Grantmaking update from Ayana Gabriel

Nonprofit partners,

As we look to the end of 2021 and start of 2022, I want to share an update on our grantmaking with you.

At the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, we are currently finalizing our new five-year strategic plan. While I cannot tell you all of the details now, I can tell you that for my team, it will center place-based, community-informed grantmaking. We are focusing on the “community” in “Community Foundation,” working with and FOR communities and on more hand-in-hand co-investment with our donors for increased impact.

This strategic plan is transformational for our organization. After it is approved by our board and launched in November, we will be reinventing and reimagining our grantmaking programs in line with our new focus – equity and shared prosperity for all Atlantans. We embrace this uncertainty as an opportunity to improve. This really exciting and much-needed change will require closer partnership and relationships with you, our region’s critical nonprofit leaders.

So, what does that mean for our current programs and initiatives? Some of these programs might be the same, or similar, and others might be transformed or eliminated as we target systems change in Atlanta. If you reach out to our team members, we may not have a firm answer for you yet. As we work hard on how those programs will evolve and change, I am committed to transparency and to updating you along the way.

Our grantmaking priorities for the remainder of 2021 are:

• On Monday, October 18, we simultaneously announced $1.06 million in grants from the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund and opened a second cycle, with a deadline of November 19. For both of these cycles, we are prioritizing organizations that are serving or founded and/or led by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Learn more and apply here.
• On November 1, we will be launching the Heisman Trophy Youth Development Fund, which will support charitable organizations that integrate organized sports, academics and youth development activities for young people. Learn more and apply here.
• As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, our community has seen increasing effects on mental health and wellness, particularly for youth . We’ll be making some targeted grants to organizations working at the intersection of youth development and mental health and wellness support. Earlier this month, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a national state of emergency in child and adolescent mental health directly related to COVID-19’s impact on young people. Key in this is the recognition of the effects of structural racism that led to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 for children and youth in communities of color and the grief and loss that is being experienced as a result of the loss of a parent, caregiver, family member or friend.
• As the city of Atlanta’s eviction moratorium expires, needs tied to emergency rental assistance and affordable housing have skyrocketed in our region. This necessitates an immediate focus on housing rental assistance to prevent evictions. We will be supporting some of the nonprofits deploying federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds that have been distributed to municipal and county governments in metro Atlanta. You’ll see more as we raise awareness of this issue on our blog and through our partnerships.

Thank you for all you do for our community. I look forward to coming back to you with more information and ways that you can engage soon.

Yours in service,

Ayana Gabriel
Vice President, Community Impact