"Through our Foundation’s work, we are fighting childhood obesity in Georgia...and making sure that children and families have access to the vitality of the arts regardless of their economic circumstances."
Arthur M. Blank, Co-Founder of The Home Depot and Owner of the Atlanta Falcons & Atlanta United
Game-changing business innovators, forward-thinking policymakers, legendary social activists and their unparalleled leadership are at the very heart of the Atlanta story. Atlanta citizens want to make a lasting impact, disrupt the status quo and shake up things in the name of progress.
Philanthropies that Change the World
We believe in making the world a better place. No matter what speaks to your heart–whether your passion is the arts, global health, education or other social interests, there are influencers here who care on a global stage, and they are ready for you to join the mission.
Atlanta is a titan of nonprofit headquarters, with a sampling including:
- American Cancer Society
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America
- CARE USA
- The Carter Center
- Habitat for Humanity International
- Task Force for Global Health
Notable Foundations
A combination of corporate and private foundations also make an incredible mark on the region. Even the small businesses have a heart to help. One notable example is Staplehouse. All the restaurant’s after-tax profits go to The Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit of which Staplehouse is a subsidiary, that provides emergency assistance grants to metro Atlanta restaurant workers facing unanticipated crises.
A sample of the region's foundations include:
- Aflac Foundation
- Arthur M. Blank Foundation
- Chick-fil-A Foundation
- Coca-Cola Foundation
- Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
- Georgia Power Foundation
- James M. Cox Foundation of Georgia
- UPS Foundation
- Westside Future Fund
- Woodruff Foundation
Collaborative & Engaged Corporate Citizens
One could say that servant-leadership is in the Atlanta business community's DNA. Leaders come together for the greater good, especially when it involves the health and safety of our citizens.
What started as one man's desire to help a co-worker led to the birth of the Marcus Autism Center in 1991, now one of the largest autism centers in the country. Bernie Marcus, co-founder of the Home Depot, has donated upwards of $100 million to neurological research and has helped coalesce partners around the cause as well -- from the bright minds at Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Georgia Research Alliance and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
In 2007, Grady Memorial Hospital, Georgia’s largest hospital and only nationally verified Level 1 trauma center, was $60 million in debt and facing closure. Seventeen members of Atlanta’s business community came together again to form a task force that saved the region’s only public safety-net hospital and safeguarded this health care option for the uninsured and under-served. Today, Grady continues to be a life-line for residents across the region.
Local leaders are also collectively committed to preserving the heritage and restoring the strength of Atlanta's historic neighborhoods. Recognizing the need for transformational change of Atlanta's Historic Westside in early 2013, the City of Atlanta and The Arthur M. Blank Foundation both committed $15 million to this vision. Other foundation-setting contributions soon followed from major corporations and foundations across the city -- from Chick-Fil-A and Mercedes-Benz USA to Equifax, Georgia Power, and NCR, among others.
