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For over 50 years, the Community Foundation has helped people give with purpose, strengthening Memphis and the Mid-South.

We make giving easier and more impactful by matching your generosity with the causes and community you care about most.

We offer solutions and resources to donors and the professionals who advise them to help you give smarter and do more good.

We offer funding opportunities that helps nonprofits and students create positive change and build futures.

When you get involved with the Community Foundation, you join a group of people committed to Memphis’s future.

Learn more about the philanthropic hub that connects capital with the solutions that make our community thrive.

Community Foundation releases perception reports

New stakeholder perception reports highlight areas of strength, identify opportunities for improvement, and help reinforce priorities within our 2024-29 Strategic Plan.

Grantmaking

Published: May 12, 2026

Community Foundation releases perception reports

Stakeholders’ feedback and experiences are essential to how we at the Community Foundation (CFGM) evaluate and improve our work. We are grateful to the fundholders who participated in our third Donor Perception Report, facilitated by the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), as well as the discretionary program grantees who provided feedback for our inaugural Grantee Perception Report, also created in partnership with CEP. We debuted both reports (linked below) at the 2026 Annual Meeting on May 7, 2026.

These reports—and the ratings and feedback they include—allow us to track trends over time and better understand how both donors’ and grantees’ experiences and expectations may be evolving. We are listening, and we are committed to continuing to incorporate stakeholders’ viewpoints in how we serve, communicate, and invest in the community.

Consistent high marks

Infographic titled Perceptions of Donor Service with 2025 on the left. It displays three stats from Community Foundation perception reports: 6.14 satisfaction, 6.23 likelihood to recommend, and 92% plan to give again.
Donors trust us, and they keep coming back. They describe the Community Foundation as a “reputable, trusted organization”—and 92% plan to give here again.
GRANTEE FEEDBACK: A highlighted quote about the Community Foundation’s impact on nonprofits, emphasizing their leadership in funding, collaboration, and simplifying grant processes—supported by perception reports—with a tree logo in the corner.
Amid positive data and stats about our performance, anecdotal quotes like this one from a respondent to the Grantee Perception survey shows what kind of reputation we’ve gained as a funder.

Stakeholder feedback

The reports highlight areas of strength, identify opportunities for improvement, and help reinforce priorities within the 2024-29 Strategic Plan.

Two foundation reports on a green surface: the 2026 Grantee Perception Report, with a man speaking to an audience, and the 2026 Donor Perception Report, featuring two women in discussion—both vital insights for the Community Foundation.

Donor Perception Report

See the newest survey results and comments to understand donors’ perceptions of our work over time. This survey, administered in fall 2025, builds on prior reports conducted in 2017 and 2021.

Grantee Perception Report

A 2025 survey of recent FOREVER Funds and GiVE 365 grantees helps us establish a baseline understanding of expectations and perceptions. See how grantees rate their experiences with the Community Foundation.

2024-29 Strategic Plan

In a time of change for philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, CFGM is charting a bold path forward—rooted in community input and focused on deepened learning, expanded opportunities, enhanced donor support, and strengthened capacity.

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