To help passionate donors leave permanent legacies, serve as a well-informed grantmaker, and shape effective responses to community needs through collaboration.
Athens Area Community Foundation Inc’s recent grantmaking is defined by unrestricted support to local organizations, anchored by a $2,355,000 general-support grant to Extra Special People in Athens. The foundation’s largest awards stay close to its service area, with substantial general support flowing to groups such as Apparo Academy in Augusta, Boys & Girls Clubs of Athens, and Piedmont Athens Regional Foundation. That pattern fits a community foundation that works through unrestricted funds, donor-advised funds, agency endowments, scholarships, and community initiatives. It also administers named efforts such as the Empty Stocking Fund and the Athens Wellbeing Project, which connect grantmaking to basic needs and local data. In the recent grants list, several recipients appear more than once across years, including Books for Keeps Inc, University of Georgia Foundation, Athens Community Council on Aging, and Extra Special People, suggesting continued support for familiar local partners. The organization also gives through special-purpose funds and capacity-building programs, which broadens its role beyond direct service grants into philanthropy support and nonprofit development.
Community benefit is a clear priority. Athens Area Community Foundation Inc gave $225,000 to Piedmont Athens Regional Foundation for general support, and it also supported the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia with grants of $147,450 in 2024 and $87,300 in 2023. Basic-needs assistance appears through the Empty Stocking Fund, which has historically helped local agencies with rent assistance and other necessary expenses for families in need. Youth and education show up as well. The foundation gave $300,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Athens for general support and $75,600 to Extra Special People in Watkinsville for youth development. Philanthropy support is another theme: the Ready, Set, Go! Board Leadership Workshop Series is aimed at current and prospective nonprofit board members, chairs, and staff, while the Nonprofit of the Year Award recognizes leadership, management, innovation, collaboration, and impact.
Typical grant sizes cluster around $10,000 at the 25th percentile, a $15,000 median, and $30,034 at the 75th percentile, though the recent list includes much larger awards alongside that core range. The pattern is largely recurring rather than one-off: Books for Keeps Inc, University of Georgia Foundation, Athens Community Council on Aging, Extra Special People, and Cancer Foundation of Northeast Georgia each received multiple grants across different years. The foundation is a mixed community foundation, so giving comes through both discretionary community grantmaking and donor-directed structures such as donor-advised funds, agency endowments, and field-of-interest funds. Unsolicited applications are accepted for some active programs, including Unrestricted Funds, Ready, Set, Go! Board Leadership Workshop Series, Athens Wellbeing Project, Endowment Funds, Donor-Advised Funds, and the Community Foundation Fellow Student Internship.
$7.1M
$38.9M
$15.8M
$9.8M
Most grants fall between $10K and $30K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$30K
SARAH MCKINNEY
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Grantmaking is overwhelmingly local: 84% of grants go to recipients in Georgia, and the recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based. Athens is the main landing point, with recent grants to Extra Special People, Boys & Girls Clubs of Athens, Piedmont Athens Regional Foundation, Books for Keeps Inc, Destined Inc, and the University of Georgia Foundation all in Athens. Outside Athens, the foundation’s recent grants also reach Augusta, Atlanta, Gainesville, Watkinsville, Rockville, and Milledgeville. Its active programs point to Athens-Clarke County and Northeast Georgia as the core service area, with some regional work extending into the broader Northeast Georgia area.
It supports local nonprofits, community initiatives, scholarships, agency endowments, and capacity-building work. Recent grants include general support for Extra Special People, Boys & Girls Clubs of Athens, and Piedmont Athens Regional Foundation, alongside program support for youth development, health, and philanthropy-focused efforts.
Yes for some programs. Unrestricted Funds, Ready, Set, Go! Board Leadership Workshop Series, Athens Wellbeing Project, Endowment Funds, Donor-Advised Funds, and the Community Foundation Fellow Student Internship all accept unsolicited requests or participation. Other efforts, such as the Empty Stocking Fund and the Nonprofit of the Year Award, do not.
The typical range is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $15,000 at the median, and $30,034 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list also shows larger awards, including $2,355,000 to Extra Special People and several six-figure grants.
It shows repeated support to several organizations across different years. Books for Keeps Inc, University of Georgia Foundation, Athens Community Council on Aging, Extra Special People, and Cancer Foundation of Northeast Georgia each appear more than once in the recent grants list.
Georgia is the top state by grant count, and 84% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Athens is the most common recipient city in the recent grants list, with additional grants going to a small number of other Georgia cities.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Athens Area Community Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Donors create or contribute to endowment funds; distributions are governed by fund agreements and recipient nonprofit status (IRS-qualified).
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra Special People Inc | Watkinsville, GA | $467,100 | 2026 | General Support |
| Athens YMCA | Athens, GA | $334,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Vision Atlanta Inc dba Camp Grace | Roberta, GA | $330,340 | 2026 | General Support |
| Athens Resource Center for the Homeless | Athens, GA | $300,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Athens | Athens, GA | $249,843 | 2026 | General Support |
| Family Promise of Athens | Athens, GA | $197,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Project Safe Inc | Athens, GA | $172,881 | 2026 | General Support |
| Athens Area Habitat for Humanity Inc | Athens, GA | $172,523 | 2026 | General Support |
| University of Georgia Foundation | Athens, GA | $159,850 | 2026 | General Support |
| Monsignor Walter J Donovan Catholic High School Inc | Athens, GA | $150,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Brothers Keeper Veterans Foundation Inc | Flowery Branch, GA | $150,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Sideways Sunlight Ministries | Athens, GA | $147,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Piedmont Athens Regional Foundation | Athens, GA | $143,031 | 2026 | General Support |
| Books for Keeps Inc | Athens, GA | $132,788 | 2026 | General Support |
| Athens Community Council on Aging Inc | Athens, GA | $125,523 | 2026 | General Support |
| Chess and Community Conference | Athens, GA | $121,300 | 2026 | General Support |
| Divas Who Win Freedom Center | Athens, GA | $107,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Athens Tech Foundation Inc | Athens, GA | $101,554 | 2026 | General Support |
| Athens Area Homeless Shelter | Athens, GA | $101,142 | 2026 | General Support |
| Shepherd Center Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | $100,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| INTERACTIVE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR KIDS INC | Oakwood, GA | $100,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Cancer Foundation of Northeast Georgia | Athens, GA | $97,834 | 2026 | General Support |
| Mercy Health Center | Athens, GA | $90,900 | 2026 | General Support |
| The Reserve at Lake Keowee Charitable Foundation | Sunset, SC | $80,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Vintage Church of Los Angeles | Santa Monica, CA | $78,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Healing 4 Heroes Inc | Peachtree City, GA | $75,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| The Ark United Ministry | Athens, GA | $74,250 | 2026 | General Support |
| Georgia Options Inc | Athens, GA | $64,750 | 2026 | General Support |
| Prince Avenue Baptist Church | Bogart, GA | $60,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| St James Church | Athens, GA | $55,500 | 2026 | General Support |
| DGD Outdoor Adventures | Summerville, GA | $51,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Food Bank of Northeast Georgia | Athens, GA | $50,698 | 2026 | General Support |
| YOUNG LIFE FOUNDATION | Colorado Spgs, CO | $50,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Men Opposing Sex Trafficking (MOST) | Atlanta, GA | $50,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Aerial Recovery | Nashville, TN | $50,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Christ The King | Savannah, GA | $47,541 | 2026 | General Support |
| Northeast Georgia Health System Inc | Gainesville, GA | $45,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Perimeter Church | Duluth, GA | $45,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Jack Okelley Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | $45,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Oconee River Land Trust | Athens, GA | $42,500 | 2026 | General Support |
| Athens Academy Inc | Athens, GA | $42,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Lydia's Place | Watkinsville, GA | $41,250 | 2026 | General Support |
| International Community Foundation | National City, CA | $40,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation | Oakland, CA | $38,350 | 2026 | General Support |
| LoveCraft Athens | Athens, GA | $38,200 | 2026 | General Support |
| MedLink Georgia Inc | Colbert, GA | $35,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Clarke County Mentor Program Inc | Athens, GA | $34,382 | 2026 | General Support |
| Covenant Presbyterian Church | Athens, GA | $33,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Foundation for Public Broadcasting in Georgia Inc | Atlanta, GA | $32,550 | 2026 | General Support |
| Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation | Watkinsville, GA | $32,294 | 2026 | General Support |
Athens YMCA
$334,000General Support
Vision Atlanta Inc dba Camp Grace
$330,340General Support
Athens Resource Center for the Homeless
$300,000General Support
General Support
Project Safe Inc
$172,881General Support
Monsignor Walter J Donovan Catholic High School Inc
$150,000General Support
Brothers Keeper Veterans Foundation Inc
$150,000General Support
Sideways Sunlight Ministries
$147,000General Support
Athens Community Council on Aging Inc
$125,523General Support
Chess and Community Conference
$121,300General Support
Divas Who Win Freedom Center
$107,000General Support
Athens Area Homeless Shelter
$101,142General Support
INTERACTIVE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR KIDS INC
$100,000General Support
Cancer Foundation of Northeast Georgia
$97,834General Support
The Reserve at Lake Keowee Charitable Foundation
$80,000General Support
Vintage Church of Los Angeles
$78,000General Support
Healing 4 Heroes Inc
$75,000General Support
The Ark United Ministry
$74,250General Support
Georgia Options Inc
$64,750General Support
Prince Avenue Baptist Church
$60,000General Support
St James Church
$55,500General Support
DGD Outdoor Adventures
$51,000General Support
YOUNG LIFE FOUNDATION
$50,000General Support
Christ The King
$47,541General Support
Perimeter Church
$45,000General Support
Jack Okelley Foundation Inc
$45,000General Support
Oconee River Land Trust
$42,500General Support
Athens Academy Inc
$42,000General Support
Lydia's Place
$41,250General Support
LoveCraft Athens
$38,200General Support
MedLink Georgia Inc
$35,000General Support
Clarke County Mentor Program Inc
$34,382General Support
Covenant Presbyterian Church
$33,000General Support
Foundation for Public Broadcasting in Georgia Inc
$32,550General Support
Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation
$32,294General Support
