What The California Community Foundation does

The California Community Foundation (CCF) is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1915 and currently the 4th-largest community foundation in the United States by total giving. CCF manages over $2.3 billion in charitable assets across 1,900+ individual funds on behalf of 48,000+ donors, channeling grants to 260+ nonprofits, 1,500+ health organizations, and a wider network of 2,000+ community partners — overwhelmingly in Los Angeles County. Core products include standard donor-advised funds (minimum $25,000), the higher-fee ChAMP fund vehicle (minimum $500,000), and a suite of thematic and rapid-response funds (e.g., the Wildfire Recovery Fund, Digital Equity Initiative, immigrant-services funds). The foundation also operates civic-capital platforms such as LA n Sync and Ready to Rise, aggregating multiple public and private funders to deploy coordinated multi-year capital. CCF awarded $440M+ in grants in FY22 (up 11% YoY) and has disbursed $3.9B+ in grants since 2004.

The business model combines administrative fees on AUM (typically 0.5%-1.0% on a $2.3B base, implying $11.5M-$23M in annual fee revenue) with gift inflows ($387M in FY22) and investment income on the endowment pool. Headcount of 51-100 staff operates the fund accounting, donor relations, and grantmaking infrastructure. CCF's 2025-2026 posture has shifted toward disaster-response and civic-intermediation roles: it raised $100M+ for wildfire recovery in early 2025, co-launched a $100M recovery collaborative with the California Wellness Foundation in February 2026, partnered with the State of California on a $35M humanitarian effort, and deployed a $1.1M ICE-response fund with the Los Angeles Dodgers in June 2026. Distribution is direct (in-house donor and grantee relations) plus ecosystem-mediated (multi-funder platforms). The foundation's technology surface is standard community-foundation software (DonorConnect portal) with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

Name

The California Community Foundation

Legal name

California Community Foundation

Website

https://calfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1915

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The California Community Foundation is a 110-year-old Los Angeles-based community foundation managing $2.3B across 1,900+ charitable funds for 48,000+ donors and deploying $440M+ annually in grants to LA County nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Community foundation
• Donor advised funds
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Charitable asset management
• Scholarship fund administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Services and Grantmaking: CCF generates revenue through administrative fees charged on charitable funds under management. As a public charity and community foundation, they accept diverse asset types including cash, cryptocurrency, real estate, publicly traded securities, closely held stock, retirement plan assets, partnership interests, and bequests. Revenue is generated from fee-based services rather than product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The California Community Foundation (CCF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity and community foundation that manages charitable funds for individual donors, families, and corporate partners, then redistributes those assets as grants to nonprofit organizations serving Los Angeles County. CCF offers donor advised funds, scholarship funds, private foundation alternatives, and the Charitable Asset Management Partnership (ChAMP), accepts diverse asset contributions, and operates grantmaking programs across housing, education, health, immigration, arts, civic engagement, and community resilience.

Product overview

The California Community Foundation (CCF) is a charitable organization that offers a portfolio of fund vehicles, programs, and initiatives rather than a unified technology product. The foundation provides Donor Advised Funds, Private Foundation Alternatives, and other giving vehicles through its donor services platform, alongside specialized programmatic initiatives including the CCF Impact Fund (urgent response and systems change), Wildfire Recovery Fund, Los Angeles Neighbors Support Fund, immigrant empowerment programs, and various public-private partnerships like LA4LA and Ready to Rise. Additional offerings include youth development programs (BLOOM, LASIF), health initiatives (Centinela Valley Medical Funds, Trauma Prevention), arts programs (Fellowship for Visual Artists), and civic engagement initiatives (PIVOT, Digital Equity Initiative). The organization also provides meeting space through the Joan Palevsky Center for the Future of Los Angeles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Donor Advised Fund A flexible charitable giving vehicle that provides immediate tax benefits and allows donors to recommend grants to charities on their own schedule. Available to donors making a minimum initial contribution of $25,000.
• Charitable Asset Management Partnership (ChAMP) A customized investment option for donors who prefer their own financial advisor to manage their charitable assets, with a minimum initial gift of $500,000.
• Scholarship Fund A fund vehicle that allows donors to establish criteria and support students of any age, background, or education level through scholarships.
• Private Foundation Alternative Fund A fund vehicle that enables donors to facilitate family charitable giving without the administrative burdens of a traditional private family foundation.
• The CCF Impact Fund A strategic donation fund that responds to immediate crises while supporting long-term systemic change across five priority areas: meeting basic needs, building economic opportunity, creating safe communities, ensuring civic voice, and supporting healing and renewal.
• Wildfire Recovery Fund A donation fund supporting intermediate and long-term recovery efforts for major California wildfires, as well as preparedness efforts and community rebuilding.
• Los Angeles Neighbors Support Fund A donation fund that provides emergency food and cash assistance for basic necessities to families impacted by federal immigration raids in Los Angeles.
• Immigrant Empowerment Fund A donation fund investing in initiatives that strengthen civic agency to advance policies empowering immigrants to thrive civically, economically, and socially.
• Black Empowerment Fund A donation fund supporting Black-led and Black-empowering organizations through long-term infrastructure investments focused on power building and systemic transformations.
• Stein Early Childhood Fund A three-year California-wide communications campaign to build support for early childhood investments, focusing on policy solutions for families with children from birth to age three.
• Centinela Valley Medical and Community Funds A fund supporting hospitals and community-based organizations providing healthcare and health education to economically disadvantaged residents in greater South Los Angeles.
• One Five Fund A fiscally sponsored fund that invests in community-driven solutions for Los Angeles City Council District 15, focusing on economic development, community livability, and climate resiliency.
• Back to Eden Global A fiscally sponsored program that addresses economic empowerment through entrepreneurial opportunities in Africa and the diaspora using educational, agricultural, and ecological stewardship initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% high school graduation rate for BLOOM participants vs 75.1% for Black males countywide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Los Angeles DodgersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026The Dodgers committed $1.1 million (including fulfillment of $1M pledge) to provide financial assistance to families impacted by ICE immigration raids. CCF distributed $1,000 cash cards to 1,000 households plus additional funds for food assistance reaching over 4,000 families through Labor Community Services.
• Mayor Karen Bass / City of Los AngelesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026CCF activated Impact Fund to support Boyle Heights residents impacted by warehouse fire, aligning with emergency declarations from Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom.
• CA4US (California's largest statewide coalition)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2026CCF backing Immigrant Small Business Week (June 21-27, 2026) celebrating immigrant entrepreneurs. Coalition of business, labor, philanthropy, and civic leaders.
• Pasadena VillageminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026Partnership providing direct cash aid ($5,000 to $8,175 grants) to 61 senior residents affected by the 2025 Eaton Fire in Pasadena.
• Governor Gavin Newsom / State of CaliforniamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2026Collaboration leveraging up to $35 million in humanitarian funding to support immigrant families. State awarded $15 million to fund 33 removal defense organizations over two years and committed $125 million total for immigration legal services. Philanthropic partners aligned investments totaling nearly $30 million.
• Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2026CCF supported establishment of this county office which provides immigrant legal services and support programs.
• 33 Removal Defense OrganizationscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 20 February 2026State-funded organizations receiving $15 million over two years to provide legal representation and defense for immigrants facing deportation.
• LA Plaza de Cultura y ArtesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025Cultural institution co-launching 'Am I Next?' campaign featuring photographs of community members detained in ICE raids, with projections at CCF building.
• Japanese American National MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025Cultural institution co-launching 'Am I Next?' campaign, interspersing detainee images with WWII Japanese American internment parallels.
• Liberty Hill FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Co-partner with CCF and LA County Probation on Ready to Rise initiative for youth at-risk of incarceration, focusing on diversion and prevention programs.
• Los Angeles County Probation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Ready to Rise is a $38+ million public-private partnership between CCF, Liberty Hill Foundation and LA County Probation Department designed to improve outcomes for youth at-risk of entering the justice system. Recently received $12.5 million in funding for youth development services.
• LA n SynccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Civic initiative designed to drive innovation and attract funding for LA County needs. Has raised more than $330 million in grants and secured $449M+ yielding $85 return per dollar invested.
• Los Angeles County Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership distributing nearly $18 million in grants for trauma prevention, preventing violent incidents, increasing access to healing-centered services, and creating youth leadership opportunities.
• Weingart FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership to establish the Immigrants Are Essential Fund dedicated to sustaining the immigrant rights advocacy community by enhancing staff wellness and organizational capacity.
• USC Equity Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration with USC ERI and Council on Immigrant Inclusion to establish Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs and Los Angeles Justice Fund, raising nearly $20M and providing legal assistance to over 2,200 individuals facing deportation.
• Immigrants Are LA CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021CCF-supported coalition that successfully secured over $160M from American Rescue Plan to aid immigrant programs in 2021.
• Council on Immigrant InclusioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Co-founder of Immigration Summit gathering over 400 leaders annually to enhance immigration advocacy and integration efforts in Los Angeles.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: Largest U.S. community foundation by assets (~$13B+ AUM), also California-based. Most direct peer — operates the same community-foundation model with DAFs, regional impact focus, and HNW donor services.
• Cleveland Foundation: First U.S. community foundation (1914), ~$2.5B AUM. Closely comparable to CCF in AUM, age, grantmaking scale, and full-service donor offerings across a single metro.
• The Chicago Community Trust: Major regional community foundation serving the Chicago metro with comparable donor-advised funds, scholarship funds, and impact investing programs. Direct peer in scale and model.
• New York Community Trust: NYC's community foundation with multi-billion-dollar AUM and similar fund vehicle suite. Direct peer in operating model, though larger in scale and serving a different metro.
• The Boston Foundation: One of the oldest and largest U.S. community foundations, with a comparable mix of DAFs, regional grantmaking, and civic leadership programming.
• Greater Houston Community Foundation: Large Texas-based community foundation with similar DAF, scholarship, and disaster-response capabilities. Comparable in structure and grantmaking scale.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: Largest DAF sponsor in the U.S. by AUM. Competes with CCF for HNW donor-advised fund dollars at a national scale, with a more digital-only experience.
• Schwab Charitable: Major national DAF sponsor affiliated with Schwab. Direct competitor for the donor-advised fund segment of CCF's donor services business.
• National Philanthropic Trust: One of the largest independent DAF sponsors in the U.S. Competes with CCF for HNW donors seeking national reach and a low-friction DAF experience.

Others

• Foundation Source: Provider of back-office administration for private foundations; an adjacent enabler that competes indirectly with CCF's Private Foundation Alternative Fund offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/calfund
• Facebookfacebook.com/calfund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-community-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/calfund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments21 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The California Community Foundation