Lafayette Community Foundation

What Lafayette Community Foundation does

The Lafayette Community Foundation (also operating as CF Lafayette; legal name Community Foundation of Lafayette; Tax ID 80-0022897) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1999 and headquartered in Lafayette, California. It functions as a community foundation and philanthropic intermediary, soliciting donations from individuals and local businesses and redistributing them as grants to vetted nonprofit recipients. The foundation concentrates its giving in four defined focus areas: Human Services, Seniors, Youth Development & Education, and Arts & Culture, with a documented portfolio of grant recipients spanning food security (Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, White Pony Express), senior services (Meals on Wheels, Lamorinda Village), education (Lafayette Partners in Education), advocacy (CASA, Cancer Support Community), and cultural institutions (California Symphony Orchestra, Park Theater Trust).

Its core programs include the annual Excellence Grants program (the primary grant-making vehicle, distributing funds through a dedicated Grants Committee review process), the Community Impact Circle (CIC) — a tiered legacy donor program with commitments of $25,000 (Champion), $12,500 (Builder), and $5,000 (Ambassador), payable over up to five years — and the Business Partners Program, which engages local companies through Legacy Partner, Neighborhood Supporter, and Friend of the Foundation tiers. The foundation also runs community-facing events including the 17th Annual Senior Symposium and Lafayette Community Day, and partners with organizations such as Lafayette Rotary and the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.

The organization's revenue model is donation-based rather than commercial: it solicits charitable contributions from individuals, businesses, and corporate partners, accepts donor-directed giving (donations of $500 or more allow 50% direction to specific Excellence Grant funds), and reinvests those contributions into local grants and seed-funded capital projects. Notable cumulative activity includes distributing over $1.3 million in grants to local nonprofits since 1999, raising $12.5 million for the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, and $250,000 with Lafayette Rotary for the Lafayette Reservoir Permanent Stage. Revenue figures, headcount, and detailed financials are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Lafayette Community Foundation

Legal name

Community Foundation of Lafayette

Website

https://lafayettecf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Lafayette Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation in Lafayette, California, founded in 1999, that pools donations from individuals and local businesses and redistributes them as grants to vetted local nonprofits across Human Services, Seniors, Youth Development & Education, and Arts & Culture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation / Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable grant making
• Donor fund management
• Nonprofit philanthropy
• Corporate giving programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation receives donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations through various programs including the Community Impact Circle (CIC) with tiers at $25,000, $12,500, and $5,000 commitments, as well as general donations.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Lafayette Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that pools charitable donations from individuals and businesses and redistributes them as Excellence Grants to vetted local nonprofits in Lafayette, California. It operates the Excellence Grants Program across four focus areas (Human Services, Seniors, Youth Development & Education, and Arts & Culture), a tiered Community Impact Circle (CIC) legacy giving program with commitments at $25,000, $12,500, and $5,000, and a Business Partners Program for corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Lafayette Community Foundation operates as a single unified offering focused on philanthropic community engagement rather than a technology platform. The organization provides grant-making services through its Excellence Grants Program, which distributes funds to nonprofits in four key areas: Human Services, Seniors, Youth Development & Education, and Arts & Culture. Supporting programs include the Community Impact Circle for legacy giving, the Business Partners Program for corporate engagement, and signature events including the Annual Senior Symposium and Community Day. The foundation connects donors with local nonprofits through various fund designations and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Excellence Grants Program Annual grant-making program that distributes pooled charitable donations to local nonprofits in Lafayette, CA across four key funding areas: Human Services, Seniors, Youth Development & Education, and Arts & Culture. The program is overseen by a dedicated Grants Committee and has distributed hundreds of grants totaling over $1.3 million since inception.
• Community Impact Circle (CIC) Legacy giving program that unites major donors in supporting the foundation's Excellence Grants. Offers three commitment tiers: CIC Champion ($25,000, with curated grantee engagement, quarterly briefings, Grant Award Ceremony invitations, and ability to direct 50% of donation to Excellence Grants), CIC Builder ($12,500, with public recognition), and CIC Ambassador ($5,000). Multi-year payment plans are available.
• Business Partners Program Corporate sponsorship program with three tiers (Legacy Partner, Neighborhood Supporter, and Friend of the Foundation) that allows local businesses to support community foundation initiatives and gain recognition. Includes in-kind donation options (e.g., Minuteman as in-kind donor).
• Donor Funds (Designated Giving) Designated donation funds allowing donors to direct charitable contributions to specific Excellence Grant focus areas or to the general fund. Donations of $500 or more allow donors to direct 50% to specific Excellence Grant funds.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed hundreds of grants totaling over $1.3 million to local nonprofits since 1999
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Rudney AssociatescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLegacy Partner of the Business Partners Program, providing sustained support for community foundation initiatives.
• Douglas ParkingsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerNeighborhood Supporter in the Business Partners Program, contributing to community foundation efforts.
• Lafayette RotarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with the foundation to raise $250,000 for the Permanent Stage at the Lafayette Reservoir, demonstrating joint commitment to community projects.
• Lafayette Chamber of CommercesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization supporting community events and initiatives.
• MinutemanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFriend of the Foundation (In-kind Donor), providing in-kind support for foundation activities.
• Lamorinda VillagesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit receiving seed money to provide senior residents with services allowing them to remain in their homes as they age.
• Park Theater TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived seed money for rebuilding Lafayette's iconic Park Theater.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• East Bay Community Foundation: Community foundation serving the broader East Bay region including Contra Costa County (where Lafayette is located); directly comparable grantmaking, donor-advised, and local-nonprofit-support model across overlapping Bay Area geography.
• Contra Costa Community Foundation: County-level community foundation for Contra Costa County, where Lafayette resides; closely comparable in geographic scope, mission, and grant program structure (donor-advised funds, competitive grants, business partnerships).
• Marin Community Foundation: Bay Area community foundation with comparable donor-engagement tiers, Excellence in Aging and other thematic funds, and similar affluent-suburban donor profile; highly relevant operational peer.

Broad incumbents

• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: One of the largest community foundations in the U.S.; operates in the same Bay Area philanthropic ecosystem with overlapping donor base, donor-advised funds, and grantmaking to local nonprofits, but at substantially greater scale.
• San Francisco Foundation: Historic Bay Area community foundation with similar grantmaking and donor-advised fund programs; broader geographic scope and substantially larger assets, but serves the same regional philanthropic market.
• Schwab Charitable: Large national donor-advised fund sponsor that competes directly for the same affluent donor contributions, offering similar tax-advantaged giving with broader nonprofit selection; a key indirect competitor rather than a direct community foundation peer.

Regional players

• Napa Valley Community Foundation: Northern California community foundation operating in a different county but with a comparable small-affluent-community model, competitive grants, disaster/community response funds, and donor-advised services.
• Sacramento Region Community Foundation: California community foundation with comparable mission, donor-advised fund offerings, and competitive grant cycles; serves a different region but is structurally analogous in scale and programs.
• Orange County Community Foundation: Southern California community foundation with comparable donor-advised, competitive grant, and business partner programs serving an affluent suburban donor base, though operating in a different California geography.
• Community Foundation Santa Cruz County: County-level California community foundation with similar competitive-grant cycles, donor-advised funds, and business partnerships; structurally analogous but geographically separate from Lafayette.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lafayette-community-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Lafayette Community Foundation