A regional association is a staffed organization with a defined governance and financial structure that serves grantmakers in a metropolitan area, a single state or a multi-state region. Its membership includes a variety of grantmaking institutions and programs.
The 30 regional associations in the United States constitute a federation called the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers.
The Forum strongly encourages and directly helps all of its regional association members to embrace five basic roles as they in turn serve philanthropy in their service areas:
To deliver educational resources that strengthen the effectiveness of their members in governance, finance and administration, grantmaking and communications
To provide networking opportunities among grantmakers and between grantmakers and grantseekers
To serve as an informational resource about all forms of organized philanthropy for potential and current donors, their advisors, and the general public
To communicate the value of regional philanthropy to state policymakers and the media
To sustain and support a membership that includes all sizes and types of organized grantmakers and to aspire to represent the majority of endowed philanthropic assets in its service area
