The Coca-Cola Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and gives by invitation only, so a cold request is not the route in; approach it only if you already have a relationship that could lead to an invitation.
- Its stated themes are safe water, watershed conservation, recycling value chains, disaster preparedness and response, economic prosperity, education and youth development, and arts and culture, and its geographic focus is priority around the world.
- About 8 in 10 of its grants fall between $50,000 and $790,000, with a median of $200,000, so a request of about that size fits its usual grants, although its largest grant was $5,000,000.
- Repeat giving is strong: 72% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, a share of dollars rather than of grants.
- Individuals, religious organisations, legislative or lobbying efforts, veterans organisations, charitable dinners, fundraising events, and organisations not described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code are excluded and should not apply.
Overview
The Coca-Cola Foundation is a US private foundation based in Atlanta, GA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Coca-Cola Foundation supports local and global changemakers working on complex global challenges in areas where the company operates and its employees live and work. Its focus areas are sustainable access to safe water, watershed conservation, recycling value chains, disaster preparedness and response, economic prosperity, and causes impacting its hometown community. In its corporate hometown, it champions education, youth development, arts and culture, the environment and local civic priorities. It invests in transformative ideas and institutions through grants and impact investments, draws on the Coca-Cola system's insights to help partners implement projects, and builds partnerships across organisations and geographies to deliver impact at scale.
Themes
- Safe water
- Watershed conservation
- Recycling value chains
- Disaster preparedness and response
- Economic prosperity
- Education and youth development
- Arts and culture
Geographic Focus
Priority: Around the world.
What They Don't Fund
- Individuals
- Religious organizations or religious endeavors
- Legislative or lobbying efforts
- Veterans organizations
- Charitable dinners
- Fund raising events, and related advertising, magazines or articles in professional journals
- Organizations which are not described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
How to apply
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for grants.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 72% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 893 grants to organisations were $200,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Its giving is guided by a firm set of priorities.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 4%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 36%
- The largest single recipient received 8% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 72% of grant dollars went to organisations The Coca-Cola Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- 31% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Thailand, China, Bangladesh, Costa Rica).
- 20% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 246 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $257k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- United Nations Development Programme Regional Bure · Regional Partnership on Management of Plastic Wast e and Circular Interventions on Plastics in South, South East Asia, and the Pacific$5,000,0002024 tax year
- International Union for Conservation of Nature and · IslandPlas: Advancing Circular Solutions to Plasti c Pollution in African Islands$5,000,0002024 tax year
- United States Soccer Federation · Workforce Development Program$4,000,0002024 tax year
- World Wildlife Fund · Plastic Smart Cities Program$3,000,0002024 tax year
- World Wildlife Fund · Recharge Pakistan$3,000,0002024 tax year
- Millennium Water Alliance · Sustainable Access to Safe Water (SASaWa)$2,232,8992024 tax year
- Global Water Challenge · Transformative WASH Initiatives 2025 in Bolivia, B razil, Ecuador and Mexico$1,800,0002024 tax year
- United Way of Greater Atlanta · Child Well Being Impact Fund$1,650,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Marc Goncher — General Legal Counsel
- Saadia Madsbjerg — President
- Michael Goltzman — Board Director
- Yasmin Assar — General Legal Counsel
- Henrique Braun — Secretary
- Mark Harris — Asst Treasurer,Gen Tax Counsel
- Carlos Pagoaga — President
- John Murphy — Treasurer
- Beatriz Perez — Chair / Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $94,945,565 | $94,684,802 | $266,535,468 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $96,737,308 | $95,888,203 | $309,608,071 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $118,437,174 | $116,505,217 | $533,903,735 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
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At a glance
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Applying to The Coca-Cola Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required