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The Coca-Cola Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$95.9M
Grant Range
$10K - $5.0M
Decision Time
2mo

The Coca-Cola Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $95,888,203 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available (does not accept unsolicited applications)
  • Decision Time: 60 days (for reviewed applications)
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $5,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: International
  • Total Awarded Since Inception: $1.6+ billion

Contact Details

Website: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/social/coca-cola-foundation

Application Portal: https://coca-cola.smartsimple.com/

Address: 1 Coca Cola Plz NW, Atlanta, GA 30313

Phone: 1-800-438-2653

Portal Support: support@smartsimple.com or (866) 239-0991 (Monday-Friday, 8:00am-9:00pm EST)

Overview

The Coca-Cola Foundation was established in 1984 by Roberto Goizueta, then Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.6 billion in grants to support sustainable community initiatives worldwide. In 2023, the Foundation distributed $95,888,203 across 255 grants. The Foundation serves as The Coca-Cola Company's primary philanthropic arm, working to "make a difference in communities around the world by investing in transformative ideas and institutions." In 2023, the Foundation refreshed its strategic focus to concentrate on sustainable access to water, circular economy, climate resilience and disaster preparedness, economic empowerment, and Atlanta hometown initiatives. The Coca-Cola Company is committed to giving back 1 percent of its prior year's operating income annually through the Foundation and direct company donations. The Foundation awards over 200 grants per year.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Foundation focuses on five core priority areas, with grants ranging from $10,000 to $5,000,000:

  • Sustainable Access to Safe Water: Grants supporting drinking water solutions for vulnerable communities in water-stressed regions, strengthening approaches for improved water access
  • Circular Economy: Funding for initiatives addressing plastic waste management and preventing waste leakage into rivers and oceans, with geographic priorities on small island developing states and least developed nations
  • Climate Resilience and Disaster Preparedness: Support for community adaptation to climate change, flood and drought mitigation, water resource management, and catastrophe recovery
  • Economic Empowerment: Grants for job creation, small business assistance, workforce development, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and education pathways
  • Hometown Community: Programs supporting Atlanta, Georgia's social and economic development

The Foundation also operates an Employee Matching Gifts Program that matches employee donations on a 2-to-1 basis up to $10,000 annually per employee, having contributed $7.5 million through this program in 2017.

Priority Areas

The Foundation actively funds:

  • Water conservation education and awareness
  • Watershed protection in water-stressed regions
  • Clean water and sanitation projects
  • Waste worker livelihood strengthening
  • Women's empowerment, entrepreneurship, education, and skills-based training
  • Youth development and drop-out prevention
  • Arts and culture initiatives
  • Community recycling programs
  • Climate adaptation and resilience projects
  • Wellbeing and community enrichment programs

What They Don't Fund

The Foundation explicitly excludes:

  • Individual scholarships (handled separately by Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation)
  • Organizations that discriminate based on race, color, sex, gender identity/expression, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or disability
  • Marketing sponsorships, cause marketing, or advertising projects
  • U.S.-based local schools including charter schools, pre-schools, elementary, middle, or high schools
  • U.S.-based organizations without 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status (or international equivalent)
  • Unsolicited proposals outside their strategic priorities

Governance and Leadership

Current Leadership:

Carlos Pagoaga - President of The Coca-Cola Foundation and Vice President of Global Community Affairs, The Coca-Cola Company (appointed June 1, 2024). Pagoaga is a 34-year veteran of Coca-Cola, most recently serving as Senior Director of Circular Economy at the Foundation.

Key Quotes from Carlos Pagoaga:

"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to lead The Coca-Cola Foundation and to work with our partners. I'm deeply proud of the role Coca-Cola plays in the world and of the Foundation's contributions to so many groups and communities."

On environmental priorities: "We believe in advanced water resource management solutions and programs to enable vulnerable communities to effectively prepare for, recover from, and adapt to the impacts of climate change. By supporting this project, we aim to enable [partners] to put community-led nature-based solutions into practice to protect the mangroves which are essential for the health of our planet and the well-being of coastal communities."

On circular economy: "We believe in solutions that accelerate the transition toward a circular economy and stem the flow of waste leakage into rivers and oceans."

Previous Presidents:

  • Saadia Madsbjerg (served 3 years, departed 2024)
  • Helen Smith Price (President 2016-2020, Executive Director 2001-2016, retired after 27 years)
  • Lisa Borders (former President of Atlanta City Council, later became WNBA President)
  • Ingrid Saunders Jones (served until 2013 after 31 years with Coca-Cola)

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

IMPORTANT: The Coca-Cola Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for grants. The Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, with funding decisions guided by strategic priorities identified by Foundation leadership and trustees.

For organizations that have been invited to apply or have established relationships:

  • Applications are submitted through the online portal at https://coca-cola.smartsimple.com/
  • All grant and sponsorship requests must use the online application system
  • Applications that are faxed or mailed will be returned with an invitation to apply online
  • The application process begins with an eligibility questionnaire
  • Applicants must register to access the application system

Eligibility: Tax-exempt nonprofit charitable organizations in the USA with 501(c)(3) status, or organizations with equivalent charitable status in other countries. Organizations must be registered charities with measurable impact.

Decision Timeline

  • Processing Time: Applications are processed within 60 days
  • Next Steps: Selected candidates will be asked to produce further documents or expand on submitted ideas to draft a complete project proposal
  • Awards: Grants are awarded throughout the year without specific deadlines (rolling basis for invited applications)

Success Rates

Success rate data is not publicly available as the Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis rather than accepting open applications. In 2023, the Foundation awarded 255 grants totaling nearly $96 million.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the invitation-only structure. The Foundation identifies potential grantees based on alignment with strategic priorities rather than responding to repeated applications.

Application Success Factors

Since the Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, traditional application success factors differ from open grant-making foundations. Based on funded projects and Foundation statements, key factors include:

1. Strategic Alignment with Foundation Priorities Projects must directly address one or more of the Foundation's five core areas: sustainable water access, circular economy, climate resilience, economic empowerment, or Atlanta community development. The Foundation explicitly seeks "transformative ideas and institutions."

2. Measurable Impact The Foundation prioritizes partnerships with registered nonprofits that demonstrate measurable impact. Carlos Pagoaga emphasizes the importance of "community-led nature-based solutions" and programs that enable communities to "effectively prepare for, recover from, and adapt."

3. Geographic Focus on Vulnerable Communities Recent grants show emphasis on water-stressed regions, small island developing states, and least developed nations for environmental programs. For example, the Foundation awarded $10 million to the IslandPlas Project for seven African islands to reduce plastic packaging waste.

4. Innovation and Systemic Solutions The Foundation language around "transformative ideas," "advanced water resource management solutions," and accelerating "the transition toward a circular economy" suggests preference for innovative approaches that address root causes rather than short-term fixes.

5. Community-Led Approaches Pagoaga's emphasis on "community-led nature-based solutions" indicates the Foundation values programs where local communities drive the work rather than external organizations imposing solutions.

6. Scale and Replicability With grants ranging up to $5 million and a focus on "transformative" change, the Foundation appears to favor programs with potential for significant scale or replication.

Examples of Recently Funded Projects:

  • Blue Ventures: Grant to protect Madagascar's mangroves through community-led conservation
  • IslandPlas Project (with IUCN): $10 million to reduce plastic packaging waste in seven African island nations
  • Fundación para la Sostenibilidad y la Equidad (ALIARSE): $250,000 for environmental work in Guatemala
  • California State University, Los Angeles: First Generation Scholarships (25 one-year scholarships of $2,000 each)
  • Elizabeth Dole Foundation: $75,000 for Dole Caregiver Fellows program

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Unsolicited Applications: The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Focus on building relationships and getting on the Foundation's radar rather than submitting cold applications through the portal.

  • Strategic Alignment is Critical: Ensure your work directly addresses one of the five priority areas (water, circular economy, climate, economic empowerment, or Atlanta community) with measurable, transformative impact.

  • Think Big and Systemic: With grants ranging up to $5 million and emphasis on "transformative ideas," the Foundation seeks significant, scalable solutions to systemic challenges rather than small-scale or symptom-focused interventions.

  • Community-Led Approaches Win: The Foundation president explicitly emphasizes "community-led" solutions, particularly for environmental and climate work. Demonstrate how local communities drive your programs.

  • International Focus on Vulnerable Regions: For environmental and water work, prioritize proposals in water-stressed regions, small island developing states, or least developed nations where Foundation emphasis is strongest.

  • Measurable Impact Required: The Foundation requires registered charities with demonstrable, measurable outcomes. Ensure robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks are central to your approach.

  • Employee Matching Alternative: If direct grants are not accessible, consider cultivating Coca-Cola employees as individual donors whose gifts would be matched 2-to-1 up to $10,000 annually through the employee matching program.

References

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