investing in the people, programs, and partnerships that change lives. We combine flexible local investment with field-wide research and convening, so that every dollar raised translates into measurable, lasting community outcomes.
Common Ground Foundation strengthens communities by investing in local change-makers and the conditions that help them succeed.
We are not a service provider, a funder alone, or a consulting firm. We sit between national philanthropy and neighborhood practice, pairing flexible grants to grassroots leaders with the research, coalitions, and capacity support that move the entire field forward. Every program we fund is chosen because it measurably improves the lives of the people it serves.
Every community thriving on its own terms
We see a future in which every community has the resources, leadership, and capacity to define its own priorities and meet them. A future where local change-makers are not asked to do more with less, but are equipped with the funding, evidence, and coalitions they need to do their best work.
That future is within reach when philanthropy moves from one-time gifts to long-term commitment, and when grassroots leaders are treated as the experts on their own neighborhoods. That is the work Common Ground Foundation exists to advance.
Four commitments that shape every decision
Our identity is not a slogan. It is a set of working principles that guide how we choose partners, deploy capital, and measure the change we are accountable for.
A grantmaker and a field-builder, by design
Community Grantmaker
We move flexible capital directly to grassroots organizations doing the work in their own neighborhoods. Our grants are sized to meet real need, structured for multi-year stability, and paired with operating support rather than tied to a single program.
- Multi-year operating and program grants to local nonprofits.
- Rapid-response funding for emerging community needs.
- Capacity grants for leadership, technology, and infrastructure.
- Transparent application and reporting designed around grantees, not paperwork.
Field-Builder and Convener
We invest in the conditions that help every community-serving organization succeed. That means original research, public reporting, and convenings that align funders, practitioners, and policymakers around what works.
- Annual community impact and field landscape reports.
- Peer learning networks for grassroots executive leaders.
- Cross-sector convenings that align funders and practitioners.
- Public policy briefings on community investment and outcomes.
Independent, transparent, accountable to the public
Common Ground Foundation is a board-governed 501(c)(3) public charity. We hold ourselves to the same standards of disclosure and integrity that we ask of every grantee, because the trust placed in us by donors and communities is the foundation of every dollar we move.
- Independent Board of DirectorsMajority-independent directors with term limits and full fiduciary responsibility for mission and finance.
- Annual audited financialsIndependent audit and Form 990 published openly each year, alongside grant-level disclosures.
- Community Advisory CouncilResident and grantee leaders advise on funding priorities, ensuring decisions reflect the communities we serve.
- Public impact reportingAnnual impact reports, outcomes data, and program evaluations published for funders, partners, and the public.
Help us build stronger communities
Whether you lead a foundation, run a grassroots nonprofit, work in public service, or want to give where it matters, we would welcome a conversation about what we can build together.