Community Foundation Tampa Bay

What Community Foundation Tampa Bay does

Community Foundation Tampa Bay (legal name: Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) public charity established in 1990 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida, with a regional office in St. Petersburg. It is the largest community foundation in Florida and among the largest in the nation, operating across a five-county service area covering Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties. Over its 35-year history, it has facilitated more than $1 billion in cumulative philanthropic commitments and, in the most recent reported year, distributed over $32 million in grants to 1,231 nonprofit organizations.

The Foundation operates a structured charitable-giving platform with a portfolio of giving vehicles including Donor Advised Funds, Endowments, Scholarships, Planned Giving instruments (bequests, charitable gift annuities, QCDs), Family Foundations, Corporate Philanthropy programs, and a Critical Needs List for urgent nonprofit needs. Its operational technology stack is built on third-party SaaS — Grant Interface powers the nonprofit Grants Portal, while the Fundholder Portal is transitioning from Raiser's Edge to a Foundant-powered system in July 2025. There is no proprietary technology platform or API offering. Revenue is generated entirely through charitable contributions from donors, external grants (e.g., a $300K Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant in 2024), and investment/fees on managed funds, with no direct fees charged to fundholders for core services. The go-to-market is community-led and advisor-driven: the Foundation cultivates referrals from attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors while simultaneously running nonprofit grantmaking and scholarship programs, connecting donors, advisors, nonprofits, and students across the Tampa Bay ecosystem.

Name

Community Foundation Tampa Bay

Legal name

Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, Inc.

Website

https://cftampabay.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Foundation Tampa Bay is a 501(c)(3) public charity and the largest community foundation in Florida, connecting donors, professional advisors, nonprofits, and students across a five-county Tampa Bay region through donor-advised funds, endowments, scholarships, planned giving, and grantmaking exceeding $32 million annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Philanthropy & Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking Advisory (FSAAADAG)

Keywords

• Donor advised funds
• Community philanthropy
• Charitable grantmaking
• Planned giving services
• Nonprofit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions & Charitable Gifts: Community Foundation Tampa Bay receives donations and charitable contributions from individual donors, family foundations, and corporations, which are then deployed through grant programs to nonprofits and scholarship awards to students.
2. Grant Funding: The foundation receives external grant funding from organizations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support specific initiatives, including disaster relief and community programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Community Foundation Tampa Bay is a 501(c)(3) community foundation that administers structured charitable giving vehicles (donor-advised funds, endowments, scholarships, planned giving instruments, family foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs) on behalf of individual donors, families, and corporations. It pools and deploys philanthropic capital through competitive grants to nonprofits across a five-county Tampa Bay region and operates operational portals (Grants Portal and Fundholder Portal) plus a Critical Needs List that connects donors with urgent nonprofit needs.

Product overview

Community Foundation Tampa Bay operates as a philanthropic platform offering multiple giving vehicles and services. The core portfolio includes Donor Advised Funds for flexible charitable giving, Scholarships for educational support, Planned Giving for legacy-focused vehicles (bequests, gift annuities), Endowments for perpetual giving, Family Foundations for multi-generational engagement, Corporate Philanthropy programs, and a Critical Needs List connecting donors with urgent nonprofit needs. The foundation also provides a Grants Portal (via Grant Interface) for nonprofit grant applications and a Fundholder Portal for donor account management, currently transitioning from Raiser's Edge to Foundant. Disaster Relief & Recovery initiatives support hurricane resilience and emergency response in the Tampa Bay region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Donor Advised Funds A flexible charitable giving vehicle that allows donors to contribute assets to a dedicated fund and recommend grants to nonprofits over time, providing tax benefits while building a philanthropic legacy. Targeted at individual donors and families seeking structured giving solutions.
• Scholarships Scholarship funds established by donors to support students with educational expenses, managed by the foundation with various award timing and eligibility options. Used by donor fundholders and awarded to students in the Tampa Bay region.
• Planned Giving Legacy-focused giving options including bequests, charitable gift annuities, retirement plan designations, and retained life estates that allow donors to make lasting impact beyond their lifetime. Targeted at individuals planning estate or legacy gifts.
• Endowments Permanent funds that provide perpetual support to causes, with principal invested and annual distributions made to designated beneficiaries. Used by donors seeking long-term, sustainable philanthropic impact.
• Family Foundations

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 billion in total philanthropic dollars committed to Tampa Bay over 35 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Central Florida Foundation: A regional community foundation serving Central Florida (Orlando area). Highly comparable as a 501(c)(3) public charity offering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and grantmaking across a multi-county footprint, competing for overlapping donor and advisor relationships.
• Community Foundation of Sarasota County: A Florida-based community foundation offering donor-advised funds, endowments, and grantmaking within a defined regional footprint. Directly comparable in mission, product set, and target donor/advisor ecosystem.
• Gulf Coast Community Foundation: A regional community foundation serving Southwest Florida with similar donor-advised fund, scholarship, and grantmaking services. Comparable in scale, product offering, and Gulf Coast hurricane-exposure profile.
• The Miami Foundation: A major Florida community foundation serving Miami-Dade with comparable giving vehicles, grantmaking, and scholarship programs. Closely comparable as a large Florida-based public charity with multi-county impact.
• Community Foundation for Northeast Florida: A Jacksonville-based community foundation providing donor-advised funds, planned giving, and competitive grantmaking. Closely comparable in operating model, donor services, and Florida philanthropic market dynamics.
• Community Foundation of Broward: A Broward County community foundation offering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and grantmaking. Directly comparable as a Florida 501(c)(3) public charity competing in adjacent regional markets.
• Pinellas Community Foundation: A smaller Pinellas County-based community foundation with overlapping five-county service territory. Comparable in product set and target donor base, though materially smaller in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: The largest national sponsor of donor-advised funds. Comparable as a DAF provider and direct competitor for HNW charitable dollars in Florida, but operates nationally with a digital-first model rather than community-anchored grantmaking.
• Cleveland Foundation: One of the largest U.S. community foundations by assets. Comparable in mission and product mix (DAFs, scholarships, grantmaking, planned giving), though operates at significantly larger scale and serves a different metro.
• Schwab Charitable: A major national DAF sponsor affiliated with Charles Schwab. Comparable as a DAF and complex-gift provider, but competes primarily on digital experience and integration with brokerage assets rather than local community grantmaking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CFTampaBay/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/CFTampaBay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-foundation-tampa-bay
• Instagraminstagram.com/communityfoundationtb
• Xx.com/CFTampaBay

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments174 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation Tampa Bay