The Gary W Rollins Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $15,230,298 (2023)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly available
• Grant Range: $5,000 - $4,600,000
• Geographic Focus: Primarily Atlanta, Georgia; also supports institutions with Rollins family connections
• Total Assets: $72.8 million (2023)

Contact Details

Address: 1908 Cliff Valley Way NE, Atlanta, GA 30329

Phone: (404) 486-4676

Email: Not publicly available

Website: No public website

Management: C/o RFA Management Co LLC

Overview

Established in 1991 (incorporated 1992), The Gary W. Rollins Foundation is a private family foundation created by Gary W. Rollins, CEO of Rollins, Inc., one of the largest pest control companies in the United States. The foundation holds approximately $72.8 million in assets and awarded $15.2 million in grants in 2023 across 33 organizations. The foundation's mission focuses on supporting children's health, education, arts and culture, and animal welfare, primarily in the Atlanta, Georgia area. While the foundation awards its largest grants to institutions of higher education—particularly those with family connections—it awards its largest number of grants to human services organizations. In recent years, veterans' support has emerged as a significant funding priority. Gary W. Rollins received recognition as one of Atlanta's Most Admired CEOs in 2020 and the Crown Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 for his decades of leadership in the pest control industry.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not have structured grant programs with specific application cycles. Grants are awarded at trustee discretion based on preselected charitable organizations.

Grant Amounts:

• Typical grants: $5,000 - $50,000
• Major institutional grants: Up to $40 million (exceptional cases)
• Median grant: $23,000
• Range documented: $2,000 - $4,600,000

Priority Areas

Higher Education: The foundation reserves its largest grants for schools the Rollins family attended or have strong connections to, including:

• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (Gary W. Rollins College of Business - received $40 million in 2018 and $30 million in 2024)
• Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida (received $10 million gift)
• Emory University
• Trinity School
• Atlanta Speech School
• Year Up Inc - Atlanta

Veterans Support: Significant and consistent focus in recent years, including:

• Homes for Our Troops ($3.6 million for building veteran homes in Georgia and operating support)
• Veterans Empowerment Organization of Georgia (VEO Campus Revitalization Project)
• Special Operations Care Fund
• Operation Homefront

Human Services: The largest number of grants go to this category, supporting:

• Meals On Wheels Atlanta
• City of Refuge
• Atlanta Mission
• Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children
• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Animal Welfare: Regular support for:

• Zoo Atlanta (home to the Rollins Animal Health Center - received $1.5 million in 2023)
• Atlanta Humane Society ($1 million for Acute Crisis Program in 2023)
• Best Friends Animal Society
• Fix Georgia Pets

Arts and Culture: Support for museums and cultural institutions in Atlanta

Religious Organizations: Protestant agencies and churches, including Peachtree Road Methodist Church

What They Don't Fund

The foundation explicitly states it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. While specific exclusions are not publicly documented, the foundation's giving pattern suggests focus on:

• Organizations with Atlanta connections
• Established institutions rather than startups
• Organizations aligned with family interests and values

Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

• Gary W. Rollins (Founder and Trustee)
• Additional trustees not publicly listed (one source mentions "Mr. Carson" as a trustee)

Executive Director:

• Kathleen Rollins

Management: The foundation is managed through RFA Management Co LLC, an Atlanta-based family office that also manages other Rollins family foundations including the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation and the Ma-Ran Foundation.

About Gary W. Rollins: Born in 1944, Gary Rollins graduated with a bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1967. He began his career as a technician with Rollins, Inc. and served in various roles of increasing responsibility for over 56 years, ultimately becoming CEO (2001-2022) and Executive Chairman Emeritus (2025-present). Under his leadership, Rollins, Inc. experienced dramatic expansion that significantly increased its value and global footprint.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds." Applications are accepted by invitation only.

The foundation does not maintain a public website to guide grant seekers and lacks publicly available information about funding strategies or application requirements.

Getting on Their Radar

Based on available information, the following approaches may be relevant for this specific funder:

Connect Through Previous Grantees: The foundation's invitation-only approach suggests that networking with organizations that have successfully received funding may provide pathways to consideration. Previous grantees include established Atlanta institutions like Meals On Wheels Atlanta, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Zoo Atlanta.

Family Connection Points: Given the foundation's strong support for institutions with Rollins family connections, organizations with existing relationships to:

• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
• Rollins College
• Rollins, Inc. corporate community initiatives
• RFA Management Co LLC (the family office managing the foundation)

Geographic and Mission Alignment: Organizations should be based in or serving the Atlanta, Georgia area and aligned with the foundation's documented priorities in education, veterans support, human services, animal welfare, or arts and culture.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available. As an invitation-only funder operating at trustee discretion, decision timelines are not standardized.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The foundation awarded 33 grants in 2023 and has awarded 149 individual grants totaling $102.4 million since 2019.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly available due to invitation-only application process.

Application Success Factors

Given the foundation's invitation-only approach, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, analysis of funding patterns reveals:

Geographic Focus: Strong preference for Atlanta-based organizations. The foundation's stated mission explicitly mentions "Atlanta, Georgia."

Long-term Institutional Support: The foundation demonstrates multi-year, sustained support for preferred institutions, particularly in higher education. Major recipients receive repeated grants over multiple years.

Family Connections Matter: The largest grants go to institutions with direct Rollins family connections, particularly schools family members attended (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Rollins College).

Established Organizations Preferred: Grant recipients tend to be well-established institutions with proven track records rather than new or emerging organizations.

Veterans as Growing Priority: Recent grant patterns show significant and consistent support for veterans' organizations, suggesting this is an area of expanding interest.

Operating Support Provided: The foundation funds general operating expenses and ongoing programs, not just special projects, indicating willingness to provide flexible funding to trusted partners.

Range of Grant Sizes: While capable of transformational gifts in the millions, the foundation also makes numerous smaller grants ($5,000-$50,000) to community organizations, showing support across different organizational scales.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Invitation-only access: This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Building relationships with previous grantees or the Rollins family network is essential.

• Atlanta focus with exceptions: While primarily supporting Atlanta organizations, the foundation makes significant grants to institutions with family connections, particularly the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Rollins College.

• Veterans support is strategic: Recent grants show consistent, substantial support for veterans' organizations, particularly those building homes or providing services in Georgia.

• Range of giving: Don't assume only major institutions qualify—while the foundation awards multi-million dollar gifts to universities, it also provides $5,000-$50,000 grants to local human services organizations.

• Multi-year relationships: Analysis of grants suggests the foundation prefers ongoing relationships with organizations rather than one-time support.

• No website or public guidance: The absence of a public-facing website reflects the foundation's private, invitation-only approach. Direct outreach or networking through established channels is necessary.

• Family office management: The foundation is managed through RFA Management Co LLC, which also manages other Rollins family foundations, suggesting coordinated philanthropic strategy across multiple entities.

References

• Cause IQ. "The Gary W Rollins Foundation." https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/the-gary-w-rollins-foundation,586263946/ (Accessed January 2025)

• Inside Philanthropy. "Gary W. Rollins Foundation." https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant-places/georgia-grants/gary-w-rollins-foundation (Accessed January 2025)

• Instrumentl. "The Gary W Rollins Foundation | 990 Report." https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/the-gary-w-rollins-foundation (Accessed January 2025)

• Candid Foundation Directory. "The Gary W Rollins Foundation C/o Rfa Management Co LLC." https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?key=ROLL018 (Accessed January 2025)

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. "The Gary W Rollins Foundation." https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/586263946 (Accessed January 2025)

• GuideStar. "The Gary W Rollins Foundation - GuideStar Profile." https://www.guidestar.org/profile/58-6263946 (Accessed January 2025)

• Wikipedia. "Gary Rollins." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Rollins (Accessed January 2025)

• Rollins, Inc. "Board of Directors." https://www.rollins.com/investor-relations/governance/board-of-directors (Accessed January 2025)