How do you start a charitable foundation in the US?

Answer 1

You probably don't need to. You should find someone who is already doing the work that you want to do, and join in with them. Otherwise, you're stuck doing the bookkeeping and fundraising when what you really probably want is just to help people. That said, if you want to do it, you would go to the IRS and ask them for their publication about applying to become a 501(c)(3) organization.

Answer 2

Talk to a Bank about setting up one