The Foundation is committed to advancing equity and shared prosperity across the Atlanta region by partnering with donors, nonprofits and community stakeholders to support place-based and systems-change strategies.
Metropolitan Foundation of Atlanta Inc’s largest recent grant went to Wellspring Living Center for residential housing to carry out its mission, a signal that the foundation supports facilities and services that are part of direct service delivery. Its recent award pattern also includes a sizable grant to Jerusalem House Inc for health care, showing that housing-linked and service-based support sit close to the center of its giving. The foundation’s public focus areas point to a broad Atlanta-region agenda: arts and culture, affordable housing, neighborhood development, economic mobility and workforce development, access to capital, scholarships and youth education, and policy and advocacy. That mix is consistent with place-based and systems-change strategies aimed at the Atlanta region. The foundation is connected to community infrastructure rather than individual giving, and its scholarship activity extends that pattern into education access through administered funds. Across its grant programs, it supports neighborhood stability, arts organizations, immigrant integration, and scholarship access for students in Georgia and metro Atlanta. The overall picture is of a local funder whose grants are tied to institutions, community-serving organizations, and region-specific priorities.
Arts and culture is one clear strand of the foundation’s work. The Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Grant provides general operating support for independent arts organizations in the Atlanta region, and the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts (MAA) Grant is designed to strengthen independent arts organizations while increasing public engagement with art across the area. Scholarship support is another major line of activity. Through the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta General Scholarship and related named funds, the foundation administers multiple scholarship opportunities for students in Georgia and metro Atlanta. Community and neighborhood investment also appears in programs such as Spark Opportunity, which focuses on selected neighborhoods in Metro Atlanta and supports local organizations and projects that expand economic opportunity and community stability. The Culture Connect Legacy Fund adds an immigrant-focused dimension through language access, mentorship, and inclusive communities.
$1.6M
$6.9M
$0
$291K
Most grants fall between $224K and $1M, with a median of $416K.
25th Percentile
$224K
Median
$416K
75th Percentile
$1M
FRANK FERNANDEZ
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The recent grant distribution is uneven, with a quarter of grants at $223,564 or below, a median of $415,877, and a three-quarter point of $1,017,502. That spread reflects a mix of large institutional awards and smaller community grants. The grant list shows repeated support for Atlanta-based recipients across multiple years, including 2023 and 2025, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards. The foundation is organized around grantmaking and scholarship administration; it does not fund individuals directly and does not make program-related investments. Several of its programs are open through a universal or unsolicited application, including the scholarship and arts programs.
The foundation gives locally, and all recorded recipient grants go to U.S. organizations. Its grantmaking is concentrated in Atlanta, with all listed grants going to recipients in Georgia and 100% of grants landing in the HQ state. Recent recipients include organizations in Atlanta itself, which aligns with the foundation’s metro-Atlanta and greater-Atlanta program geography. The program descriptions also point to selected neighborhoods in Metro Atlanta and the broader 11-county Atlanta region as recurring service areas.
Its stated focus areas include arts and culture, affordable housing, neighborhood development, economic mobility and workforce development, access to capital, scholarships and youth education, and policy and advocacy. Recent programs also support immigrant integration, language access, resident-led neighborhood initiatives, and independent arts organizations.
Yes. It administers the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta General Scholarship, the Nancy Penn Lyons Scholarship, the E. David and Linda C. Ballard Family Foundation Scholarship, Dream’s Squared Scholarship, and other named scholarship funds. The scholarship programs serve students in Georgia and metro Atlanta, including students at Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University.
The typical grant size is $223,564 at the 25th percentile, $415,877 at the median, and $1,017,502 at the 75th percentile. That distribution indicates the foundation often makes substantial grants, while also supporting smaller awards through scholarship and community programs.
It is fully local in the available grant data. The geographic scope is local, the top state by grant count is Georgia, and 100% of recorded grants go to recipients in the HQ state. The listed grants are all to U.S. organizations.
Yes. Several active programs accept unsolicited applications, including the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta General Scholarship, the Nancy Penn Lyons Scholarship, the Culture Connect Legacy Fund, Spark Opportunity, the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Grant, and the TogetherATL Fund.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Metropolitan Foundation of Atlanta that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: New organizations in CFGA’s housing portfolio may submit an application; organizations that applied in 2024/2025 or received a strategic housing grant in 2023-2025 are automatically considered and do not need to apply.
Deadline: Recommended submission by July 1, 2026; application closes August 31, 2026.
Who can apply: Organizations, leaders and partners working to decrease disparities in income and wealth while strengthening economic mobility.
Deadline: No specific deadline listed.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WELLSPRING LIVING CENTER | ATLANTA, GA | $1,619,127 | 2025 | RESIDENTIAL HOUSING TO CARRY OUT MISSION |
| JERUSALEM HOUSE INC | ATLANTA, GA | $415,877 | 2023 | HEALTH CARE |
| GEORGIA CITIZEN'S COALITION ON HUNGER | ATLANTA, GA | $31,250 | 2023 | HUMAN SERVICES |
WELLSPRING LIVING CENTER
$1,619,127RESIDENTIAL HOUSING TO CARRY OUT MISSION
GEORGIA CITIZEN'S COALITION ON HUNGER
$31,250HUMAN SERVICES
