Besides analyzing the interaction between place and philanthropy, my research delves deeply into the “so-what” questions to ascertain the broader policy influence of foundations. Specifically, the second stream of my work examines how foundations extend their impact beyond their role as mere patrons by undertaking a community leadership role. Within this context, I also examined the underlying power dynamics and strategic considerations that shape these endeavors. While community foundations are increasingly recognized as local leaders to catalyze change in local communities, the concept of community leadership has not been clearly or consistently defined and operationalized in the literature, presenting fragmented understandings that bring confusion. My work “ Community Leadership as Multidimensional Capacities,” published in Nonprofit Management and Leadership (Wu, 2021), fills this theoretical void by conceptualizing and operationalizing community leadership capacity based on a large population sample of U.S.-based community foundations (Wu, 2021). This article won the Editors’ Prize for Best Scholarly Paper in Nonprofit Management and Leadership in 2023.