Lettie Pate Evans Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- This foundation funds education and arts and culture organisations located and operating in Georgia, with a priority on metro Atlanta; Virginia grants are limited to organisations supported during the life of its benefactor, so this is not a general national fund.
- Grants tend to be large: the median grant is $1,000,000, about 8 in 10 of the 39 grants to organisations fall between $150,000 and $8,050,000, and the largest grant was about $10,000,000, so a request should be pitched at a substantial, significant level rather than a small one.
- Seventy-two per cent of grant dollars went to organisations already funded in the two previous filings, so the foundation leans toward continuing relationships, though this does not mean new applicants cannot be considered.
- The process has fixed deadlines and favours an informal inquiry first to check fit before a full proposal is prepared; proposals received by the first business day on or after 1 February go to the April board meeting, and those received by the first business day on or after 15 August go to the November meeting.
- Applicants seeking support for individuals, churches, conferences, debt relief, fundraising events, professional associations, sponsorships or startups should not apply, nor should those seeking, within education, academic research, athletic facilities, endowments, public education, scholarships or student organizations funding, or, within arts and culture, endowments, exhibits, festivals, films, individual artists, operating support, performances, publications, sponsorships or specific works of art.
Overview
Lettie Pate Evans Foundation is a US private foundation based in Atlanta, GA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2025, TY2024, TY2023) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Foundation invests in education and arts and culture to improve quality of life. Its grants support organisations located and operating in Georgia, with a focus on metro Atlanta; occasional Virginia grants are limited to organisations Mrs. Evans supported during her life. Education is its top priority: it focuses on developing private colleges and universities in Georgia and also supports health education, principally pediatric medical residency. In arts and culture, it strengthens organisations in metro Atlanta with significant audiences and strong financial operations, and occasionally supports projects elsewhere in Georgia that promote community development and have broad local donor support. 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 share projects with other donors and supports one-time needs more often than ongoing operations.
Themes
- Education
- Arts & Culture
Geographic Focus
Georgia; Virginia. Priority: Metro Atlanta.
What They Don't Fund
- Individuals
- Churches
- Conferences
- Debt relief
- Fundraising events
- Professional associations
- Sponsorships
- Startups
- Education only: academic research; athletic facilities; endowments; public education; scholarships; student organizations
- Arts & Culture only: endowments; exhibits; festivals; films; individual artists; operating support; performances; publications; sponsorships; specific works of art
How to apply
Prospective applicants are encouraged to send an informal inquiry to check fit first; if the request fits, they follow the How to Apply instructions to submit a full proposal.
Deadlines:
- Proposals received by the first business day on or after February 1 are considered at the April meeting of the Board of Trustees.
- Proposals received by the first business day on or after August 15 are considered at the November meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2025 filing, 72% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 or TY2024 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2023, TY2024 and TY2025 filings, half of its 39 grants to organisations were $1,000,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Requests should show strong executive leadership and governance by a board that invests in the organisation’s success.
- Applicants should demonstrate 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.
- The Foundation prefers not to be the only funder and expects organisations to make significant fundraising progress before applying.
- Applicants with a proven track record should help their organisations seize new opportunities or accelerate impact, rather than rely on ongoing operating support.
- If a request is accepted for consideration by the trustees, the Foundation contacts the applicant for a meeting or visit.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2023–2025.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 32% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2025, 72% of grant dollars went to organisations Lettie Pate Evans Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 10 grants in tax year 2025 by size
Median $1.2M (tax year 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta · Pediatric medical residency program conducted by Children's in partnership with the Emory University School of Medicine.$8,600,0312025 tax year
- Atlanta Botanical Garden · $150 million campaign to expand the Garden by eight acres and construct a new entrance on the Atlanta Beltline.$5,000,0442025 tax year
- Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia · $14.5 million campaign to establish a permanent facility at the Goat Farm Arts Center.$2,000,0002025 tax year
- Greater Atlanta Christian School · Construction of Student Learning Commons as part of $30.82 million campaign.$1,500,0002025 tax year
- Robert Woodruff Arts Center · Continuation of Family Fun program to expand access to the Woodruff Arts Center campus.$1,300,0362025 tax year
- Whitefield Academy · Construction of Learning Commons as part of $39.2 million campaign.$1,000,0002025 tax year
- Boys Home of Virginia · Support of critical facility needs for residential campus serving at-risk boys.$550,0002025 tax year
- Young Harris College · Development of work-study program to improve student success and job readiness.$500,0002025 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- Vice Chair
- E Jenner Wood III — Trustee- Chair
- Sara E Blalock — Secretary - elected 2/1/2025
- Eli P Niepoky — Treasurer
- Erik S Johnson — President - elected 2/1/2025
- Lizanne Thomas — Trustee
- Lyons Gray — Trustee
- David P Stockert — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 tax year | $30,731,447 | $29,900,061 | $534,517,325 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $29,996,904 | $28,545,079 | $567,366,521 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
| 2025 tax year | $23,081,793 | $21,450,111 | $635,931,328 | Filing for 2025 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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Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required