Foundation Website Template is a free, open-source Jekyll website template from SmarterGiving that lets foundations and donor-advised funds publish a grantmaker site on GitHub Pages with no hosting cost. It takes a foundation's configuration and annual grants data as input and produces a responsive marketing site with a searchable grants database. Built for GitHub Pages and the github-pages gem, it uses no plugins and is fully compatible with Jekyll's standard build pipeline.
What is the Foundation Website Template?
Foundation Website Template is a Jekyll-based website template designed specifically for grantmakers. It runs on GitHub Pages and requires only a GitHub repository to go live. The template takes your foundation's details from a _config.yml file and your grants data from CSV or JSON files, then outputs a fully functional website with a home page, navigation, featured project cards, and a searchable grants database. It was created by SmarterGiving, a nonprofit focused on advancing openness in philanthropy through accessible technology.
Key Features
- Fully open source — Released under the Common Public Attribution License 1.0 (CPAL); free for personal and commercial use, with an attribution hyperlink required on the site front-end.
- Zero-cost hosting — Designed to run on GitHub Pages; the README states it can be hosted and maintained for no cost.
- Built-in grants database — Supports three data formats: year-named CSV files using the provided template, JSON converted from XML-based IRS Form 990PF, and custom CSV with a setting change.
- Responsive design — The design is based on the Strata template by HTML5 UP, and the layout is fully responsive.
- Simple GitHub setup — Create a new repository in a GitHub organization, import the template via the "Import code" button, and view the site at your-org-name.github.io/repo-name.
- Customizable navigation and pages — Edit the left-hand nav in
_includes/nav.html, add new pages in thepages/directory using lowercase-hyphen filenames, and edit the home page viaindex.html. - Featured project cards — Manage featured cards from the
_featured-cards/directory, with images inassets/images/featured-cards/that can be replaced without changing filenames. - Accent color theming — Change the primary accent color by editing a single variable in
/assets/css/_sass/skel/_vars.scss.
Who is it for?
- Small family foundations with limited staff — they can stand up a simple, professional site with minimal maintenance and grow it as their public information grows.
- Large foundations and donor-advised funds — they can publish annual grants lists in a searchable database without building custom software.
- Nonprofit web volunteers or junior developers — the Jekyll/GitHub Pages stack is described as within reach of a "young hacker" in the family.
- Grantmakers looking for open standards — the project is actively working on integrating grant specs like Foundation Center's hGrant.
What can you do with it?
- Publish annual grant lists: Upload a CSV file named for each year (for example, 2016.csv) to the
_data/grants/directory, and the template renders a searchable grants database page. - Import IRS Form 990PF data: Convert the XML version of a 990PF to JSON using a free web tool, name it for the tax year, and place it in
_data/grants/. - Launch a foundation website quickly: Follow the five-step GitHub import process to get a live site at your-org.github.io/repo-name, then edit
_config.ymlto set the foundation's information. - Tell your foundation's story: Add pages such as our-story.md and update the left-hand navigation in
_includes/nav.htmlto reflect your structure.
How does the Foundation Website Template work?
Getting started happens on GitHub: create a new repository in your organization's GitHub account, name it simply (like "smith"), and use the "Import code" button to pull in https://github.com/smartergiving/foundation-website-template.git. Once imported, the site is live at your-org-name.github.io/repo-name. To style it correctly, you must edit the baseurl field in _config.yml to match your repo name; then customize navigation, pages, featured cards, colors, and grants data via the directories described above.
License and pricing
The template is free to use under the Common Public Attribution License 1.0 (CPAL). That means it is open source, can be used commercially, and requires a hyperlink attribution to SmarterGiving on the site's front-end. There are no paid tiers or premium features mentioned in the documentation.
FAQ
Is the Foundation Website Template really free?
Yes. The template is 100% open source under CPAL and explicitly designed to be hosted on GitHub Pages at no cost. The only requirement is attribution to the original authors via a hyperlink on the site front-end, which can be waived with permission.
Does it work with custom CSV grant data?
Yes, for the grants database. You can change the db_table_source_type setting from "template" to "custom" in pages/grantees.html and upload year-named CSV files to _data/grants/. However, the search function is not yet compatible with custom CSV formats.
What technology does the template use?
It is built on Jekyll for GitHub Pages, with no plugins, so it works with the github-pages gem. The design is based on HTML5 UP's Strata template, and it uses jQuery, Font Awesome icons, html5shiv.js, CSS3 Pie, Respond.js, and Skel.
Can I import my IRS Form 990PF data?
Yes. Locate the XML version of your Form 990PF from data.philly.com/datasets/irs990/, convert it to JSON with a web tool, name it by tax year (for example, 2014.json), and upload it to _data/grants/.
How do I change the site's color scheme?
Edit the primary accent color by adjusting the variable at line 30 of /assets/css/_sass/skel/_vars.scss in the repository.
