Community Foundation of Utah

What Community Foundation of Utah does

The Community Foundation of Utah (CFU) is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) community foundation established in 2008 and headquartered in Salt Lake City. The foundation operates as a philanthropic intermediary, connecting individual donors, wealth managers, nonprofit organizations, and government partners across Utah. Its core products include Donor Advised Funds, Community Impact Funds, Planned Giving vehicles, Complex Gifts, and Mission Related Investments, complemented by services such as Separately Managed Accounts and Giving Facilitation. CFU also runs programmatic initiatives including the Social Investors Forum pitch competition, the Invest in Success rural nonprofit training program, the Salt Lake City Youth Athletic Grants, the Ogden Circle of Giving, the Housing and Homelessness Fund, and a Pay for Success outcomes-based funding partnership with Salt Lake County targeting homelessness and recidivism.

CFU generates revenue primarily through administrative fees on invested charitable funds, supplemented by fees for specialized services, with fees described as contributions supporting social sector leadership initiatives. Its underlying technology is a web-based fundholder platform hosted on fcsuite.com that supports online fund management, donation processing, and grant applications. A county-by-county impact map and impact storytelling on its website serve as the primary public-facing distribution surfaces, while direct staff relationships and events such as the Social Investors Forum handle deeper engagement. The foundation holds National Standards Accreditation from the Council on Foundations and employs a small team (1-10 employees) led by CEO Alex Eaton, supported by a Board of Directors chaired by Trish Coughlin (VP Accounting at Amazon).

Since inception CFU has deployed over $600 million in grants across Utah, with $55.1M granted in 2024 and $57.0M in 2025, administered through 800+ charitable funds. Geographic operations are entirely within the State of Utah, and the organization meets National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations.

Name

Community Foundation of Utah

Legal name

Community Foundation of Utah

Website

https://utahcf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation of Utah is a Salt Lake City-based 501(c)(3) community foundation that administers donor advised funds, impact funds, and grant programs for individual donors, wealth managers, and nonprofits across Utah, having deployed over $600 million since 2008.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor advised funds
• Charitable giving administration
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Nonprofit endowment management

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Administrative Fees on Charitable Funds: The foundation charges fees on invested charitable funds, which are described as contributions that support social sector leadership initiatives. These fees go directly into community programs and nonprofit sector support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of Utah is a 501(c)(3) community foundation that administers charitable giving vehicles including donor advised funds, community impact funds, planned giving arrangements, complex gifts, and mission-related investments for individual donors, families, and wealth advisors across Utah. It deploys philanthropic capital to nonprofit organizations through grantmaking, a pitch competition called the Social Investors Forum, and outcomes-based Pay for Success programs, while providing nonprofit partners with training, capacity building, and endowment services.

Product overview

The Community Foundation of Utah operates as a philanthropic services organization offering a comprehensive suite of giving vehicles and programs. The core offerings include Donor Advised Funds, Community Impact Funds, Planned Giving, Mission Related Investments, and Complex Gifts, which serve as the primary charitable giving vehicles. Supporting these are specialized programs including the Social Investors Forum (a nonprofit pitch competition and capacity-building investment program), the Salt Lake City Youth Athletic Grant (a partnership grant program for youth sports), the Ogden Circle of Giving (a local giving circle), the Housing and Homelessness Fund (addressing housing instability), and the Pay for Success program (an innovative outcomes-based funding model for homelessness and recidivism). The foundation also provides investment management through Separately Managed Accounts, giving facilitation services, and comprehensive nonprofit support resources. Together, these products and programs position CFU as Utah's Partner in Philanthropy, pioneering innovation and collaboration to deploy over $600 million in grants since 2008.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Donor Advised Funds
• Community Impact Funds
• Planned Giving
• Mission Related Investments
• Complex Gifts
• Separately Managed Accounts
• Giving Facilitation Services
• Nonprofit Resources and Support
• Social Investors Forum
• Pay for Success
• Invest in Success
• Housing and Homelessness Fund
• Salt Lake City Youth Athletic Grant
• Ogden Circle of Giving

Quantifiable outcome

• Program participants spent half as many days incarcerated and nearly half as many months without emergency shelter compared to non-participants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Fourth Street CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Hub organization in the Nurse Care Management program providing healthcare access to housed homeless populations. CFU provided a $545,000 multi-year grant to establish the program with Fourth Street Clinic as the central coordinating organization.
• YWCA UtahsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Participating spoke organization in Nurse Care Management program serving homeless populations in Salt Lake County
• Housing ConnectsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Participating spoke organization in Nurse Care Management program serving homeless populations in Salt Lake County
• First Step HousesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Participating spoke organization in Nurse Care Management program serving homeless populations in Salt Lake County
• Volunteers of America UtahsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Participating spoke organization in Nurse Care Management program serving homeless populations in Salt Lake County
• The Road HomesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Participating spoke organization in Nurse Care Management program serving homeless populations in Salt Lake County
• Southern Utah UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnered with Family Support Center of Southwestern Utah to conduct a needs assessment determining demand for mental health services for children in the region
• Salt Lake CitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership between Salt Lake City and CFU to award Youth Athletic Grants to organizations benefiting low-income athletes in Council Districts. Since 2015, over $30,000 has been awarded through this program.
• International Rescue CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013SKI is a program of the IRC providing comprehensive resources for immigrants, refugees, and new Americans starting food businesses. CFU's Social Investors Forum awarded a grant enabling SKI to move into their first kitchen, obtain equipment, and hire key staff.
• Salt Lake CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSalt Lake County's Pay for Success program partners with CFU to target interconnected issues of homelessness and recidivism. Private and philanthropic funding is deployed to nonprofit service providers implementing data-driven solutions. If nonprofits reach program goals, Salt Lake County pays back private investors.
• Harvard Government Performance Lab Fellow (Saskia DeVries)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFacilitator brought in to help analyze program effectiveness and identify gaps in the Nurse Care Management program. Trained in facilitating discussions between multiple organizations under one contract.
• Northwest Recreation Center and Steiner Aquatic CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner facilities for Race Swami swim program providing lane space and community outreach for the program

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: One of the largest community foundations in the U.S. with multi-billion AUM and a similar model of DAFs, grantmaking, and impact investing. Larger scale and broader geographic reach than CFU, but same core community foundation business model.
• Fidelity Charitable: The largest DAF sponsor in the U.S. by AUM, offering donor advised funds with integrated brokerage access and lower fees. Represents the primary competitive threat to CFU for HNW donors seeking scalable, low-fee DAF solutions.
• Schwab Charitable: Major national DAF sponsor affiliated with Charles Schwab, competing directly with community foundations like CFU for HNW donor advised fund business with lower-fee, integrated investment options.
• National Philanthropic Trust: One of the largest independent DAF sponsors in the U.S., offering donor advised funds and philanthropic advisory services nationally. Direct competitor in the DAF and charitable giving intermediary space.
• The Chicago Community Trust: Regional community foundation serving the Chicago region with DAFs, grantmaking, and impact programs. Directly comparable community foundation model at a larger scale and broader geography than CFU.

Direct peers

• The Cleveland Foundation: The first U.S. community foundation, offering DAFs, planned giving, and community grantmaking programs analogous to CFU. Operates at city/state level with similar product set and donor-advised fund focus.
• Greater Houston Community Foundation: A regional community foundation providing donor advised funds, planned giving, and impact-investing options to HNW donors in a defined geography — directly comparable to CFU's Utah-focused operating model.
• Tulsa Community Foundation: Community foundation offering DAFs, complex gifts, and community impact funds with a regional/state focus. Similar scale and product suite to CFU and frequently cited as a high-performing community foundation.

Emerging players

• Calvert Impact Capital: Impact-investing intermediary connecting donors and foundations to mission-related investments. Comparable to CFU's Mission Related Investments and Social Investors Forum offerings, though more specialized in impact debt and community investing.

Regional players

• Mile High United Way: While not a community foundation per se, it operates community grantmaking, donor advised giving, and impact programs in a regional geography analogous to CFU's Utah footprint, providing a useful comparison for nonprofit community resource aggregation models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation of Utah