In 2018, President Trump asked Sondland to serve as the 20th United States Ambassador to the European Union. As one of the highest-ranking US officials in Europe, Sondland's portfolio included trade, energy, national security, defense agriculture, and several other files.

Gordon Sondland's community service includes an appointment by President George W. Bush to the Commission for White House Fellowships and by Oregon Governor Kulongoski to serve as a principal Republican liaison between Oregon and the White House, a position Sondland held for seven years.

Over the last thirty years, the Gordon D. Sondland and Katherine J. Durant Foundation has given millions of dollars to causes including childhood education, hunger programs, the arts, and medical research. The Foundation recently created the Sondland and Durant Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke University.