The National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) is the only national nonprofit dedicated exclusively to families who give and those that work with them. NCFP provides the research, expertise and networking opportunities necessary to inspire our national network of giving families every step of the way on their philanthropic journey. Families learn how to transform their values into effective giving that makes a positive and enduring impact on the communities they serve. Together, we make great things happen.

The National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) was founded in 1997 in response to the need for a national source of knowledge and expertise that advocates for the value of family philanthropy. Prior to the National Center's launch on September 3, 1997, in Washington, D.C, the field was ill-defined and largely ignored in mainstream philanthropy.

National Center Founding President Virginia (Ginny) Esposito, then a vice president at the Council on Foundations, tackled this issue head on in the late 1980's by organizing the first-ever conference sessions on family philanthropy. By 1994, the Council approved Ginny's proposal for a three-year Program on Family Philanthropy, which attracted the interest and support of outstanding leaders in the field. Informal talks over many months led to a growing convergence of views that the field needed an unbiased national resource dedicated solely to philanthropic families, whatever their chosen vehicle.

As a catalyst for the greater good, NCFP has developed several important initiatives for giving families as well as our partners in the field, such as ground-breaking research studies, workshops and webinars on relevant topics, development of the largest searchable database on family giving and publishing the first-ever comprehensive guide to starting a family foundation.