Myrtle Davis

Myrtle Davis knows what it takes to build healthy communities. As past president of Kiwanis Club of Atlanta, former Atlanta city councilmember and former president of the Georgia Municipal Association, she has been a committed civil and public figure in Atlanta for decades. Davis, who also served on The Community Foundation’s Board of Directors, is the current advisory committee chair for the Carefree Fund at The Community Foundation.

Founded more than 10 years ago, the Carefree Fund was established by the late Fred Barnett Jr., to address the greatest personal needs of individuals, reflective of St. Jude, patron saint of hopeless causes. Twice a year, the Carefree Fund advisory committee meets to make grants to organizations responding to basic and essential human needs. Since 1999, The Community Foundation has worked with Carefree to distribute more than $3.5 million in grants.

“We have come to depend on the expertise of The Community Foundation to shape our grantmaking. It’s impossible for people who don’t work directly with nonprofits or extensively in community development to understand the greatest needs out there– and the capacity of organizations to tackle them. The Foundation has gone through the process of reviewing organizations and has the knowledge to help us make smart investments in the nonprofits we choose to support.

“Last year was a prime example of the value of the Foundation’s community knowledge. In response to the difficult economic times, we made three unsolicited grants totaling $50,000 to nonprofits the Foundation had recommended as high performing and making a difference for families in need. In addition, during our second grant cycle, we provided grants to several organizations that we hadn’t traditionally funded. We trusted The Community Foundation had done its homework and that our dollars would be put to good use.

“Each grant cycle, we are faced with more and more nonprofits in need of support as cuts in government funding and other grant dollars continue. Now more than ever, we need to make smart decisions about the organizations we fund. That’s where the help of a philanthropic partner like The Community Foundation comes in.”