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GCN update
Early giving for GAgives on GivingTuesday is live on GAgives.org – all funds raised in November contribute to your GivingTuesday total!
New DEI leadership training bundle: Register for Strategies for Eliminating Bias and Creating a Culture of Inclusion to keep your organization moving forward and save money while doing it.
Worth sharing
GEEARS released findings from a statewide survey of parents with children age 4 and under to find out how Georgia families are currently navigating child care and employment.
Voices for Georgia’s Children created a new toolkit to inform families about the Pandemic EBT program, assisting families with children missing out on free and reduced-price school meals due to virtual learning.
Grantmakers
Georgia Power presented a $100,000 donation to the Latin American Association (LAA) in support of their new ACCIONA Business Center, part of the LAA’s Latina Entrepreneurship Program helping Latina entrepreneurs upscale their businesses and stimulate job growth.
Atlanta Pride Committee awarded Pride in Action Fund grants to ten Metro area nonprofits, including DisABILITY LINK and VOX ATL.
The Home Depot Foundation is awarding $700,000 to Atlanta Habitat for Humanity to fund education programs and help for homeowners, and to support construction of new homes.
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta awarded two rounds of grants totalling more than $2.26 million. Among the grantees: United Way of Greater Atlanta, National Center for Civil & Human Rights, ArtsXchange, Atlanta Artist Relief Fund, National Black Arts Festival, Out of Hand Theatre, Paint Love, The Trey Clegg Singers, The Wren’s Nest, and Georgia Center for Nonprofits.
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is awarding a total of $10 million in grants to 12 civil and voting rights advocacy groups in the Southeast, including Black Voters Matter, Fair Count, and ProGeorgia.
Georgia’s Own Credit Union announced a three-year, $300,000 partnership with Georgia State University’s Career Advancement Center to provide students with real-world professional development opportunities.
Gas South is donating a total of $300,000 to support children and families in Georgia and Florida, including $50,000 in immediate funding to Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities and 100 Black Men of Atlanta.
Advocacy, equity, and justice
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11, CAIR-Georgia and the Georgia Muslim Voter Project launched a social media campaign, 20 Stories for 20 Years, to explore the event’s lasting impacts on the American Muslim Community. In addition, CAIR-Georgia has expanded their legal services to immigrants across the state.
To engage Georgians in redistricting advocacy, Fair Count has produced a series of humorous calls-to-action on their YouTube channel, including this tribute to late artist Bob Ross.
▲(Top) With a grant from the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Atlanta Pride Committee turned a 1000-foot section of sidewalk in Rose Circle Park into a “Living Rainbow,” using eco-friendly materials, for their ELEVATE Atlanta event.
Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network has fielded hundreds of calls since launching their Afghan relief project in August, and opened 92 humanitarian parole cases for displayed Afghans; the program was also recently featured by 11Alive.
Ahead of the November 2 election, Black Voters Matter reached thousands of Black voters through their Get Out the Vote initiative across multiple states; they also continued their Warrant Clinic pop-up program in Peach County to eliminate warrants due to misdemeanors and traffic violations.
Georgia Equality is celebrating the results of this year’s election day, when 75 percent of their endorsed candidates either won their races or advanced to a runoff.
Animals, environment, and greenspace
▲ Trees Atlanta added their second large-scale public artwork to the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum, a sculpture celebrating pollinators called The ConNectar designed and installed by Atlanta artists Chris Bartlett and Kaylin Broussard. In addition, Trees Atlanta secured a $15,000 challenge grant from Assurant Foundation in support of their GAgives on GivingTuesday campaign.
Atlanta BeltLine has officially opened the first segment of the Southside Trail, a .8-mile stretch linking the Westside Trail to Pittsburgh Yards.
Georgia Audubon and Southern Conservation Trust were named among the Georgia Water Coalition’s Clean 13, highlighting entities and individuals protecting Georgia’s water and natural resources.
Arts and culture
▲ Literacy Action reopened their facilities for the first time since the pandemic’s start to offer assessments for students; they have also relaunched their website with a new look.
Andrew College, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, Horizon Theatre, and Lafayette Society for Performing Arts were each awarded a Vibrant Communities and Cultural Facilities grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts.
▲ Atlanta History Center received an enormous trove of historical records from Norfolk Southern Railway along with a $500,000 grant, $50,000 of which will provide paid internships for young people from underrepresented communities.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has established the Spano Fund for New Music, supported by a lead gift from the Antinori Foundation, to cover the costs of new classical music performances.
Human Services
Over their last two service days, HomeAid Atlanta, their partners, and their volunteers provided $8,000 in painting and landscaping for Forsyth County Family Haven and completed a $50,000 renovation project for Gilgal, all at no cost to the nonprofit shelters.
▲ Giving Kitchen celebrated their expansion into Tennessee, where they will serve restaurant industry workers across the state, with a September Welcome Weekend in Nashville that included a Day of Recognition from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. In addition, Giving Kitchen provided $157,419 in financial assistance in October.
In partnership with Friends of Refugees, the City of Clarkston, and others, Southface Institute led free training for five refugees in the Empower Clarkston program to help them gain employment in the HVAC repair industry.
Rainbow Village’s 30th anniversary We Are Family Benefit Gala set a new fundraising record, drawing $500,030 with help from 300 attendees.
At their 10th annual golf tournament, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta raised a record-setting $180,000.
West Georgia Prevention and Advocacy Resource Center and St. Margaret’s Community Outreach are among the nonprofits receiving a Community Impact grant from Community Foundation of West Georgia.
Through their Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive initiative, and with funding from Wells Fargo Foundation, GEEARS distributed awards to 20 family child care home providers, ranging from $7,000 to $18,500.
Atlanta Habitat for Humanity received a $1 million pledge from Atlanta-based Novelis.
During their 7th annual fall fundraising campaign, Next Generation Men & Women secured $159,885 from the community to sponsor 123 students for the 2021-22 program year.
At their 20th anniversary celebration gala, Wellspring Living welcomed 400 attendees and raised some $450,000.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta celebrated the official opening of their new headquarters this month, located at The MET Atlanta.
For the second consecutive year, Tommy Nobis Center was named one of the “Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in the Nation” by the National Association for Business Resources.
Hunger relief
Georgia Organics, Action Pact, and their partners in the Family Farm Share pilot program (serving Waycross) received a $75,000 Community Transformation Grant from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.
Wholesome Wave Georgia received a $646,781 grant from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to support the Georgia Fresh for Less program, which matches SNAP benefits dollar for dollar at participating farmers markets and farms.
MUST Ministries was awarded a $240,000 grant from The Kroger Co. Zero Waste Zero Hunger Foundation for a new mobile food pantry.
Atlanta Community Food Bank received a $250,000 donation from the AIG Foundation as part of the philanthropy’s $2 million contribution to Feeding America.
People
Georgia CORE has welcomed three new staff members: Sheryl Gabram-Mendola in the new role of Chief Scientific Officer, Sonia Bell as Vice President of Administration, and Cynthia T. Snyder as Advanced Clinic Genomics Nurse Practitioner and Oncology Nurse Navigator.
▲ The Adaptive Learning Center Executive Director Charles Schoen published the final volume in his five-part children’s book series about a boy with special needs, Adventures with Charlie, inspired by his son’s experience.
CAIR-Georgia announced the appointment of former Communications and Outreach Director Azka Mahmood as their first Deputy Director.
GEEARS welcomed two new interns: Research Intern Madison Ford and Program Coordinator Intern Faith Omotor.
Black Voters Matter leaders spoke at Washington D.C. advocacy rallies in September: National Field Director Wanda Mosley at the Black Women Leaders & Allies Voting Rights & Reproductive Justice National Call-In Day Rally, and Co-Founder and Executive Director Cliff Albright for the Finish the Job Rally. In addition, Co-Founder LaTosha Brown was honored by Glamour Magazine as one of their Women of the Year.
CURE Childhood Cancer welcomed Ellianne Rivers to its board of directors.
Southface Institute hired Katie Southworth as their new Advocacy Director.
Silence the Shame Founder Shanti Das led a panel discussion at the annual European Mental Health Conference on racial trauma and discrimination globally.
City Springs Theatre named staffer Shuler Hensley as their new Artistic Director.
As the new Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Nathalie Stutzmann is the first woman to lead the Orchestra and the second woman to lead a major American orchestra.
STE(A)M Truck has selected Marsha E. Francis as its new Executive Director.
Amy Dunham has been hired as Chief Communications Officer of Habitat for Humanity International.
Atlanta Habitat for Humanity added Greg Schlicht to their board of directors.
Bloom Our Youth has appointed Valerin Lopez DeFrank as their new Chief Development Officer.
Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta welcomed new board officers and members Sonnet Edmonds (Chair), Susan Lazaro (Vice-Chair), Ellie Morris, Soon Mee-Kim, Vish Narendra, and Amir Kazmi.
Kate’s Club Founder Kate Atwood was interviewed by GPB for a story about children and grief in the age of COVID.
Trees Atlanta volunteer Glenn Legacki was named the South Region Winner of Cox Conserves Heroes 2021, securing a $10,000 gift for the nonprofit from Cox Enterprises.
CHRIS 180 has welcomed Anne Cornell as their new Cheif Clinical Officer.
Southface Institute has hired Jim Neal (with assistance from GCN) as Interim Director as Andrea Pinabell steps down from her role as President this month.
This roundup was sourced from member and partner submissions, as well as their websites, newsletters, and social media channels; the Coxe Curry & Associates Week in Review newsletter; and GCN staff.
Marc Schultz is communications editor at GCN.
