Green South Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 84-4534116 · since 2021greensouthfoundation.org·Alabama, California, District of Columbia, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennes…·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$1.8M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$2,000 to $100k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$52,500

Typical grant (median)

26 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests and works by invitation only, so a cold application is not the route it accepts, and a small charity should first find a way into a conversation.
Its stated priority region is the U.S. Southeast, the Southern Appalachian Mountains, a 6-state region, and Georgia and the Carolinas, and its themes are environmental communication, conservation acceleration, land conservation and wildlife protection.
About 8 in 10 of its 80 grants to organisations fall between $2,000 and $100,000, with a median of $50,000, though the largest grant was $230,000, so that band is not a ceiling.
Repeat funding matters, as 47% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had funded in earlier filings, and its proposal criteria stress a well-defined plan with clear goals, metrics and an implementation timeline, along with leadership and reach relative to cost.

Overview

Green South Foundation is a US private foundation based in Carrollton, 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

Green South funds efforts to protect its region’s wildlife and great outdoors. Its Awareness programme supports fact-based communication projects, predominantly in Georgia and the Carolinas, and informs communities about climate change, its causes, impacts and solutions. Its Accelerator programme supports conservation efforts across the U.S. Southeast, with a special focus on the Southern Appalachians; potential strategies include land trusts, advocacy organisations, leadership development, technical assistance, field infrastructure, research and education. Through its Land programme, it makes low-interest loans to conservation organisations buying land for conservation outcomes. Its grantmaking follows a new-venture mindset, prioritising high-potential projects that need support getting off the ground.

Themes

Environmental communication
Conservation acceleration
Land conservation
Wildlife protection

Geographic Focus

Priority: U.S. Southeast; Southern Appalachian Mountains; 6-state region; Georgia and the Carolinas. From its grants, not stated by the foundation: California; North Carolina; District of Columbia; New York; Washington.

How to apply

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 47% 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 80 grants to organisations were $50,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

The foundation evaluates proposals on the strength of their ideas and the capabilities of their leaders.
It considers how many people a project can inform and at what cost.
It considers whether a project speaks to the priorities, values and concerns of people in the region.
It looks for a well defined plan with clear goals, metrics and an implementation timeline.
The Accelerator programme considers leadership.
The Accelerator programme considers potential impact.
The Accelerator programme considers feasibility and timeline.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

California38%

North Carolina13%

District of Columbia13%

New York12%

Washington7%

Wisconsin4%

6 other states: 12%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 2%

The largest single recipient received 28% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 47% of grant dollars went to organisations Green South Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
39% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

26 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $52,500

How much do they typically give?

Share of 26 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$1k–$2.5k4%

$2.5k–$5k0%

$5k–$10k0%

$10k–$25k15%

$25k–$50k15%

$50k–$100k35%

$100k–$250k31%

Median $52,500 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

The Trust For Public Lands · Support of land conservation efforts
$230,0002024 tax year
Catawba College · Climate awareness projects
$194,6392024 tax year
American Conservation Coalition · Climate awareness projects
$130,0002024 tax year
Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative · Support of land conservation efforts
$120,0002024 tax year
Potential Energy Coalition · Climate awareness projects
$100,0002024 tax year
Hacks Hackers · Climate awareness projects
$100,0002024 tax year
MountainTrue · Land conservation efforts
$100,0002024 tax year
Open Space Institute Land Trust · Land conservation efforts
$100,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Judy Windom — Secretary
Roy Richards Jr — President

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$1,650,083	$1,316,500	$14,044,152	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$2,029,512	$1,472,591	$22,930,861	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$3,982,378	$1,822,850	$25,615,641	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.