Free funder guide · Georgia · Last checked 27 September 2026
Which Georgia environmental funders actually accept applications
Most private foundations in Georgia have already told the IRS they won't read your proposal. This page explains how to spot them, and lists 12 secular funders of environmental and conservation work in Georgia that do take applications, with what they fund, what they have given, and when they next open.
Almost every Georgia private foundation that takes applications and made an environmental grant also gave to a church, a YMCA or another religious charity in its latest filing, so this list leans on state programs, public funders and community foundations. Only two private foundations both passed that screen and take unsolicited requests for conservation work, and neither makes many grants inside Georgia.
From my own read of IRS filings, September 2026
In Georgia, 615 of the 812 private foundations with $1 million or more in assets that I could check tick the box on their tax return saying they don't accept unsolicited requests. That is 76%.
That leaves 197 larger Georgia foundations that say they will read an application. It is a higher share of closed doors than in Virginia (71%, 586 of 820), and the same share as in Maryland (76%, 559 of 739), counted the same way.
How I counted: every private non-operating foundation with a Georgia address on the IRS Exempt Organizations Master File (September 2026 release) reporting assets of $1 million or more, checked against its most recent e-filed Form 990-PF (almost all for tax years 2024 or 2025). There are 814; 2 had no e-filed return I could find, so they are left out of the count. Operating foundations, which mostly run their own programs, are left out, as they were for Virginia and Maryland. Counting them too gives 76% (658 of 865).
What the checkbox means
One small box on the tax return tells you whether to bother.
Every private foundation files Form 990-PF with the IRS each year. Part XIV, line 2 of that return has a checkbox. A foundation that ticks it is telling the IRS, in writing, that it chooses its grantees itself. A proposal sent to it is usually wasted work.
"Check here if the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."Form 990-PF, Part XIV, line 2
A foundation that leaves the box empty has to fill in lines 2a to 2d instead: who receives applications, what form they should take, any deadlines, and any limits on who or what it funds. For many small family foundations, those four lines are the only published guidelines they have.
The box does not tell you whether a foundation funds your kind of work. For that, read line 3a, the list of grants it actually paid. Check both before you write a letter of inquiry. Any foundation's return can be read free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
12 funders
Open to applications, and funding environmental work in Georgia.
Every funder below is secular, says it accepts applications (on its website or its tax return), and has paid grants to environmental or conservation groups in its most recent filing. Government programs are the exception: they file no tax return. Community foundations are listed by the program that fits environmental groups. Grant examples come from each funder's latest IRS filing unless the funder's own site is named.
Verified date on the funder's own site on 27 Sept 2026Expected based on last cycle; next not yet postedRolling applications any timeFiling only no website; from the tax return, confirm firstCheck site next date not posted; open their page
Statewide and regional public grantmakers
01
Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program
statewide
Georgia DNR's Conserve Georgia grants for local parks and trails of state or regional significance, stewardship of conservation land and state parks, and acquisition of critical land, including conservation easements. Nonprofits qualify if they are "primarily concerned with the protection and conservation of land and natural resources".
Typical grant
Local parks and trails projects $500,000 to $3,000,000; 25% match minimum; paid mainly by reimbursement (2026-2027 program manual).
Next deadline
Pre-applications close October 16, 2026 Verified. Invited second-level applications are due May 28, 2027.
How to apply
Online pre-application through DNR's GOSP portal; a competitive second-level application follows by invitation.
Small grants for projects that help the public see and appreciate nongame wildlife, rare native plants and natural habitats, with emphasis on State Wildlife Action Plan priorities. Nonprofits and local governments can apply; state and federal agencies cannot.
Typical grant
Up to $5,000, paid as reimbursement (its site).
Next deadline
February 4, 2027, 11:59 p.m. ET Verified. Selected projects are told by March 16, 2027.
How to apply
Online proposal form on the program page. Groups funded in the previous cycle must sit out a year.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration
Washington, DC · Georgia priority: Atlanta and all counties except Union, Fannin and Towns
Community partnerships that restore wetlands, streams and urban habitat and improve water quality, with local residents involved in planning and the work. Georgia is a named priority location in the 2026 request for proposals.
Typical grant
$30,000 to $150,000, 30 to 40 grants a year, with at least a 1:0.75 non-federal match (2026 request for proposals). Georgia grants in NFWF's latest filing, which does not name the program: Decatur Legacy Project $40,121 (Legacy Park restoration), Trees Atlanta $21,242, Athens Land Trust $19,963.
Next deadline
About early June 2027 Expected. The 2026 full proposals were due June 4, 2026; the 2027 request is not posted yet.
How to apply
Full proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system. Partnerships with several local partners are expected.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund
Washington, DC · historical longleaf pine range, including south and central Georgia
Voluntary restoration, enhancement and conservation of longleaf pine and bottomland forests with landowners, including recovery of stands hit by Hurricane Helene. Nonprofits are eligible.
Typical grant
$250,000 to $2,000,000, about 15 to 20 grants a year (2026 request for proposals). Georgia longleaf grant in NFWF's latest filing: Georgia Wildlife Federation $88,509 (longleaf pine on private land).
Next deadline
About late January 2027 Expected. The 2026 full proposals were due January 29, 2026; the 2027 request is not posted yet.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: National Coastal Resilience Fund
Washington, DC · coastal watersheds of Georgia
Nature-based projects that protect coastal communities from flooding and storms while improving habitat, from community capacity building and planning through design and restoration.
Typical grant
Average awards $100,000 to $1,500,000 for planning and design, and $1,000,000 to $7,000,000 for restoration (2026 request for proposals). Georgia coastal grants in NFWF's latest filing, which does not name the program: Georgia Conservancy $116,394 (oyster reef living shoreline design), Glynn Environmental Coalition $115,676 (coastal marsh resilience plan), St. Marys Riverkeeper $34,755.
Next deadline
About late March 2027 for pre-proposals Expected. The 2026 pre-proposals were due March 31, 2026; the 2027 request is not posted yet.
How to apply
Pre-proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system; full proposals by invitation.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Cumberland Plateau and Southern Appalachian Stewardship Fund
Washington, DC · northwest Georgia (Cumberland Plateau) and the Southern Appalachians
Forest and freshwater habitat restoration in the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, with limited funding for the Southern Appalachians. Nonprofits are eligible.
Typical grant
$250,000 to $750,000 with at least a 1:1 non-federal match (2025 request for proposals). Northwest Georgia example in NFWF's latest filing, which does not name the program: Limestone Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council (Trenton) $597,077, water quality for fish and mussels.
Next deadline
No current round posted Check site. The last request for proposals (2025) had full proposals due July 16, 2025.
How to apply
Full proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system when a round opens.
Atlanta · City of Atlanta, Brookhaven and unincorporated DeKalb County
Capital grants for community-led park improvements, including trails, invasive removal, wildlife habitat, community gardens and green infrastructure such as rain gardens. Applicants must be registered Friends of the Park groups.
Typical grant
Small Change grants up to $2,500 (Atlanta, Brookhaven, unincorporated DeKalb); Parks for All grants mostly $30,000 to $250,000 (City of Atlanta only), per its site. Its 2026 round awarded $3.5 million to 19 projects.
Next deadline
Grant interest form about mid-May 2027 Expected. The 2026 interest forms were due May 15, 2026.
How to apply
Register as a Friends of the Park group, then submit Park Pride's grant interest form; the process is multi-step and involves the parks department.
North Georgia Community Foundation: Community Grant Program
Gainesville · 18 North Georgia counties, including Hall, Forsyth, Lumpkin, Rabun and Union
Annual competitive grants for nonprofits based in Banks, Barrow, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Jackson, Lumpkin, Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union or White County. Groups apply in a track by budget size (above or below $1 million) and may ask for operating or program support; not capital campaigns.
Typical grant
Not published. Environmental grants from all its funds in its 2025 filing: Elachee Nature Science Center $217,789, Lake Lanier Association $20,000, Georgia ForestWatch $12,600, North Georgia Land Trust $10,000.
Next deadline
About summer 2027 Expected. The 2026 cycle closed August 17, 2026.
How to apply
One application per organization through NGCF's grant portal.
Community Foundation of Central Georgia: Nonprofit Grant Program
Macon · 21 Central Georgia counties, including Bibb, Houston, Baldwin and Laurens
Twice-yearly project grants for work with direct relevance to Central Georgia; environment is one of the categories it lists. Operating costs are usually not funded, and it considers one proposal per organization in any 12 months.
Typical grant
Up to $25,000; average $10,000 to $15,000 (its site). Its spring 2026 round of 22 grants included no environmental project.
Next deadline
December 31, 2026, noon Verified; decisions in late March. Then June 30, 2027.
How to apply
Online application through CFCG's grant portal (register at least one business day ahead), with a board authorization letter, budgets and the latest audit or 990.
Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation: McCloud Community Impact Award
Brunswick · Camden, Glynn and McIntosh counties
Competitive general operating support for 501(c)(3) organizations serving Camden, Glynn and McIntosh counties, one proposal per organization.
Typical grant
Up to $12,500 (its site). Environmental grants from all its funds in its 2024 filing: St. Simons Land Trust $77,001, Okefenokee Swamp Park $31,500, St. Marys Riverkeeper $12,250, Satilla Riverwatch Alliance $10,000.
Next deadline
About June to July 2027 Expected. The 2026 cycle ran June 2 to July 2, 2026, with awards in October.
How to apply
Online application through the portal linked from its grants page when the cycle opens; second-round candidates are interviewed.
Direct conservation and science-based conservation, with priority for threatened or endangered species and their habitat. It also funds guide and assistance dogs. Ongoing operating support gets lower priority, and it does not fund groups whose main focus is advocacy or litigation.
Typical grant
Median $25,097 across its 31 grants in 2025. Georgia grants: Atlanta-Fulton County Zoo $50,000, Georgia Aquarium $20,000; other examples include Turtle Survival Alliance $50,000 and Pines and Prairies Land Trust $10,920.
Next deadline
The 2026 round closed July 1, 2026. Its portal opens April 1 each year; groups not funded in the past three years must file an inquiry by June 1. Next round about April to July 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Online only, through its SmApply portal; first an initial inquiry, then an invited full application.
Carrollton · land conservation, so far in the Appalachians outside Georgia
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. It gives to two things, land conservation and literary arts. All three of its conservation grants went to land trusts working in western North Carolina and New York, so a Georgia land trust would be a new direction for it.
Typical grant
Five grants in 2025 totaling $1,510,000. Conservation grants: Open Space Institute $150,000, Blue Ridge Conservancy $135,000, Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina $125,000.
Next deadline
None, per the filing Filing only.
How to apply
A detailed written request with a copy of the IRS exemption letter, to Virginia McGee Richards, PO Box 2545, Carrollton, GA 30112. 501(c)(3) organizations only.
It is not exhaustive and it is not a ranking. Deadlines and guidelines change, so open each funder's own page before you start. Grants are competitive, and past grant sizes describe what a funder gave, not what it will give you. I list secular funders only.
The full version
Want this done for your own organization?
A Funding Roadmap ($1,200, flat fee) gives you ten to fifteen funders matched to your mission, place and size, the grants each one paid to groups like yours, how to apply, and a 12-month grant calendar. Every deadline is labeled the same way as on this page.
Email me your organization's name, rough budget and what you'd like funded. You'll get a written reply within two business days.
You fill in a short intake questionnaire, then answer one round of written follow-up questions.
About three weeks later you get the roadmap, a two-page note on how to use it, and 14 days of email questions.
Everything happens in writing. There are no calls or meetings.