Fernbank, Inc. by Jonathan Phillips

Grants | Program Areas

Arts & Culture

We invest in major arts and cultural organizations that contribute to a vibrant community. 

When Atlanta lost prominent arts leaders in the 1962 Orly plane crash, it came together to create a memorial arts center. Understanding the need for an arts hub to connect the city and to support its growth, Mr. Woodruff helped establish what is now known as the Woodruff Arts Center. 

Today, our giving focuses on developing best-in-class organizations in metro Atlanta with significant audiences and strong financial operations. We tend to play a participatory rather than a lead role in funding the arts, which makes up a small part of our average grants portfolio (see chart). 

We occasionally support projects outside Atlanta that promote community development in Georgia cities and have a broad base of support from local donors. 

We do not fund endowments, exhibits, festivals, films, individual artists, operating support, performances, publications, sponsorships or specific works of art. 

A young girl with brown hair in a pink shirt holding a colorful paper umbrella, looking at it with a smile while an adult male and another person help her outside in a green, leafy environment. 
Atlanta Botanical Garden

What We Fund

  • Capital and capacity-building priorities of major arts and cultural organizations in metro Atlanta 

  • Significant projects outside Atlanta that drive economic growth in Georgia cities 

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