World class higher educational institutions. Home to some of the biggest corporations and hottest start-ups in the U.S. A cultural and entertainment scene to envy. Access to some of the best urban parks, hiking and biking trails. Great neighborhoods and a high quality of life for an urban area its size. There is so much to love about this city that is on the move and future focused.
There’s also broad agreement and concern that Atlanta children born into poverty have very limited prospects of escaping. In fact, the area ranks 48 for upward economic mobility among the country’s 50 largest metro areas*, and health and life outcomes for too many are not good.
Launched with more than 50 local philanthropic investors, GreenLight Atlanta represents the city’s extraordinary philanthropic spirit and ambition to find innovative approaches created and proven elsewhere to help make significant, measurable progress toward a brighter and more equitable future.
of children in the 10-county region are proficient in reading in third grade
highest underemployment rate of the country’s 50 largest metro areas
of the population of the Atlanta metro area lives in poverty, with poverty rising fastest in the suburbs
We search from coast to coast to bring promising, ground-breaking answers to some of metro Atlanta’s most persistent poverty-related challenges. Organizations in our portfolio represent the best in their fields – in innovation, measurable results and ability to scale.
“Metro Atlanta is known as a region of leaders that impacts the business ecosystem and affects social change on a global scale. The Metro Atlanta Chamber is pleased that the GreenLight Fund chose Atlanta for its newest market because it will help our region continue to innovate across the nonprofit sector and transform lives in the process. I’m personally excited to see how our business community has embraced GreenLight’s mission and poured out their support.”
– Hala Modedelmog, CEO, Metro Atlanta Chamber
“Our city has many virtues – and pressing needs. The Marcus Foundation is pleased to join a broad group of Atlanta philanthropists to support the launch of GreenLight Atlanta. We are impressed by GreenLight’s visionary leadership team, their focus on implementing best-in-class anti-poverty solutions from across the nation and by the self-sustaining nature of their model. GreenLight’s impact in other cities has been profound, and we believe that they will be transformative here in Atlanta.”
– Bernie Marcus, Chair of Marcus Foundation
“GreenLight’s success in other cities gives us great confidence that the GreenLight Method is just what we need to take our efforts and innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to problem-solving here in Atlanta to the next level.”
– Mike Dickerson, CEO, ClickDimensions
“GreenLight will be community driven by local leadership and with the full support and collaboration of longstanding organizations like the Community Foundation. Their approach to first listen and learn, and discover the issues affecting our communities, means putting resources and proven solutions where they will have the greatest impact.”
– Alicia Philipp, President, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Learn how you can be part of the GreenLight Atlanta community.
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