Abstract: As social governance changes its focus to grassroots units since the 18th CPC National Congress, there have been some innovations in channeling resources to the grassroots level. Community fund, as a representative of the platforms for raising and using public funds, is one of the innovations. Set up by urban or rural communities and mainly sponsored by private institutions and organizations, community fund is a special project to achieve community welfare for residents. From the perspective of resources supporting community development, this paper analyses the impact of community fund on grassroots governance, including its funding, operation and supervision, to figure out the role of community fund in capitalizing social resources for grassroots governance. It is found that community fund serves as a lawful platform for social resources to engage in community affairs. Besides, in its operation, social donors, community committees, residents, social organizations and the general public are involved in the daily management of the community. In conclusion, community fund can play an active role in realizing community self-development and increasing public participation.

Key words: community fund, grassroots governance, community development