In response to this persistent gap, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, through our GoATL Community Capacity Fund, partnered with Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), a national leader in nonprofit lending and financial consulting, to bring specialized nonprofit financing to the region.

Founded more than 40 years ago, NFF is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides nonprofits with loans, financial consulting, and thought leadership designed specifically for mission-driven organizations. Since 1980, NFF has deployed more than $1.3 billion to nearly 1,000 nonprofits nationwide, helping organizations strengthen operations, invest in facilities, manage cash flow, and weather financial uncertainty.

Why Atlanta, and Why Now

This partnership emerged from growing concern among local funders about the financial strain nonprofits are facing: pressures intensified by inflation, delayed government payments, and uncertainty around future federal funding. In NFF’s most recent State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey, Georgia ranked second nationally in participation, underscoring the scale of need. Survey results revealed that many nonprofits are experiencing rising demand for services while operating with limited cash reserves and increasing exposure to funding delays and cuts.

At the same time, local conversations convened by the Community Foundation and the Georgia Social Impact Collaborative highlighted a structural challenge: while Atlanta has strong philanthropic support, it lacks a nonprofit-focused lender able to provide working capital, bridge loans, and lines of credit alongside deep financial technical assistance. Traditional banks often cannot underwrite nonprofit borrowers, and most CDFIs prioritize small businesses or housing rather than nonprofit operations.

The GoATL Investment

To address this gap, GoATL made a $500,000 catalytic investment in NFF. This five-year, unsecured investment allows NFF to begin offering nonprofit-focused lending products across Georgia, with an emphasis on the Community Foundation’s 23-county region.

This initial capital is expected to be leveraged into approximately $2 million in loans, supporting nonprofits with:

• Working capital to stabilize operations
• Bridge financing to manage delayed government or grant payments
• Debt refinancing to replace high-cost or personally guaranteed loans

Over time, as capital is repaid and redeployed, this investment could support 16–20 nonprofit loans over a five- to seven-year period, creating a revolving source of flexible, affordable capital for the sector.

Beyond Capital: Building Financial Resilience

What distinguishes NFF’s approach is that lending is paired with robust financial consulting and technical assistance. NFF works closely with nonprofit leaders and boards to strengthen financial management, improve cash flow planning, and align financing decisions with mission goals. In 2024 alone, NFF delivered more than 25,000 hours of financial consulting nationwide, reaching thousands of nonprofit leaders.

This dual approach of capital plus capacity aligns directly with the Community Foundation’s long-standing commitment to nonprofit sustainability. In early 2026, the Community Foundation launched the Nonprofit Sector Sustainability Fund in response to evolving federal funding conditions. NFF is the partner to help deliver training, coaching, and financial strategy support to affected organizations.

Laying the Groundwork for a Stronger Ecosystem

This partnership represents more than a single investment. It is a systems-level intervention. By bringing a proven nonprofit lender into the Atlanta market, the Community Foundation and GoATL are helping establish the building blocks of a healthier nonprofit financing ecosystem, one that complements grantmaking, reduces financial fragility, and allows nonprofits to focus on delivering impact rather than managing crisis.

As Atlanta’s nonprofit sector navigates a period of heightened uncertainty, this collaboration reflects a shared belief: sustaining community impact requires not only generosity, but the right financial tools to help nonprofits adapt, grow, and endure.

For many people, charitable giving is about much more than a financial transaction. It reflects deeply held values, connections to causes and communities, and a vision for the legacy they hope to leave behind. 

For attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors working with older clients, that makes charitable planning an important conversation to have early—while clients can clearly articulate their goals and play an active role in shaping their philanthropic legacy. 

As clients age, advisors may increasingly encounter questions related to cognitive decline, diminished capacity, and financial exploitation. Starting the charitable planning conversation before those concerns arise can help protect not only a client’s assets, but also their ability to give on their own terms. 

Here are four ways professional advisors can help clients put their charitable intentions into action—and how the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta can help. 

1. Start the charitable planning conversation early 

You don’t need to wait until a client brings up philanthropy. 

A client’s existing giving can be a natural place to begin. Which nonprofits have they supported consistently? What causes matter most to them? How do they hope their generosity will continue beyond their lifetime? 

Bringing the Community Foundation into these conversations early can help clients turn those ideas into a thoughtful charitable plan. 

Depending on a client’s goals, that could include establishing a donor-advised fund during their lifetime, making a charitable bequest through an estate plan, naming a charitable beneficiary of retirement assets, or creating a fund that can support important causes and community needs for generations to come. 

The Community Foundation works alongside attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors to help clients explore these options and develop a giving strategy that complements their broader financial and estate plans. 

2. Balance generosity with protection 

Changes in a client’s giving behavior can sometimes raise important questions—particularly when an older adult is involved. 

Imagine a longtime client who has historically donated $5,000 each year suddenly asks to liquidate $250,000 in securities and transfer the proceeds to an organization you’ve never heard them mention. Perhaps a new caregiver, friend, or family member is also involved in the conversation. 

The request itself does not necessarily mean anything is wrong. A client may simply have discovered a new cause they care deeply about. 

But an advisor may appropriately ask: Is this consistent with the client’s previously expressed wishes? Does the client understand the transaction? Could someone be exerting undue influence? 

These situations can be difficult, because advisors want to respect their clients’ autonomy and generosity while also fulfilling their professional responsibilities. 

A documented history of charitable planning can provide valuable context. If a client has spent years discussing particular causes, established a charitable fund, and communicated long-term philanthropic goals with their professional advisors and the Community Foundation, it may be easier to understand whether a new request reflects established intentions or warrants additional attention. 

3. Understand protections for older clients 

Professional advisors should also be aware of the regulatory landscape surrounding older clients and potential financial exploitation. 

The Senior Safe Act provides certain protections for eligible financial professionals and institutions that report suspected financial exploitation of adults age 65 and older. Under specified conditions, including training requirements, eligible employees and covered financial institutions may receive immunity from civil or administrative liability when suspected exploitation is reported to an appropriate agency in good faith and with reasonable care. 

For financial professionals subject to FINRA rules, two additional provisions may be relevant. 

FINRA Rule 4512 requires firms to make reasonable efforts to obtain the name and contact information of a trusted contact person for non-institutional customer accounts. That individual may serve as a resource if questions arise about diminished capacity, financial exploitation or other circumstances affecting a client. A trusted contact does not, however, gain authority to make trades or other decisions for the client. 

FINRA Rule 2165 allows a member firm, when certain requirements are met, to place a temporary hold on specified transactions or disbursements when the firm reasonably believes financial exploitation of a “specified adult” has occurred, is occurring, has been attempted or will be attempted. 

These protections can be important when concerns arise. But ideally, a client’s charitable intentions are documented well before safeguards like these become relevant. 

4. Create a charitable legacy while your client can shape it 

Early charitable planning gives clients something particularly valuable: the opportunity to define what generosity means to them. 

At the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, we can help clients explore the causes they care about, consider charitable giving vehicles, document a long-term philanthropic strategy, and determine how they want their giving to continue beyond their lifetime. 

For example, a donor-advised fund can provide flexibility for giving during a client’s lifetime while also creating opportunities to plan for what happens to the fund in the future. A client might name successor advisors, designate specific nonprofits or causes for future support, or direct the fund to address changing community needs over time. 

That planning does not mean a client’s charitable intentions are set in stone. Philanthropy naturally evolves as lives, families, finances, and communities change. 

Instead, planning creates a roadmap. 

If diminished capacity, family disagreement or concerns about undue influence arise later, a history of thoughtful charitable planning can help advisors and family members better understand what the client intended. 

Help your clients make their charitable intentions clear 

For attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors, one of the most valuable times to introduce charitable planning is while clients are actively engaged in shaping their financial and estate plans. 

The goal isn’t simply to protect assets. It’s to protect a client’s ability to be philanthropic on their own terms—and to create a clear path for carrying those values forward. 

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta partners with professional advisors and their clients to develop thoughtful, flexible charitable giving strategies. From donor-advised funds and legacy giving to complex gifts and long-term philanthropic planning, our team can help you identify solutions that align with your client’s financial goals, charitable interests, and vision for the future. 

Have a client who could benefit from a charitable planning conversation? Connect with our team to explore how we can help you turn their generosity into lasting impact. 

A federal government shutdown had paused key administrative functions in Washington, DC, leaving several Georgia Head Start providers unable to access funds that had already been approved by Congress. With grant cycles scheduled to renew on November 1, there was no one available to sign contracts or release payments. 

Without those funds, programs serving more than 6,500 children and employing more than 1,000 staff faced the possibility of shutting down, including three of the largest Head Start providers across metro Atlanta: the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, Sheltering Arms and Easterseals North Georgia. 

For families living near or below the poverty line, the consequences would have been immediate. Parents could lose reliable childcare and the ability to go to work. Hundreds of teachers and staff members could be furloughed. And thousands of children would lose access to safe, high-quality learning environments that provide meals, education, and family support services. 

A Crisis That Required Speed 

Head Start providers request federal funds regularly, often every two weeks, to cover operating costs. When the shutdown prevented those payments from being released, nonprofit leaders began preparing for difficult decisions. 

For organizations like the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, which is the largest provider of Head Start programs in the state serving more than 2,300 children and 800 staff, the support was critical. 

“Head Start isn’t just daycare or pre-K,” said Lauren Koontz, CEO, YMCA of Metro Atlanta. “It’s a full-service program that provides meals, education, and wraparound support services that help families move toward greater stability. Without intervention, those services—and the stability they provide—would have been at risk.” 

At Sheltering Arms, one of the state’s largest Head Start providers, nearly 900 children and 200 staff were directly affected. 

“With the shutdown, we suddenly faced some very tough decisions,” said Blythe Robinson, president and CEO of Sheltering Arms. “The potential impact on families and educators across our community was enormous.” 

Providers quickly aligned messaging and coordinated their response, but solving the financial challenge required a broader solution. 

That’s when they turned to the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. 

Mobilizing Metro Atlanta’s Philanthropic Community 

Within hours, the Community Foundation convened philanthropic leaders across metro Atlanta to explore how the community could respond. 

Head Start providers estimated they would need approximately $8 million in temporary funding to keep programs operating through the end of the year while federal payments were delayed. 

To meet this need, the Community Foundation leveraged its impact investing program to structure a bridge financing solution providing immediate capital to cover operating costs until federal funds could be released. 

The Foundation ultimately provided $4.7 million in short-term bridge loans, with flexible terms designed to give providers the stability and  breathing room they needed to continue serving families without interruption. 

The Community Foundation also mobilized its philanthropic network. 

Within 48 hours, 16 foundations across metro Atlanta agreed to provide $7.4 million in unfunded guarantees, pledging to step in and cover the loans if federal funding did not arrive. 

“It’s similar to cosigning a lease,” said Sydney Hulebak, director of impact investing at the Community Foundation. “If everything goes as planned, no money moves. But if something goes wrong, the guarantors step in.” 

The rapid collaboration allowed providers to remain open during the shutdown. 

Keeping Doors Open for Families 

The results were immediate and far-reaching. 

Across Georgia: 

• 6,500 children continued receiving early learning services 

• 800 educators remained employed 

• Thousands of families were able to maintain childcare and continue working 

When the federal government reopened in late November, the delayed funds were released. By January 2026, the bridge loans had been fully repaid. 

But for those involved, the true measure of success wasn’t financial. 

“The real win is that the doors stayed open,” Hulebak said. “Families’ lives were not disrupted, and children continued receiving the care and education they depend on.” 

The model also proved replicable. Using a similar approach, the YMCA of Metro Atlanta took the same idea to the Community Foundation for the CSRA in Augusta, Ga. to help keep its local Head Start programs operating during the shutdown. 

“This was a true partnership story,” said Mindy Binderman, who formerly served as executive director of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS). “None of this could have happened without relationships.” 

For leaders across the sector, the moment demonstrated the unique role a community foundation can play. 

“We were able to bring partners together and leverage resources quickly to meet a critical need,” Hulebak said. “That’s what community foundations do best.” 

Located on 48 acres near Athens, Woodland Gardens is led by veteran organic farmer Celia Barss, who has more than 22 years of farm management experience and is widely recognized as one of the region’s leading organic producers. The farm supports a full-time staff, operates more than 20 high tunnels and maintains relationships with dozens of restaurant and market partners throughout the region. 

When the longtime property owners decided to sell, Barss was ready to take over ownership of the farm business but faced a challenge familiar to many farmers: the high cost of farmland near growing urban areas. Through its innovative Buy-Support-Protect-Sell model, The Conservation Fund purchased the property and leased it to Barss, creating a patient pathway to ownership while ensuring the land remained in agricultural production. 

The Capacity Fund’s investment in the Farms Fund helps make transactions like this possible. By providing flexible capital, the fund can acquire threatened farmland, protect it through conservation easements and ultimately transfer ownership to farmers at an affordable price. At Woodland Gardens, that model is helping preserve one of the last fruit and vegetable farms in Athens-Clarke County while securing the future of a thriving local business. 

“Woodland Gardens represents exactly what the Farms Fund was created to achieve,” said Krisztian Varsa, Director of Farms Fund at The Conservation Fund. “With support from partners like the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, we are helping experienced farmers gain ownership of the land they steward, while ensuring that productive farmland remains protected and available for future generations.” 

As one of the first farmers in the Farms Fund portfolio to purchase their property, Barss and Woodland Gardens demonstrate how strategic investment can strengthen local food systems, preserve agricultural land and create lasting community impact across Georgia. 

Serving on the board of a nonprofit is one of the most meaningful ways people invest their time, talents, and leadership in the organizations and causes they care about most. Whether they’re joining the board of a local arts organization, school, community nonprofit, or national charity, board service offers an opportunity to make a lasting difference.

It also comes with important responsibilities.

As a trusted advisor, you’re uniquely positioned to help clients understand not only the rewards of nonprofit board service, but also the fiduciary duties that accompany the role.

Board Members Have More Than Advisory Responsibilities

Many first-time board members assume their role primarily involves attending meetings, supporting fundraising efforts, offering strategic guidance, and serving as ambassadors for the organization.

While those responsibilities are certainly important, nonprofit directors also have legal and fiduciary obligations that help ensure the organization’s long-term success.

Every nonprofit board member is generally expected to uphold three core fiduciary duties:

• Duty of Care: Actively participate in board meetings, stay informed, review financial information, and exercise sound judgment when making decisions.
• Duty of Loyalty: Put the interests of the organization ahead of personal interests and appropriately manage any conflicts of interest.
• Duty of Obedience: Help ensure the organization remains true to its mission while complying with applicable laws, regulations, and governing documents.

These responsibilities apply whether a client serves on the board of a small neighborhood nonprofit or a large national organization.

Governance Matters More Than Ever

The nonprofit landscape continues to evolve, bringing increased expectations for transparency, accountability, and governance.

Recent commentary suggests the IRS may revise Form 990 to require additional reporting around government grants, government contracts, and fiscal sponsorship arrangements. While these potential changes are still developing, they reinforce an important principle: nonprofit boards play a critical role in overseeing organizational compliance and financial stewardship.

Helping clients understand these responsibilities allows them to serve with greater confidence and effectiveness.

Questions to Ask Clients Serving on Boards

If a client mentions joining a nonprofit board, consider using the opportunity to start a broader conversation about governance and leadership.

A few thoughtful questions can go a long way:

• Have you participated in a board orientation?
• Do you feel comfortable reading and understanding the organization’s financial statements?
• Have you reviewed the nonprofit’s conflict-of-interest policy?
• Are there any aspects of your board service you’d like to better understand?

These conversations reinforce your role as a trusted advisor while helping clients maximize both their impact and their effectiveness as nonprofit leaders.

The Community Foundation Is Here to Help

At the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, we work alongside nonprofits across the region every day. That gives us a unique perspective on effective governance, board engagement, and philanthropic best practices.

Whether your client serves on the board of a local nonprofit, has established a donor-advised fund, or is exploring broader charitable planning opportunities, our team is available to serve as a resource.

Together, we can help clients align their charitable giving, board service, and philanthropic goals with their broader financial, tax, and estate planning strategies—ensuring they make a meaningful impact both in the boardroom and in the community. Reach out to a member of our team.

But eventually, many clients begin asking a different question:

“What happens to the property after we’re gone?”

Sometimes the next generation has moved across the country. Sometimes the costs and responsibilities of maintaining a second home have become burdensome. And sometimes, despite the memories, the children simply aren’t interested in owning the property.

When these conversations arise, they can create an opportunity to introduce a charitable planning strategy that many clients—and even many professional advisors—have never considered: a retained life estate.

What Is a Retained Life Estate?

A retained life estate allows a client to make a completed charitable gift of a personal residence or farm while retaining the legal right to live in or use the property for the rest of their lifetime.

Because the gift is completed during the donor’s lifetime—even though they continue using the property—they may also qualify for a current charitable income tax deduction based on the present value of the charity’s future interest. As always, clients should consult their legal and tax advisors regarding their specific circumstances.

While the strategy has existed for decades, it often goes overlooked. Yet, it can be an excellent option for clients who own highly appreciated vacation homes, family farms, hunting properties, or second residences that no longer fit comfortably into their family’s long-term plans.

How It Works

The concept is surprisingly straightforward.

• The client transfers ownership of the property to the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (or another qualified public charity) through a retained life estate deed.
• The client retains the right to live in or use the property for the rest of their lifetime.
• The client continues paying property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and other expenses, just as they always have.
• Upon the client’s death, the Community Foundation takes ownership of the property, typically selling it and using the proceeds to support the charitable causes the client has chosen.

For many donors, this creates the best of both worlds: they continue enjoying a cherished property while knowing it will someday support the charitable legacy they envision.

Questions to Ask Clients

A retained life estate isn’t the right solution for every client, but asking a few thoughtful questions can help determine whether the strategy deserves a closer look.

• How important is it that this property stays in the family?
• Have your children expressed interest in owning or maintaining it?
• If the property were eventually sold, what impact would you like those proceeds to have?
• Could this property become part of your charitable legacy while you continue enjoying it during your lifetime?

Even when a retained life estate isn’t ultimately the right fit, these conversations often lead to broader discussions about family priorities, estate planning, charitable giving, and legacy.

Helping Clients Create Lasting Legacies

Every family property has a story. For some clients, a retained life estate offers an opportunity to preserve the enjoyment of a beloved home while creating a charitable legacy that reflects the values those memories helped shape.

If you have a client who owns a highly appreciated second home or family farm and is beginning to think about the property’s future, don’t assume the only options are keeping it or leaving it to the next generation. A retained life estate may open the door to a meaningful charitable planning conversation.

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta is here to help you explore whether a retained life estate—or another charitable giving strategy—aligns with your client’s philanthropic and financial goals. Reach out to a member of our team. 

For many people, a job is about more than a paycheck. 

It provides stability, dignity, purpose, and a pathway to long-term financial security. But for individuals experiencing homelessness, returning from incarceration, recovering from substance use, or overcoming other significant barriers, finding meaningful employment often requires more than a traditional hiring process. 

Across the country, employment social enterprises are helping bridge that gap by creating businesses that intentionally hire people facing barriers to work while surrounding them with the support they need to succeed. 

Through the GoATL Community Capacity Fund, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta is investing in that model by providing $250,000 to REDF Impact Investing Fund (RIIF), a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides flexible financing to employment social enterprises and nonprofits nationwide. 

Addressing a Critical Financing Gap 

The investment also responds to a need identified much closer to home. 

During the Community Foundation’s 2025 Nonprofit Sustainability Roundtable Series, nonprofit leaders across Greater Atlanta consistently identified access to flexible working capital as one of the sector’s greatest challenges. Delayed government reimbursements, rising operating costs, and limited financing options have left many organizations struggling to sustain and grow programs that communities depend on. RIIF’s bridge loans, lines of credit, and working capital products are designed to help nonprofits navigate those challenges.  

Building on the Foundation’s earlier investment in Nonprofit Finance Fund and its partnership through the Nonprofit Sustainability Fund, RIIF adds another mission-aligned lending partner with specialized expertise in supporting workforce-focused nonprofits and employment social enterprises to the metro Atlanta ecosystem. 

Financing Organizations That Create Opportunity 

Unlike traditional lenders, RIIF focuses exclusively on businesses and nonprofits whose mission is to employ individuals who have historically been excluded from the workforce. 

Its financing helps organizations grow while providing wraparound supports such as housing assistance, mental health counseling, legal services, financial coaching, and workforce development. 

Since its founding, RIIF has deployed more than $18 million across 49 investments in 18 states, supporting more than 47,000 jobs. Today, three out of four borrowers provide four or more supportive services alongside employment, helping workers build lasting economic stability. 

The results are significant: workers experience strong retention rates, increased wages, and opportunities to transition into permanent employment. 

More Than Capital 

The Community Foundation’s investment represents more than financial support. 

As RIIF expands its presence in Georgia, the Community Foundation will serve as a strategic partner helping connect workforce nonprofits with flexible financing solutions while strengthening relationships across Atlanta’s nonprofit and workforce development ecosystem. 

Together, the partnership will expand access to bridge loans, lines of credit, and other flexible financing tools that help nonprofits manage cash flow, sustain operations, and grow their impact. 

“With affordable capital and a network of experts to strengthen financial health of local non-profits, RIIF will direct GoATL Community Capacity Fund capital towards expanded revenue generating opportunities and access to new markets that create quality jobs for people overcoming barriers to work.”  Carrie McKellogg, CEO, RIIF    

When nonprofits have access to the right financial tools, they can focus on what they do best: creating opportunity, strengthening communities, and changing lives. Through the GoATL Community Capacity Fund, the Community Foundation is helping ensure those organizations have the resources they need to do just that. 

For 75 years, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has connected generosity with the needs and possibilities of our region. GoATL represents part of what comes next: using more forms of capital to help promising solutions grow and communities thrive. 

Read the GoATL 2025 Impact Report. 

Interested in helping expand this work? Start a conversation with our team. 

For many families, eviction doesn’t begin with years of financial instability. It begins with an unexpected expense. 

A car repair. A medical bill. A missed paycheck. 

For households already stretched thin, a single financial shock can quickly spiral into an eviction filing, threatening housing stability, disrupting employment, interrupting children’s education, and increasing the risk of homelessness. 

In metro Atlanta, that challenge has reached alarming levels. In 2025, more than 144,000 eviction filings were recorded across the five-county Atlanta region—more than in New York City or the entire state of Virginia and the highest total among the locations tracked by Eviction Lab. 

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta believes communities are strongest when we invest not only in responding to crises, but in preventing them. 

That’s why, through the GoATL Community Capacity Fund, the Foundation recently made a $150,000 investment in The Flagstone Initiative, an innovative nonprofit helping families stay housed by intervening before eviction proceedings ever begin. The initiative has also been funded through the Community Foundation’s TogetherATL Housing & Neighborhoods Fund.

A Different Approach to Eviction Prevention 

Traditional eviction assistance often arrives after families have already fallen behind on rent or entered the legal system. By then, the costs—to families and communities—have multiplied. 

Flagstone works much earlier. 

The organization provides $500, no-interest, no-fee microloans paid directly to landlords on behalf of renters facing a temporary financial setback. The loans help bridge a short-term gap before a missed payment becomes an eviction filing. 

Borrowers repay the loans over time through affordable weekly payments, with no credit check, no credit reporting, and no penalties. 

It’s a simple idea with the potential for significant impact. 

Nationally, 97 percent of borrowers remain stably housed 90 days after receiving a loan, and borrowers remain in their homes 87 percent longer than comparable households who do not receive assistance. 

Investing in Innovation 

The GoATL Community Capacity Fund was created to provide flexible capital to innovative intermediaries and mission-driven organizations that have demonstrated promising solutions but need patient, flexible capital to grow. 

For Flagstone, the investment will help expand its upstream eviction prevention model throughout metro Atlanta while strengthening the region’s broader housing stability ecosystem. 

Already, the organization has reached more than 5,700 rent-burdened households across Greater Atlanta and originated 330 microloans through partnerships with organizations including PadSplit, Open Doors Atlanta, and Nuveen Real Estate. 

The City of Atlanta has also selected Flagstone through a competitive process to administer its Eviction Prevention Microloan Program. 

More Than Capital 

The Community Foundation’s role extends beyond financing. As a partner through the GoATL Community Capacity Fund, the Foundation will help convene partners, strengthen relationships across Atlanta’s housing ecosystem, and support Flagstone as it scales its model throughout the region. 

“For thousands of families, just $500 in non-predatory credit can make all the difference. Upstream prevention improves housing stability, a win for the entire community.” —Keith Pelczarski, Co-founder, The Flagstone Initiative 

It’s an example of how philanthropic capital can do more than fund programs; it can help accelerate innovative solutions that strengthen communities before crises occur. Sometimes, preventing a housing crisis begins with something as simple as a $500 loan—and a community willing to invest in prevention. 

For 75 years, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has connected generosity with the needs and possibilities of our region. GoATL represents part of what comes next: using more forms of capital to help promising solutions grow and communities thrive. 

Read the GoATL 2025 Impact Report. 

Interested in helping expand this work? Start a conversation with our team. 

*All data in this article is verified according to Flagstone’s program data.

This summer, four metro Atlanta nonprofits are exploring that answer with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Through a partnership between the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the Partner for Innovation (PIN) Summer Internship Program, college students are helping organizations put responsible AI into practice, building tools and systems that strengthen capacity long after the summer ends. 

“Artificial intelligence isn’t the goal. Stronger nonprofits are,” said Lauren Thomas Priest, Senior Program Officer at CFGA. “We’re excited to explore how responsible AI can help organizations work more efficiently so they can spend more time focused on the people and communities they serve.” 

Following a competitive application process, four college students worked alongside local nonprofits to help turn responsible AI strategies into practical, sustainable tools that strengthen their organizations for years to come. 

Get to Know The Interns 

Rayna Pherwani 
Major: Industrial Engineering  
University: Georgia Institute of Technology 
Quote: “This summer, AI surprised me by both being incredibly intelligent but also lacking common sense. On one hand, AI is an incredibly powerful tool. It can analyze complex topics, write code, and analyze tons of information in a matter of a few seconds. But it can also miss out on very crucial and core parts of problems that we urgently need solutions to.” 

Mahlangu Nzunda 
Major: Computer Science 
University: West Virginia State University 
Quote: “If AI could instantly take one task off my plate, I’d love for AI to be my assistant to help me keep in touch with friends and family. I usually struggle to schedule phone calls with friends and family back in my home country because of time zone differences, so it would be amazing if AI could help find a time that works for everyone.” 

Evelyn Akintobi
Major: Information Technology
University: Georgia Southern University 
Quote: “This summer, AI surprised me about how much it can improve productivity, obviously without replacing human judgment. The best results came from combining AI with human judgment. AI just helps to speed up the process, but we still need to make the important decisions.” 

Solomon Rayton
Major: Computer Science
University: Fort Valley State University 
Quote: “AI has the chance to become a tool that from an optimistic lens will allow discovery and identity of true passions.” 

“The nonprofit sector has always adapted to meet changing community needs,” continued Priest. “This internship is one example of how we’re investing in organizations that are on the ground meeting those needs today, as well as the leaders and the tools that will enable these organizations to continue meeting community needs in the future.” 

The internship builds on the Foundation’s broader investment in nonprofit innovation and capacity building. In 2025, CFGA awarded $1 million for 17 organizations to participate in the Google-sponsored AI Opportunity Accelerator, led by Project Evident. The program equipped nonprofit leaders with the knowledge, frameworks, and support to responsibly explore how AIcould strengthen operations, improve program evaluation, increase fundraising, and better serve their communities. 

Now, four of those organizations are taking the next step. 

The Scholarship Academy, the Latin American Association, Soul Food Cypher, and Georgia ACT have each partnered with a PIN intern to help implement and expand their AI initiatives. Throughout the summer, interns are developing AI tools, researching software solutions, and capturing lessons that can help sustain these efforts long after the internship ends. 

The goal isn’t simply to introduce new technology. It’s to build lasting organizational capacity. 

The experience is also creating the next generation of philanthropic leaders. 

In addition to their work with nonprofits, the four interns are participating in a collaborative grantmaking pilot with the Annie E. Casey Foundation Atlanta Civic Site, The R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation, the Tull Charitable Foundation, and the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation. Together, the interns are learning firsthand how philanthropy works by evaluating community needs, reviewing nonprofit partners, and developing grant recommendations for the participating foundations. 

“Small improvements can go a long way in nonprofits,” said Rayna Pherwani, a summer intern with the Latin American Association. “A lot of times in nonprofits, we have one person wearing three, five, 20 different hats. Nonprofits are stretched very thin. Even an AI solution that can save someone 30 minutes a day can make a huge and meaningful difference.” 

By bringing together tomorrow’s leaders and on-the-ground community partners this pilot reflects CFGA’s belief that lasting impact happens when we all work together to solve shared challenges. 

For 15 years, Soul Food Cypher has been creating something increasingly rare: a place where people truly listen to one another.

On the fourth Sunday of every month, emcees, rappers, and lovers of hip hop culture gather in a circle at CreateATL in Adair Park. One by one, participants freestyle, challenge one another with wordplay, and create music together in real time. There are no scripts, no rehearsals—just creativity, connection, and community.

“It’s one of the few places where people give one another their undivided attention,” said Alex Acosta, founding executive director of Soul Food Cypher. “You’re standing in a circle. It’s eye-to-eye. When someone speaks, you allow them to speak.”

For Acosta, those moments are about much more than music. They’re about addressing one of today’s greatest challenges: loneliness.

“We’re losing third spaces in America,” he said. “People need places where they belong, where they have a voice and a sense of purpose.”

That mission made Soul Food Cypher a natural fit for the Community Foundation’s AI Opportunity Accelerator, which helps nonprofits explore practical ways artificial intelligence can expand their impact while staying rooted in their mission.

Building Community Beyond the Cypher

While Soul Food Cypher’s monthly events are deeply impactful, Acosta recognized one challenge.

“The cypher is ephemeral,” he said. “People come together for one incredible night, and then it dissipates until the next month.”

Through the Accelerator, Soul Food Cypher began developing the Soul Food Cypher App, a digital platform designed to keep participants connected between events while extending the organization’s sense of community beyond the monthly gathering.

The organization is also using AI in creative ways during its live events. One of Soul Food Cypher’s co-founders is developing an AI-powered “bar counter” that helps emcees stay synchronized with the beat, giving newer performers confidence as they freestyle.

For Acosta, AI isn’t replacing the human experience—it is enhancing it.

Learning New Possibilities

Although Acosta had already been experimenting with AI before joining the Accelerator, the program expanded his understanding of what was possible.

“I was familiar with ChatGPT,” he said, “but the Accelerator introduced us to tools like Claude and Gemini and gave us an entirely new framework for thinking about AI.”

More importantly, the program paired Soul Food Cypher with PIN summer intern Solomon Rayton, whose technical expertise accelerated the organization’s vision.

A rising senior at Fort Valley State University, Solomon not only brought strong technical skills, but also understood Soul Food Cypher’s culture. Both he and Acosta grew up on Atlanta’s east side, and Solomon’s lifelong connection to hip hop made him an ideal collaborator.

“He hit the ground running,” Acosta said. “In the past, working with interns sometimes felt like I was doing the work. With Solomon, he immediately became a true partner.”

Photo Credit: Soul Food Cypher

Throughout the summer, Solomon worked alongside app developer Troy “Flash The Philosopher” Gooden to help bring the Soul Food Cypher app to life.

Acosta doesn’t hesitate when describing Solomon’s impact. “Out of 10 stars, I give Solomon 11.”

The internship may have officially ended, but the partnership has not.

Solomon plans to remain involved with Soul Food Cypher as the app continues to develop and as the organization expands its work with young artists across Atlanta.

“I see the need to inspire the next generation,” Acosta said. “Solomon is part of that. That’s how we continue to stay relevant and ensure we’ll be around for another 15 years and beyond.”

Photo Credit: Soul Food Cypher

Technology That Creates More Human Connection

For Acosta, the Accelerator reinforced an important belief.

“The most exciting part of AI is being able to focus on the work instead of the repetitive tasks,” he said. “We’re a small nonprofit, so every hour matters.”

That efficiency allows Soul Food Cypher to spend more time where it matters most: creating spaces where people connect, communicate, and grow together.

For Soul Food Cypher, AI isn’t replacing community. It’s helping build stronger, more connected communities—one freestyle at a time.

Growing nonprofit capacity through AI

Through a partnership with the Partner for Innovation (PIN) Summer Internship Program, CFGA is helping nonprofits build long-term capacity through responsible AI. Four organizations that completed CFGA’s Google-sponsored AI Opportunity Accelerator, The Scholarship Academy, the Latin American Association, Soul Food Cypher, and Georgia ACT, were paired with college interns to implement, strengthen, and document their AI projects. This internship program ensures the tools and practices developed through the Accelerator can be sustained and shared across the nonprofit sector. This pilot builds on the Foundation’s 2025 investment of $1 million, sponsored by Google, to equip 17 nonprofits with the training, resources, and support needed to responsibly adopt AI and strengthen their impact.