As natural and man-made disasters continue to grow in number and intensity, community foundations are increasingly being leaned on to provide support to affected communities.

Foundation for the Carolinas has distributed its first round of grants to help those affected by Hurricane Florence.

It joins community foundations in several other regions of the country that have set up and administered funds to support those who have been affected by hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, mass shootings, and wildfires this year.

The Central New York Community Foundation is investing $2 million to help address a significant problem in its community — the prevalence of lead paint in homes in Syracuse.

More than 11 percent of Syracuse children tested in 2017 were shown to have elevated blood lead levels — an alarming figure that impacts not only their health, but also their ability to learn and develop.

Nonprofits need more than money to be successful. They also need knowledge and support.

That’s why many community foundations actively invest in programs that help nonprofits build their capacity. Rather than simply writing grants to support individual programs, these foundations instead actively work to help nonprofits become more self sufficient and productive.

As we mark Community Foundation Week, now is a great time to reflect on how community foundations are playing a leading role in bringing people together and bridging divides — and to encourage donors and other partners to think about how they can engage community foundations to serve as a bigger catalyst for change.

The Seattle Foundation is launching a new Climate Justice Impact Strategy to support the communities most impacted by climate change.

In this first-of-its-kind strategy among community foundations, the foundation is putting justice and equity at the center of its approach to climate change.

Seattle Foundation President and CEO Tony Mestres explains the foundation’s strategy for investing in community-based research, building strong, diverse coalitions, and strengthening the capacity of nonprofits working to advance local solutions to this global challenge.

Like most community foundations, The Miami Foundation exists to do much more than help donors give money to their favorite causes.

It also aims to do something much more profound: to identify important community problems and play a leading role in engaging its residents to address these problems.

Rob Collier, the retiring president of the Council of Michigan Foundations, says the rapid growth of donor-advised funds is helping to get more money into communities — and cautions against creating new rules that would curtail giving.

For community foundations, donor-advised funds are all about impact, writes Dan Baldwin, president of the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

Fifty years after he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., Martin Luther King Jr.’s presence remains strong in this Southern city.

A special series of grants by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis aims to make sure Dr. King’s vision continues to positively shape his former hometown for years to come.