Spark Giving Circle approves grants for organizations in Thomasville Heights

On June 30, the Spark Giving Circle – a group of Foundation donors committed to learning about and building equity – approved $30,000 in immediate grants for organizations working in Atlanta’s Thomasville Heights community. A grant to Housing Justice League will support Forest Cove residents with relocation and their return to the neighborhood and continuity of community engagement. Bible Way Ministries received funding to restock a food pantry and increase food operations in the neighborhood from two days to three days.

Since 2016, the Spark Opportunity Giving Circle has focused its learning and philanthropic investments in Thomasville Heights, a small neighborhood tucked in the southeast corner of Atlanta. In April 2020, the Spark group adjusted their grantmaking strategy to respond to COVID-19 relief and recovery in the Thomasville community. In the last three recent rounds of funding, Spark has contributed over $392,000 address the immediate needs of the Thomasville community that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. While COVID-19 laid bare the challenges faced by vulnerable populations, especially communities of color, we have seen the acceleration of collaboration over the last year. Donors, nonprofits and community members have worked together to meet large-scale need in innovative ways.

The THRIVE Thomasville Council, a resident-led community leadership group, shares their perspective on local issues that matter most to the community and helps to drive decision-making. Now in the second year of pandemic giving, the Giving Circle continues to prioritize the essential needs of residents, as evidenced by these most recent grants:

• Led by one of the founding families of the Thomasville Heights community, Bible Way Ministries has a deep commitment to providing for local neighbors through transportation and food to those in need. The organization operates a monthly food pantry and a Spark investment last year in the food pantry allowed Bible Way to stock the shelves and increase its food operations to three times per week at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, fulfilling a critical need. This renewed funding will allow Bible Way to restock its shelves with food for the community and maintain the food distribution at three times per week.
• Housing Justice League will be partnering with the owner of the recently-purchased Forest Cove apartments to focus on the relocation and return of all Forest Cove residents. This approach will be two-pronged: providing childcare support for resident meetings at Thomasville Heights Elementary School and continuing community engagement support to ensure the relocation process is both sensitive to and supporting the needs of residents. Housing Justice League’s mission is to support communities facing mass displacement by working with communities to collectively understand and act.

Photo credit: Bible Way Ministries