The Forum's more than 90 members are regional and national philanthropy-serving organizations (PSOs) that work to strengthen, lead, inform, mobilize and support the philanthropy sector. Our members are membership associations, networks and other types of organizations that focus on a specific geographic region, funding issue(s), population group, philanthropic practice, and/or type of funder. Our members represent more than 7,000 primarily philanthropic organizations, making the Forum the largest network serving philanthropy in America.
Our members are a part of what is sometimes called the "philanthropy infrastructure." A civil society needs infrastructure to ensure that nonprofits and foundations can act with integrity and impact. Forum members run the training programs that support the professional development of philanthropy staff. They do the research to help philanthropy understand what works, and what doesn’t. They build the technology platforms that make communication and learning possible. They hold the conferences and convenings that gather philanthropy leaders together and provide them the resources, shared learning and connections to improve their work. They advocate for new levels of excellence to push us all to do better — and for policies that create the legal environment in which we work. In short, they make philanthropy more effective in its quest to make the world better.