Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- This Atlanta, GA-based foundation funds organisations located and operating in its 13-county metro Atlanta region (Butts, Cherokee, Clayton and ten more Georgia counties) working in early childhood education, K-12 education, children and youth, health or human services, so nonprofits outside this area or these themes are unlikely to fit.
- Most grants are sizeable: about eight in ten of its 136 grants to organisations fall between $200,000 and $5,000,000, with a median of $500,000, so a request in that range is realistic for an established organisation, though half of its grants are $500,000 or less.
- The $25,000,000 grant to Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, which it funds every year and which regrants to other organisations, is an exception rather than a guide for a typical applicant.
- Fifty-eight per cent of its grant dollars go to organisations it has also funded in recent filings, suggesting relationships matter, so send an informal inquiry email to fdns@woodruff.org before preparing a formal proposal through its online portal, and make fundraising progress with other donors, including your board, first, since the Foundation prefers not to be the sole or lead funder.
- Note its fixed deadlines (the first business day on or after February 1 for the April Board meeting, or August 15 for the November meeting) and that it does not fund individuals, churches, conferences, debt relief, fundraising events, professional associations, sponsorships or startups.
Overview
Joseph B. Whitehead 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 Foundation invests in metro Atlanta to expand opportunity for people in need, especially children. It makes grants to organisations located and operating in the 13-county metro Atlanta region in five areas: early childhood education, K–12 education, children and youth, health, and human services. It typically makes a small number of large grants to organisations with strong staff and volunteer board leadership, broad financial support, successful programme outcomes and capacity to sustain their work. It prefers to join other donors in supporting initiatives led by community partners, helping organisations with a proven track record stretch further, seize new opportunities or accelerate impact. Most grants support one-time needs rather than ongoing programme or operating needs.
Themes
- Early Childhood Education
- K-12 Education
- Children & Youth
- Human Services
- Health
Geographic Focus
13-county metro Atlanta region: Butts, Cherokee, Clayton and 10 more counties in Georgia.
What They Don't Fund
- Individuals
- Churches
- Conferences
- Debt relief
- Fundraising events
- Professional associations
- Sponsorships
- Startups
How to apply
Prospective grantees are encouraged to email an informal inquiry to fdns@woodruff.org before submitting a formal grant request. They then submit a letter-form proposal through the Foundation’s online application portal, with organisational, project, budget, financial and IRS tax-status information.
Deadlines:
- Proposals received by the first business day on or after February 1 are considered at the April Board meeting.
- Proposals received by the first business day on or after August 15 are considered at the November Board meeting.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 58% 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 136 grants to organisations were $500,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Applicants should have strong executive leadership and governance by a board that invests in the organisation’s success.
- Applicants should have sustainable operations, consistently operating in the black with a diversified revenue model.
- Applicants should have a broad base of financial support from other donors.
- Applicants should demonstrate proven effectiveness meeting community needs with measurable impact.
- Applicants should show capacity to reach fundraising goals and sustain work long-term.
- Organisations should make significant fundraising progress with other donors, including their board, before approaching the Foundation.
- The Foundation prefers not to be the only or lead funder of an initiative.
- An accepted request may be followed by a meeting or site visit.
- The Foundation requests annual written reports until grant funds are spent and a final report at the project's conclusion.
- Applicants are encouraged to submit an informal inquiry to check whether a request fits the Foundation’s interests.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 35% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 58% of grant dollars went to organisations Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 58% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 42 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $500k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta · For the Joseph B. Whitehead Fund to support Achieve Atlanta, an initiative to improve the postsecondary success of students in Atlanta Public Schools.$20,000,0392024 tax year
- United Way of Greater Atlanta · Priority initiatives of Smart Start to improve the quality and accessibility of early childhood education in metro Atlanta.$14,723,0182024 tax year
- Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities · $67 million campaign to construct Ronald McDonald House at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's North Druid Hills campus.$10,000,0002024 tax year
- Salvation Army · $35 million campaign to construct the Center of Hope and expand programs.$7,000,0002024 tax year
- United Way of Greater Atlanta · Priority initiatives of the Regional Commission on Homelessness.$5,000,0002024 tax year
- Wellspring Living · $25 million campaign to develop facilities and programs that provide a comprehensive continuum of care for survivors of trafficking.$4,200,0002024 tax year
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta · Implementation of the Marcus Autism Center's strategic plan to expand access to services and advance research on early brain development.$4,000,0112024 tax year
- Ser Familia · $15.7 million campaign to establish a new headquarters in Cobb County for human services organization.$3,000,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Lawrence L Gellerstedt III — Trustee
- E Jenner Wood III — Trustee- Chair
- Eli P Niepoky — Treasurer
- Erik S Johnson — Vice President & Secretary
- P Russell Hardin — President
- Joseph A Arnold — Trustee- elected 4/2/2024
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $81,479,954 | $79,299,883 | $1,961,635,421 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $106,211,060 | $103,833,578 | $1,814,675,919 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $92,123,494 | $87,085,069 | $1,925,518,175 | 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
Registers and filings
Other sources
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Applying to Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required