Nonprofits in Georgia: A Data Deep Dive

Georgia — and Atlanta in particular — holds a unique position in the American nonprofit landscape. It's a state where the civil rights movement's institutional legacy intersects with a booming Sun Belt economy, world-class healthcare institutions, and one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country. With 52,914 registered nonprofit organizations generating $107.6 billion in annual revenue and holding $214.3 billion in assets, Georgia ranks 10th nationally in nonprofit revenue — a position that reflects Atlanta's emergence as the economic capital of the American South.

Per capita, Georgia's nonprofits generate approximately $9,900 in revenue per resident — below the national average of $12,400. This reflects the state's large rural population and the concentration of nonprofit economic activity in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Greater Atlanta is home to an estimated 70% of the state's nonprofit revenue, creating one of the sharpest urban-rural nonprofit divides in the nation.

The Top 10: Emory, Healthcare, and National Brands

1. Emory University (Atlanta) — $7.3 billion
2. Emory Healthcare (Atlanta) — $6.8 billion
3. WellStar Health System (Marietta) — $5.9 billion
4. Piedmont Healthcare (Atlanta) — $5.4 billion
5. Habitat for Humanity International (Atlanta) — $3.8 billion
6. CARE USA (Atlanta) — $3.1 billion
7. The Carter Center (Atlanta) — $1.1 billion
8. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (Atlanta) — $2.9 billion
9. Augusta University Health (Augusta) — $2.4 billion
10. Grady Memorial Hospital (Atlanta) — $2.1 billion

The Emory system — university plus healthcare — dominates Georgia's nonprofit sector with a combined $14.1 billion in revenue. But what makes Georgia distinctive is the presence of major national and international nonprofits headquartered in Atlanta: Habitat for Humanity International, CARE USA, The Carter Center, and the American Cancer Society all call the city home.

The Civil Rights Legacy

No discussion of Georgia's nonprofit sector can ignore its civil rights heritage. Atlanta was the home of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the birthplace of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the headquarters of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. This legacy lives on through nonprofit institutions that continue to shape the national conversation about race, justice, and equality:

• The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) — Founded by Coretta Scott King in 1968, the center preserves Dr. King's legacy and promotes nonviolent conflict resolution
• The Carter Center — Founded by President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter, focused on advancing human rights, resolving conflicts, and eradicating diseases globally. The Center's near-eradication of Guinea worm disease is one of the great public health achievements of the modern era
• Southern Poverty Law Center (though headquartered in Montgomery, with significant Atlanta operations) — Tracks hate groups and litigates civil rights cases
• National Center for Civil and Human Rights — Museum and cultural center in downtown Atlanta connecting the American civil rights movement to global human rights
• Morehouse College — The nation's only historically Black college exclusively for men, alma mater of Dr. King, with deep ties to civil rights organizations
• Spelman College — The nation's leading historically Black college for women
• Clark Atlanta University — Part of the Atlanta University Center, the largest consortium of HBCUs in the nation

The Atlanta University Center (AUC) — comprising Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, and the Morehouse School of Medicine — is the largest contiguous consortium of historically Black colleges and universities in the world. Collectively, these institutions generate over $2 billion in annual revenue and educate thousands of students who go on to serve in nonprofit, public, and private sector roles.

"Atlanta's nonprofit sector was forged in the civil rights movement. The same institutional networks that organized marches and voter registration drives now operate food banks, health clinics, and community development organizations across the city." — Georgia Center for Nonprofits, 2024

The CDC's Orbit: Public Health Nonprofits

The presence of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta has created a unique ecosystem of public health nonprofits that exists nowhere else in the country:

• CDC Foundation — The official nonprofit partner of the CDC, channeling private funding to support CDC initiatives. Revenue exceeds $400 million annually
• Task Force for Global Health — One of the largest nonprofits in the world by revenue (over $3 billion), managing programs for disease elimination, vaccine distribution, and public health capacity building. Often cited as one of the most efficient large nonprofits in existence
• American Cancer Society (Atlanta HQ) — One of the most recognized nonprofit brands in the world, with over $800 million in annual revenue
• Emory Global Health Institute — Leveraging the university's proximity to the CDC for collaborative research
• Carter Center health programs — Working alongside the CDC on disease eradication campaigns

The CDC's presence has also attracted the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory, which is consistently ranked among the top public health schools in the nation. The symbiosis between the CDC (government), Emory (nonprofit university), and organizations like the CDC Foundation and Task Force for Global Health creates a public health nonprofit ecosystem unique to Atlanta.

Category Breakdown: Where the Money Flows

• Health (NTEE E): ~$45.2B (42.0%) — Emory Healthcare, WellStar, Piedmont, Children's Healthcare, Grady
• Education (NTEE B): ~$16.1B (15.0%) — Emory, Georgia Tech Foundation, Morehouse, Spelman, private K-12
• International Affairs (NTEE Q): ~$10.8B (10.0%) — CARE, Carter Center, Task Force for Global Health, Habitat Intl.
• Human Services (NTEE P): ~$9.7B (9.0%) — Atlanta Community Food Bank, United Way, social services
• Philanthropy & Grantmaking (NTEE T): ~$7.5B (7.0%) — Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Woodruff Foundation, corporate foundations
• Religion (NTEE X): ~$5.4B (5.0%) — Over 8,700 religious organizations, reflecting the Bible Belt
• Diseases & Conditions (NTEE G): ~$3.2B (3.0%) — American Cancer Society, disease-specific organizations
• All other categories: ~$9.7B (9.0%)

Georgia's unusually high International Affairs share (10%) reflects the concentration of global nonprofits headquartered in Atlanta — a feature shared with very few other states.

Religious Organizations: The Bible Belt Factor

Georgia sits in the heart of the Bible Belt, and this is reflected in its nonprofit landscape. With approximately 8,700 registered religious nonprofits, religious organizations make up roughly 16% of all Georgia nonprofits by count — higher than the national average.

Key features of Georgia's religious nonprofit landscape:

• Black church tradition: The Black church has been the most important institutional force in Georgia's African American communities for over two centuries. Ebenezer Baptist Church (Dr. King's church), Big Bethel AME, and hundreds of congregations across the state serve as both spiritual homes and community service hubs
• Megachurches: Georgia is home to some of the nation's largest megachurches, including North Point Community Church (Andy Stanley), and several churches with revenues exceeding $50 million annually
• Catholic Charities Atlanta: Serves thousands annually with refugee resettlement, housing, and social services
• Interfaith diversity: Atlanta's growing international population has expanded the religious nonprofit landscape to include Hindu temples, Islamic centers, Buddhist communities, and Sikh gurdwaras

The Foundation Landscape

Georgia's philanthropic infrastructure is anchored by several major foundations, many with roots in the city's corporate establishment:

• Robert W. Woodruff Foundation — With $7.5 billion in assets, it's one of the largest private foundations in the Southeast. Named for the longtime Coca-Cola president, it has invested billions in Emory University, which is sometimes called "Coca-Cola University" due to the depth of Woodruff family support
• Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta — $1.4 billion in assets, serving the 23-county metro Atlanta region
• The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation — Founded by the Home Depot co-founder, focused on early childhood, community greening, and Atlanta neighborhoods
• The Goizueta Foundation — Named for former Coca-Cola CEO Roberto Goizueta, supporting education and social services
• The UPS Foundation — Corporate foundation of Atlanta-based UPS, one of the largest corporate giving programs globally
• The Coca-Cola Foundation — One of the most recognized corporate foundations in the world, distributing over $150 million annually

The Woodruff Foundation's relationship with Emory University is one of the most consequential foundation-university partnerships in American philanthropy. Woodruff family gifts have totaled over $4 billion to Emory, transforming it from a regional institution into a top-20 national research university.

Community Development: Atlanta's Neighborhoods

Atlanta's rapid growth has created both opportunity and displacement, fueling a robust community development nonprofit sector:

• Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP) — Creating affordable housing and mixed-income communities across metro Atlanta
• Purpose Built Communities — Founded in Atlanta, this national model for holistic neighborhood revitalization started with the transformation of the East Lake neighborhood, which went from one of the most violent communities in the U.S. to a thriving mixed-income community
• Westside Future Fund — Working to revitalize Atlanta's historic Westside neighborhoods adjacent to the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium without displacing existing residents
• Atlanta BeltLine Partnership — Nonprofit supporting the BeltLine, one of the most ambitious urban redevelopment projects in the country, converting a 22-mile railroad corridor into trails, parks, transit, and affordable housing
• Atlanta Community Food Bank — Distributing over 80 million pounds of food annually through 700+ partner agencies

Rural Georgia: The Other Side

Beyond Atlanta, Georgia's nonprofit landscape looks very different. The state's rural communities — particularly in South Georgia, the Black Belt, and the coastal plain — face acute challenges:

• Healthcare deserts: Rural hospital closures have left many Georgia counties without nearby emergency medical care. Several rural hospitals have closed in the last decade, forcing communities to rely on nonprofit free clinics and community health centers
• Poverty: Several Georgia counties have poverty rates exceeding 30%, driving demand for food banks, housing assistance, and social services far beyond what local nonprofits can provide
• Limited foundation funding: Metro Atlanta foundations focus primarily on the metro area, leaving rural nonprofits to compete for limited state and federal funding
• The Georgia Center for Nonprofits provides capacity building and advocacy statewide, but the urban-rural resource gap remains enormous

Savannah, Augusta, and Beyond

Georgia's secondary cities have distinct nonprofit identities:

• Savannah: Historic preservation nonprofits (Historic Savannah Foundation), arts organizations (SCAD — Savannah College of Art and Design, $500M+ revenue), and tourism-related nonprofits
• Augusta: Augusta University Health ($2.4B), the Medical College of Georgia, and the Augusta National Golf Foundation (funding from the Masters Tournament)
• Macon: Mercer University, community foundations, and neighborhood revitalization organizations
• Columbus: Military-adjacent nonprofits serving Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning) families

Challenges and Outlook

• Medicaid expansion: Georgia has not expanded Medicaid under the ACA, leaving an estimated 500,000+ residents in the "coverage gap." This creates enormous strain on nonprofit safety-net hospitals like Grady Memorial and community health centers
• Rapid growth: Metro Atlanta's booming population creates both opportunity and challenge — more donors and volunteers, but also rising costs and gentrification pressures
• Rural hospital closures: Georgia leads the nation in rural hospital closures, pushing more healthcare burden onto nonprofit clinics and emergency services
• Climate vulnerability: Coastal Georgia faces increasing hurricane and flooding risk, creating growing demand for disaster relief and environmental nonprofits
• Political polarization: Georgia's swing-state status has intensified political pressures on nonprofits engaged in voter registration, advocacy, and civic engagement

The Bottom Line

Georgia's nonprofit sector is a fascinating collision of history and modernity. The civil rights movement built the institutional infrastructure — the HBCUs, the churches, the advocacy organizations — that still forms the backbone of Atlanta's nonprofit community. The CDC created a public health ecosystem unlike anything else in America. Corporate Atlanta (Coca-Cola, UPS, Home Depot, Delta) built foundations that channel billions into the community. And Emory University, fueled by Woodruff Foundation billions, has become a world-class research institution. At $107.6 billion in revenue across 52,914 organizations, the Peach State's nonprofit sector reflects its dual identity: a global city with world-class institutions surrounded by rural communities where nonprofits are often the last safety net standing. The challenge — and the opportunity — is bridging that divide.