What Lettie Pate Evans Foundation does

The Lettie Pate Evans Foundation is an independent private foundation established in 1945 and headquartered at 191 Peachtree Tower in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Founded by Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans — a pioneering businesswoman who joined The Coca-Cola Company board in 1934 as one of the first female directors of a major U.S. corporation — the foundation was endowed with her estate upon her death in 1953. It invests primarily in two program areas: education (private colleges and universities in Georgia, plus select independent schools and a pediatric medical residency program in partnership with Emory/Children's Healthcare of Atlanta) and arts and culture (mid-sized to large cultural organizations in metro Atlanta and Georgia), with occasional grants to legacy Virginia organizations supported by Mrs. Evans during her lifetime.

The foundation operates a structured capital-catalytic grantmaking model, distributing large, one-time grants for capital projects and capacity building rather than ongoing operating support. Applications are submitted through Blackbaud's YourCause grant portal and decisions are made by an independent Board of Trustees at semi-annual meetings (April and November) following February 1 and August 15 deadlines. In 2025, the foundation paid $21,450,111 across 10 grants, with individual grant sizes ranging from $500,000 to $8.6M. Over the 2021-2025 period, 51 grants totaling $128,345,361 were paid, and since inception more than 1,000 grants totaling $475M+ have been awarded. The foundation's endowment stood at $635,931,328 at year-end 2025.

Operationally, the foundation shares office space and administrative staff with three other Whitehead-family foundations — Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, and Robert W. Woodruff Foundation — under a long-standing arrangement originating from the friendship between Mrs. Evans and Robert W. Woodruff. Each foundation maintains an independent Board of Trustees, and a single grant request is considered across all four entities. The foundation operates with a lean staff of 11-50, supported by a Trustee Chair (E. Jenner Wood III), Vice Chair (Lawrence L. Gellerstedt III), and President (Erik S. Johnson, appointed 2025), and is also trustee of a restricted fund that provides annual support to 14 designated nonprofits established by Mrs. Evans's will.

Name

Lettie Pate Evans Foundation

Legal name

Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://lpevans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Lettie Pate Evans Foundation is an independent private foundation established in 1945 that distributes grants primarily to education and arts and culture nonprofits in metro Atlanta and Georgia, with occasional Virginia grants, from a $635.9M endowment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Private grantmaking foundation
• Education grant programs
• Arts culture funding
• Nonprofit endowment grants
• Philanthropic capital grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Endowment-based Grantmaking: The Foundation operates as a private endowment that distributes grants from investment returns. Mrs. Evans established the Foundation in 1945 and endowed it with her estate upon her death in 1953. More than 95% of annual spending goes directly to grantmaking. Assets at year-end 2025 were $635,931,328.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

The Lettie Pate Evans Foundation is an independent private foundation that invests primarily in education and arts and culture by awarding grants to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in metro Atlanta, Georgia, and occasionally Virginia. The Foundation also administers a fellowship program for recent graduates interested in philanthropy and serves as trustee of a restricted fund providing annual support to 14 designated nonprofit organizations established under Mrs. Evans's will.

Product overview

The Lettie Pate Evans Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that does not offer technology products or services. The Foundation operates a grants program focused on education and arts and culture, providing funding to qualified 501(c)(3) organizations in Georgia and Virginia. The Foundation's offerings include grantmaking programs, a fellowship program for recent graduates interested in philanthropy, and an online grant portal (Blackbaud YourCause) for application submission and reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Grants Program Grantmaking program that invests in private colleges and universities in Georgia, a limited number of independent schools that are historic grantees, and health education through a pediatric medical residency partnership, with grants supporting capital projects and one-time institutional priorities.
• Arts & Culture Grants Program Grantmaking program that supports mid-sized to large nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in metro Atlanta and Georgia for capital and capacity-building priorities, with grants typically ranging from $500,000 to over $40 million.
• Fellowship Program Program for recent graduates interested in philanthropy that places Fellows on the Foundation's staff to gain exposure to foundation operations and grantmaking.
• Restricted Fund Annual Support (Evans Will Fund) The Foundation serves as trustee of a restricted fund established by Mrs. Evans's will that provides annual support to 14 designated nonprofit organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 grants totaling $475 million awarded since 1945
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Joseph B. Whitehead FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1945Related foundation sharing office and staff with Lettie Pate Evans Foundation. Both foundations were established by members of the Whitehead family. Grant requests submitted to any foundation are considered by all three.
• Lettie Pate Whitehead FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1945Related foundation sharing office and staff with Lettie Pate Evans Foundation. Both foundations were established by members of the Whitehead family. Grant requests submitted to any foundation are considered by all three.
• Robert W. Woodruff FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1945Related foundation sharing office and staff with Lettie Pate Evans Foundation. This arrangement came about through the friendship between Mrs. Evans and Mr. Woodruff, longtime leader of The Coca-Cola Company. Grant requests submitted to any foundation are considered by all four.
• CandidminorOthersNonprofit resource organization that provides comprehensive data and insights about the social sector, including free nonprofit trainings, fundraising resources, and complimentary access to Foundation Directory for organizations that complete their Candid profile.
• Community Foundation for Greater AtlantaminorOthersConnects donors, nonprofits and community leaders to strengthen the 23-county Atlanta region. Offers grant opportunities and a resource hub for nonprofits in metro Atlanta.
• Georgia Center for NonprofitsminorOthersWorks to create thriving communities by helping nonprofits succeed. Offers resource hubs, training, consulting, the GAgives platform, and the national Work for Good job board.
• United Way of Greater AtlantaminorOthersBrings together people and resources to drive sustainable, equitable improvements in well-being of children, families and individuals in the 13-county metro area. Offers grant opportunities and resources for nonprofits and individuals.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Annie E. Casey Foundation: Major U.S. private foundation with comparable asset scale and an education/youth-development focus. Operates as a private foundation making multi-year, multi-million dollar grants in education and community development.
• Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations (>$15B), historically active in education, arts, and economic inequality. Comparable as an endowed private foundation making large, transformative grants, though operating nationally and globally.
• The Kresge Foundation: National private foundation of similar asset scale (~$4B) focused on education, arts & culture, health, and community development. Comparable in operating model (private foundation, multi-sector programmatic giving, capital grants) but with a national footprint.

Others

• Emory University Office of Development: While a university rather than a foundation, Emory is a recurring institutional recipient of Lettie Pate Evans grants (e.g., pediatric residency with Children's Healthcare) and operates a similarly large Atlanta-based education and research endowment.
• The Coca-Cola Foundation: Corporate foundation of The Coca-Cola Company, the same company Lettie Pate Evans helped build. While focused on global water, education, and community programs, it shares the Atlanta heritage and overlapping education focus area.

Direct peers

• Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation: Sister Whitehead-family foundation sharing office and staff; focused on higher education, senior care, and conservation. Operates under the same shared administrative model and grantmaking cycle.
• Robert W. Woodruff Foundation: Sister Whitehead-family foundation sharing staff and offices with Lettie Pate Evans Foundation. Awards multi-million dollar grants in education, health, arts, and civic priorities in Georgia — operating under effectively the same grantmaking infrastructure.
• Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation: Companion Whitehead-family foundation sharing office and staff with Lettie Pate Evans Foundation. Focused on education and youth development in Georgia with similar grantmaking structure, decision cadence, and application process.

Regional players

• Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta: Atlanta-area community foundation making grants across the 23-county region. Comparable as a Georgia-focused grantmaker of similar scale but operates as a public community foundation serving many donors rather than a single-family private foundation.
• Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation: Atlanta-based private foundation funding youth development, education, and the arts in Georgia. Comparable as an Atlanta-focused private grantmaker with similar program areas and capital-grant orientation, though with a broader statewide focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Lettie Pate Evans Foundation