Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Legal name: The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 581344646
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Atlanta, GA, USA
- Phone
- 404.688.5525
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Community Foundations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $363,184,536
- Expenses
- $194,081,921
- Assets
- $1,511,857,437
- Liabilities
- $71,909,412
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
38 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- FRANK FERNANDEZ (PRESIDENT)
- KENNETH ZEFF (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LEARN4)
Highest reported compensation
- FRANK FERNANDEZ (PRESIDENT): $663,435 total reported compensation
- MARK SUTTON (CFO): $317,507 total reported compensation
- KENNETH ZEFF (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LEARN4): $316,859 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We’re here to serve you. Because together, we’re stronger. At the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, we inspire and lead our region toward equity and shared prosperity for all. Our Board of Directors does so much more than govern. _They guide._ By establishing policy, setting priorities and making critical decisions, these dedicated volunteers nurture the Community Foundation and its activities across the region. And as civic leaders, they provide the expertise that fortifies our beloved community, now and into the future. Meet the Board Our Team. Get to know the people with a powerful passion for Atlanta. Through their efforts every day, these energetic and diverse individuals change lives. They are the Foundation’s greatest asset, each one bringing their talents, experiences and perspectives to help our organization enhance the quality of life for every person throughout the...
What it reported doing in 2024
Community leadership and initiatives - see schedule o for complete description.throughout 2021, the ripple effect of covid-19 made its widespread impact on the atlanta region. Children continued with hybrid-at-best school options, businesses permanently closed, live performances were shuttered, and workers were being laid off. Our partnership with united way of greater atlanta continued, ultimately raising, collecting and dispersing $30 million in funds for the greater atlanta covid-19 response and recovery fund, while taking no fees for the work. Supported by dollars from philanthropy, government and corporate partners, the covid-19 fund received donations from thousands of individuals, foundations and corporations. The community needs continued to evolve as the pandemic issued its toil. While initial grants were focused on providing crucial services at a high scale to high-risk audiences including seniors and families with children 2021 evidence showed specific populations disproportionately impacted black, latinx, undocumented and immigrant populations. As the situation in our community evolved, the fund pivoted to address rapidly changing needs, such as small business support and mental health. During 2020 and 2021, the covid-19 fund mobilized $28.2 million to benefit 478 nonprofits in atlanta. This program was amplified by our 900+ donor families, who gave in excess of $100 million to nonprofits the community foundation recommended who were on the front lines of the pandemic.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 84% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filed totals do not add up.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 76
- Transparency & Controls: 80
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 89
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.9%; rating input score 65
- Program expense ratio: 91.8%; rating input score 92
- Fundraising efficiency: $109.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Limited
- Conducts field audits: Limited
- May suspend future funding: Limited
- Requires financial reports: Limited
- Conducts site visits: Limited
- Requires grant agreements: Limited
- May require repayment: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 98%; rating input score 98; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 46.6%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.79; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.6%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 64.9% of revenue deployed · 91.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 27 of 27 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $178.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $663K · 38 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.3M reported
- Consistency: 40 of 41 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1425 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1421 filed related-organization links
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.