Open Foundations · Georgia

Joseph B Whitehead Foundation

Atlanta, Georgia · EIN 586001954. Its Form 990-PF says giving is not restricted to organizations picked in advance, which is how a private foundation files that it accepts unsolicited requests. It paid $76.1M across 41 grants in 2025, a median of $450K each.

All Georgia foundations · All states

$76.1M
paid in 2025
41
grants paid
$450K
median grant
8%
to first-time recipients
$717.3M
assets on file

How to apply, as filed

Straight off Part XV of the return. Where the foundation left a line blank, this says so rather than guessing.

Send requests to
Erik S Johnson President
Address
191 Peachtree St Suite 3540, Atlanta, GA, 30303
Phone
4045226755
Email
Not stated in the filing
Form the request should take
Application form not required. Proposals should be submitted via the Foundation's online application portal on its website. Before submitting a formal grant request, prospective grantees are encouraged to submit an informal inquiry to [email protected]. The grant request should be made in letter form and include the following information: - A description of the organization, its purposes, programs, staffing and governing board - The organization's latest financial statements including the most recent audit report - A description of the proposed project and full justification for its funding - An itemized project budget, including other sources of support in hand or anticipated - Evidence from the IRS of the organization's tax-exempt status and that the applying organization itself is not a private foundation.
Submission deadline
Grants are considered in April and November for requests received by February 1 and August 15.
Restrictions on awards
Grants are made to public charities that provide a full range of basic human services to citizens of metropolitan Atlanta. The Foundation has a particular interest in supporting organizations that serve children and youth. In recent years, the Foundation has concentrated a significant portion of its giving on improving the quality and accessibility of early childhood development programs in metro Atlanta, on increasing literacy rates, and on boosting college enrollment and graduation rates for Atlanta Public Schools graduates. Grants are reserved for well-established public charities with a broad base of community support. The Foundation provides support for capital projects and programmatic expenses. No grants are made to individuals.

As filed on the Form 990-PF for tax year 2025, IRS filing object id 202631349349101643. Printed word for word, including the entries that only say to see a website or an attachment.

What it funds, in its own words

The words that come up most often across the purposes it wrote on its 2025 grants. These are the foundation's own words, not a category we assigned.

metro atlantaatlanta schoolsmillion campaignimproveeducationstudentscapitalcare

Biggest grants in 2025

The 15 largest of the 41 grants paid in 2025, with the purpose the foundation wrote for each.

#RecipientStateAmountPurpose as filed
1United Way of Greater AtlantaGA$15,939,786Priority initiatives of Smart Start to improve the quality and accessibility of early childhood education in metro Atlanta.
2Community Foundation for Greater AtlantaGA$15,000,003For the Joseph B. Whitehead Fund to support Achieve Atlanta, an initiative to improve the postsecondary success of students in Atlanta Public Schools.
3Partners for HomeGA$12,000,000Support of citywide strategy to develop new housing units and scale services for the homeless.
4Community Foundation for Greater AtlantaGA$7,500,002For the Joseph B. Whitehead Child Well-Being Fund.
5United Way of Greater AtlantaGA$5,000,000Priority initiatives of the Regional Commission on Homelessness.
6Atlanta Community Food BankGA$2,100,000Support of capacity-building needs to meet increased demand for food assistance.
7Atlanta Community Food BankGA$2,000,030$19.3 million campaign to expand food distribution capacity with capital and technology updates.
8Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro AtlantaGA$2,000,000Operating support.
9Community Foundation for Greater AtlantaGA$1,500,000Support of Learn4Life's Atlanta Vision Project to provide vision care for elementary school students in metro Atlanta.
10Georgia Leadership Institute for School ImprovementGA$1,000,000Operating support for organization working to improve K-12 public education through leadership development.
11Hope AtlantaGA$1,000,000Expansion of behavioral healthcare services as part of $10 million campaign.
12The Furniture Bank of Metro AtlantaGA$1,000,000$6.5 million campaign to acquire, renovate and equip a warehouse for organization providing furniture to people in need.
13Georgia Family Connection PartnershipGA$950,000Support of statewide network ($700,000) and dropout prevention cohort ($250,000).
14Communities in Schools of GeorgiaGA$850,000Operating support for CISGA, which works to improve students' academic performance and reduce dropout rates.
15Georgia Partnership for Excellence in EducationGA$675,000Operating support for organization working to improve K-12 public education through research and public policy.

Giving by year, and who received it

Grants paid by year

Every year of this foundation's grants that Civly holds
Tax yearGrantsPaid
202049$67.3M
202140$70.2M
202247$79.3M
202347$103.8M
202442$87.1M
2025 (partial year)41$76.1M

Where the money went

Share of 2025 grant dollars by recipient state
Georgia95%
New York2%
District of Columbia2%

Who decides

Officers, directors and trustees as filed, with the year of the return they appeared on.

E Jenner Wood IiiTrustee- Chair · 2025
Eli P NiepokyTreasurer · 2025
Erik S JohnsonPresident - elected 2/1/2025 · 2025
Joseph a ArnoldTrustee · 2025
Lawrence L Gellerstedt IiiTrustee · 2025
P Russell HardinPresident - retired 1/31/2025 · 2025
Sara E BlalockSecretary - elected 2/1/2025 · 2025

Every figure on this page is that foundation's own latest filed year, which is 2022 or later. This foundation is listed because its Form 990-PF says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations and it paid at least 5 grants totaling $100K or more that year. Latest-year grants and terms per foundation from IRS 990-PF e-file returns; the newest tax year is partial until the IRS finishes releasing it. Grants are de-duplicated on funder, year, recipient and amount, so identical repeat grants collapse into one and totals can run low. Full method.

Source: IRS Form 990-PF e-file releases (public domain). Analysis: Civly.

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