The Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation is a deep-pocketed, Atlanta-focused funder that makes a small number of very large grants to intermediaries and mission-driven institutions to address housing/homelessness, youth opportunity, and health needs in the region. It frequently uses local intermediaries (Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, United Way) to create donor-advised funds and to support regional initiatives like the Regional Commission on Homelessness and Achieve Atlanta. Grants are multi-million-dollar, strategic, and targeted to scale or sustain citywide programs rather than many small projects.
A defining feature of the Joseph B Whitehead Foundation is the size of its commitments: in the recent grants list, it repeatedly made multimillion-dollar awards to build or sustain regional systems in Atlanta. One of the largest was a $25,000,068 grant to the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to establish the Woodruff and Whitehead Affordable Housing Donor Advised Fund. Another major 2024 award, $20,000,021, also went to the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to support Achieve Atlanta, the postsecondary success initiative for students in Atlanta Public Schools. The foundation’s work centers on metro Atlanta institutions that can coordinate large-scale responses in housing, education, early childhood, youth development, and health. Its grants often flow through intermediaries such as the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and United Way of Greater Atlanta, alongside direct support to organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation. The pattern is consistent with a funder that backs citywide or regional initiatives, capital campaigns, and long-term program infrastructure rather than one-off project grants. Repeated support for Achieve Atlanta, Smart Start, and the Regional Commission on Homelessness shows a preference for durable, organized efforts serving broad local needs.
Affordable housing is a clear priority. The foundation gave $25,000,068 to the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to establish the Woodruff and Whitehead Affordable Housing Donor Advised Fund, and it also backed Westside Future Fund with $2,000,000 for construction of affordable housing in Westside neighborhoods. Homelessness-related systems work appears in multiple grants as well, including $5,000,000 to United Way of Greater Atlanta for priority initiatives of the Regional Commission on Homelessness and $2,000,000 to Partners for HOME for a citywide strategy to scale housing services for the homeless. In education, the foundation supported Communities in Schools of Atlanta with $1,000,000 for operating support and Purpose Built Schools Atlanta with $1,000,000 for the Student and Family Support Program at four turnaround schools within Atlanta Public Schools. Youth-serving infrastructure also appears through $5,000,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta for a campaign to increase impact.
$76.1M
$717.3M
$352.6M
$82M
Most grants fall between $300K and $1M, with a median of $500K.
25th Percentile
$300K
Median
$500K
75th Percentile
$1M
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Highly concentrated, large-dollar grants to a small set of repeat grantees and intermediaries; preference for financing citywide/regional initiatives via established organizations and donor-advised funds rather than many direct small grants.
Notable grantees: Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (Marcus Autism Center), Achieve Atlanta
Grant sizes are large and clustered at the top end: p25 is $300,000, median is $500,000, and p75 is $1,000,000. The recent record also shows repeated support to the same organizations across 2023 and 2024, including the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, Partners for HOME, and Purpose Built Schools Atlanta. That points to ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or program-related investments. Its giving is highly concentrated in Georgia, with 98% of grants going to recipients in the headquarters state.
Grant activity is overwhelmingly local. Of the grants in the recent list, 98% went to recipients in Georgia, and every listed recipient is in the US. Atlanta is the main hub, with many awards going to organizations there, including the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Open Hand Atlanta, Partners for HOME, and Georgia Works. Other Georgia locations appear too, such as Chamblee, home to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, and Peachtree Corners, home to Corners Outreach. The pattern matches a metro Atlanta funder with a small number of regional recipients outside the city core but still within the state.
The recent grants point to housing, homelessness, early childhood education, postsecondary success for Atlanta Public Schools students, youth development, autism services, and health-related facility and program support. Examples include funding for affordable housing, the Regional Commission on Homelessness, Achieve Atlanta, Smart Start, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, and the Marcus Autism Center.
Yes. Georgia is the top state by grant count, and 98% of grants in the recent list went to recipients in the headquarters state. The recipient-country data is entirely US-based.
The grant-size distribution is large: p25 is $300,000, median is $500,000, and p75 is $1,000,000. The recent list also includes several multi-million-dollar awards, which shows a strong preference for substantial institutional grants.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeated awards to several organizations across 2023 and 2024, including the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, Partners for HOME, and Purpose Built Schools Atlanta. That suggests ongoing partnerships rather than one-time gifts.
It functions as a regular funder and not as a DAF or an individual-giving vehicle. The recent record shows many grants routed through intermediaries such as the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and United Way of Greater Atlanta, alongside direct grants to operating organizations and capital campaigns.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Way of Greater Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $15,939,786 | 2026 | Priority initiatives of Smart Start to improve the quality and accessibility of early childhood education in metro Atlanta. |
| Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $15,000,003 | 2026 | For the Joseph B. Whitehead Fund to support Achieve Atlanta, an initiative to improve the postsecondary success of students in Atlanta Public Schools. |
| Partners for HOME | Atlanta, GA | $12,000,000 | 2026 | Support of citywide strategy to develop new housing units and scale services for the homeless. |
| Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $7,500,002 | 2026 | For the Joseph B. Whitehead Child Well-Being Fund. |
| United Way of Greater Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $5,000,000 | 2026 | Priority initiatives of the Regional Commission on Homelessness. |
| Atlanta Community Food Bank | East Point, GA | $2,100,000 | 2026 | Support of capacity-building needs to meet increased demand for food assistance. |
| Atlanta Community Food Bank | East Point, GA | $2,000,030 | 2026 | $19.3 million campaign to expand food distribution capacity with capital and technology updates. |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $2,000,000 | 2026 | Operating support. |
| Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $1,500,000 | 2026 | Support of Learn4Life's Atlanta Vision Project to provide vision care for elementary school students in metro Atlanta. |
| Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement | Duluth, GA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | Operating support for organization working to improve K-12 public education through leadership development. |
| The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | $6.5 million campaign to acquire, renovate and equip a warehouse for organization providing furniture to people in need. |
| Hope Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | Expansion of behavioral healthcare services as part of $10 million campaign. |
| Georgia Family Connection Partnership | Atlanta, GA | $950,000 | 2026 | Support of statewide network ($700,000) and dropout prevention cohort ($250,000). |
| Communities in Schools of Georgia | Atlanta, GA | $850,000 | 2026 | Operating support for CISGA, which works to improve students' academic performance and reduce dropout rates. |
| Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education | Atlanta, GA | $675,000 | 2026 | Operating support for organization working to improve K-12 public education through research and public policy. |
| Georgia CASA | Atlanta, GA | $600,000 | 2026 | Operating support for organization providing advocates for children in foster care. |
| Teach For America - Metro Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $550,000 | 2026 | Support for the recruitment, training and placement of corps members in metro Atlanta schools. |
| Junior Achievement of Georgia | Atlanta, GA | $500,000 | 2026 | Establishment of the JA Discovery Center in Clayton County. |
| CHRIS 180 | Atlanta, GA | $500,000 | 2026 | Support to expand and retain therapist workforce. |
| Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential | Atlanta, GA | $500,000 | 2026 | Implementation of strategic plan to improve adolescent health outcomes. |
| Horizons Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $450,000 | 2026 | Addition of kindergarten cohorts for academic enrichment program. |
| Bethany Christian Services | Morrow, GA | $400,000 | 2026 | $5.75 million campaign to establish a permanent home for transitional foster care program and Atlanta offices. |
| Center for the Visually Impaired | Atlanta, GA | $400,000 | 2026 | Implementation of strategic plan to strengthen and improve services for the visually impaired. |
| Voices for Georgia's Children | Atlanta, GA | $350,000 | 2026 | Support of operations ($250,000) and the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network ($100,000). |
| The Warrior Alliance | Atlanta, GA | $300,000 | 2026 | Capital costs associated with expanding services for Georgia veterans. |
| Los Ninos Primero | Sandy Springs, GA | $300,000 | 2026 | Support of summer program expansion. |
| Georgia State University Research Foundation | Atlanta, GA | $300,000 | 2026 | Support for the After-School All-Stars program and summer academy at Sylvan Hills Middle School and Hollis Innovation Academy. |
| Neighborhood Meals on Wheels | Norcross, GA | $300,000 | 2026 | $1.5 million campaign to construct a new kitchen to expand services for seniors in Gwinnett County. |
| The Kindezi Schools | Atlanta, GA | $250,000 | 2026 | Implementation of STEAM certification for public charter school network. |
| Communities in Schools of Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $230,000 | 2026 | Expansion of dropout prevention program in Atlanta Public Schools. |
| The Posse Foundation | Atlanta, GA | $200,000 | 2026 | Support of program to recruit metro Atlanta high school students to attend selective colleges on full scholarships. |
| The Leadership Academy | New York City, NY | $200,000 | 2026 | Expansion of leadership development program within Atlanta Public Schools. |
| Georgia State University Research Foundation | Atlanta, GA | $200,000 | 2026 | Expansion of ARCHI Community Resource Hubs to nine new sites to improve access to health and social services. |
| LaAmistad | Atlanta, GA | $195,000 | 2026 | Support to expand early learning programs, add math and reading coordinators, and improve data systems. |
| America's Promise Alliance | Washington, DC | $150,000 | 2026 | Launch of Atlanta Alliance to build capacity and collaboration across youth-serving organizations. |
| DDD Foundation Inc | ATLANTA, GA | $150,000 | 2026 | Expansion of dental clinic serving patients with developmental disabilities. |
| Next Generation Men & Women | Atlanta, GA | $150,000 | 2026 | Expansion of college and career readiness program in metro Atlanta. |
| ArtsNOW | Atlanta, GA | $145,000 | 2026 | Expansion of SmART Literacy initiative to improve K-3 literacy through arts integration at four metro Atlanta schools. |
| Helping Mamas | Norcross, GA | $100,000 | 2026 | Relocation to a larger facility to expand distribution of essential baby supplies and hygiene products to families in crisis. |
| Ventures ATL | Atlanta, GA | $100,000 | 2026 | Support to expand employment opportunities for individuals with autism and other developmental differences. |
| The Center for Children & Young Adults | Marietta, GA | $100,000 | 2026 | Capital improvements to expand transitional living program for youth. |
| Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $20,000,039 | 2025 | For the Joseph B. Whitehead Fund to support Achieve Atlanta, an initiative to improve the postsecondary success of students in Atlanta Public Schools. |
| United Way of Greater Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $14,723,018 | 2025 | Priority initiatives of Smart Start to improve the quality and accessibility of early childhood education in metro Atlanta. |
| Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities | Atlanta, GA | $10,000,000 | 2025 | $67 million campaign to construct Ronald McDonald House at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's North Druid Hills campus. |
| The Salvation Army | Norcross, GA | $7,000,000 | 2025 | $35 million campaign to construct the Center of Hope and expand programs. |
| United Way of Greater Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $5,000,000 | 2025 | Priority initiatives of the Regional Commission on Homelessness. |
| Wellspring Living | Atlanta, GA | $4,200,000 | 2025 | $25 million campaign to develop facilities and programs that provide a comprehensive continuum of care for survivors of trafficking. |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $4,000,011 | 2025 | Implementation of the Marcus Autism Center's strategic plan to expand access to services and advance research on early brain development. |
| Ser Familia | Kennesaw, GA | $3,000,000 | 2025 | $15.7 million campaign to establish a new headquarters in Cobb County for human services organization. |
| Atlanta Community Food Bank | Atlanta, GA | $2,000,001 | 2025 | $19.3 million campaign to expand food distribution capacity with capital and technology updates. |
United Way of Greater Atlanta
$15,939,786Priority initiatives of Smart Start to improve the quality and accessibility of early childhood education in metro Atlanta.
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
$15,000,003For the Joseph B. Whitehead Fund to support Achieve Atlanta, an initiative to improve the postsecondary success of students in Atlanta Public Schools.
Partners for HOME
$12,000,000Support of citywide strategy to develop new housing units and scale services for the homeless.
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
$7,500,002For the Joseph B. Whitehead Child Well-Being Fund.
United Way of Greater Atlanta
$5,000,000Priority initiatives of the Regional Commission on Homelessness.
Atlanta Community Food Bank
Support of capacity-building needs to meet increased demand for food assistance.
Atlanta Community Food Bank
$2,000,030$19.3 million campaign to expand food distribution capacity with capital and technology updates.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta
$2,000,000Operating support.
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
$1,500,000Support of Learn4Life's Atlanta Vision Project to provide vision care for elementary school students in metro Atlanta.
Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement
$1,000,000Operating support for organization working to improve K-12 public education through leadership development.
The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta
$1,000,000$6.5 million campaign to acquire, renovate and equip a warehouse for organization providing furniture to people in need.
Hope Atlanta
$1,000,000Expansion of behavioral healthcare services as part of $10 million campaign.
Georgia Family Connection Partnership
$950,000Support of statewide network ($700,000) and dropout prevention cohort ($250,000).
Communities in Schools of Georgia
$850,000Operating support for CISGA, which works to improve students' academic performance and reduce dropout rates.
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education
$675,000Operating support for organization working to improve K-12 public education through research and public policy.
Georgia CASA
$600,000Operating support for organization providing advocates for children in foster care.
Teach For America - Metro Atlanta
$550,000Support for the recruitment, training and placement of corps members in metro Atlanta schools.
Junior Achievement of Georgia
$500,000Establishment of the JA Discovery Center in Clayton County.
CHRIS 180
$500,000Support to expand and retain therapist workforce.
Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential
$500,000Implementation of strategic plan to improve adolescent health outcomes.
Horizons Atlanta
$450,000Addition of kindergarten cohorts for academic enrichment program.
Bethany Christian Services
$400,000$5.75 million campaign to establish a permanent home for transitional foster care program and Atlanta offices.
Center for the Visually Impaired
$400,000Implementation of strategic plan to strengthen and improve services for the visually impaired.
Voices for Georgia's Children
$350,000Support of operations ($250,000) and the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network ($100,000).
The Warrior Alliance
$300,000Capital costs associated with expanding services for Georgia veterans.
Los Ninos Primero
$300,000Support of summer program expansion.
Georgia State University Research Foundation
$300,000Support for the After-School All-Stars program and summer academy at Sylvan Hills Middle School and Hollis Innovation Academy.
Neighborhood Meals on Wheels
$300,000$1.5 million campaign to construct a new kitchen to expand services for seniors in Gwinnett County.
The Kindezi Schools
$250,000Implementation of STEAM certification for public charter school network.
Communities in Schools of Atlanta
$230,000Expansion of dropout prevention program in Atlanta Public Schools.
The Posse Foundation
$200,000Support of program to recruit metro Atlanta high school students to attend selective colleges on full scholarships.
The Leadership Academy
$200,000Expansion of leadership development program within Atlanta Public Schools.
Georgia State University Research Foundation
$200,000Expansion of ARCHI Community Resource Hubs to nine new sites to improve access to health and social services.
LaAmistad
$195,000Support to expand early learning programs, add math and reading coordinators, and improve data systems.
America's Promise Alliance
$150,000Launch of Atlanta Alliance to build capacity and collaboration across youth-serving organizations.
DDD Foundation Inc
$150,000Expansion of dental clinic serving patients with developmental disabilities.
Next Generation Men & Women
$150,000Expansion of college and career readiness program in metro Atlanta.
ArtsNOW
$145,000Expansion of SmART Literacy initiative to improve K-3 literacy through arts integration at four metro Atlanta schools.
Helping Mamas
$100,000Relocation to a larger facility to expand distribution of essential baby supplies and hygiene products to families in crisis.
Ventures ATL
$100,000Support to expand employment opportunities for individuals with autism and other developmental differences.
The Center for Children & Young Adults
$100,000Capital improvements to expand transitional living program for youth.
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
$20,000,039For the Joseph B. Whitehead Fund to support Achieve Atlanta, an initiative to improve the postsecondary success of students in Atlanta Public Schools.
United Way of Greater Atlanta
$14,723,018Priority initiatives of Smart Start to improve the quality and accessibility of early childhood education in metro Atlanta.
Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities
$10,000,000$67 million campaign to construct Ronald McDonald House at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's North Druid Hills campus.
The Salvation Army
$7,000,000$35 million campaign to construct the Center of Hope and expand programs.
United Way of Greater Atlanta
$5,000,000Priority initiatives of the Regional Commission on Homelessness.
Wellspring Living
$4,200,000$25 million campaign to develop facilities and programs that provide a comprehensive continuum of care for survivors of trafficking.
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
$4,000,011Implementation of the Marcus Autism Center's strategic plan to expand access to services and advance research on early brain development.
Ser Familia
$3,000,000$15.7 million campaign to establish a new headquarters in Cobb County for human services organization.
Atlanta Community Food Bank
$2,000,001$19.3 million campaign to expand food distribution capacity with capital and technology updates.