Community Foundation of Central Georgia highlights growth, grants and community programs
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Summary
Catherine Dennis, president of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, described the foundation’s growth since 2002, its role in downtown and neighborhood grants (including Knight Neighborhood Challenge and Downtown Challenge), scholarship programs and collaborative violence-prevention efforts serving 21 counties with a strong focus on Bibb County.
Catherine Dennis, president of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, told Makin' It podcast listeners the foundation has grown from roughly $21.5 million in assets when she arrived in 2002 to a larger, more diversified endowment supporting local grants and initiatives. "We give away almost I think this year, we had 225 scholarships, about half $1,000,000," Dennis said, urging seniors to apply by the Feb. 28 deadline at cfcga.org.
Dennis described several multiyear grant programs that helped catalyze downtown investment. She said Knight Foundation provided approximately $5 million over five years for the Knight Neighborhood Challenge, and that a combination of public and private investments tied to the College Hill Corridor plan ultimately totaled in the hundreds of millions in local redevelopment and economic activity. The Downtown Challenge, she said, operated at roughly $3 million across three rounds and funded projects such as seasonal lighting, public gatherings and small public-space improvements that drew more visitors downtown.
The foundation has also supported public art through a juried process and outside consultants; Dennis acknowledged some community controversy over installations but said the projects "activated that space" and increased public engagement. She described a juried selection process and an advisory role for national artists and consultants in choosing work.
On community engagement, Dennis highlighted the foundation’s On the Table program — facilitated neighborhood conversations that seed small "conversation to action" grants (typically up to $1,000) to help residents pilot ideas, with host training and follow-up requirements. She said On the Table events tend to run every two years to avoid participant and staff fatigue.
Dennis emphasized partnership and equity in the foundation’s grantmaking, noting the foundation’s COVID-era collaboration with United Way and other local partners to distribute emergency funding. "More than 50% of our grants went to Black-led organizations," she said, adding that outcome was driven by outreach and the existing local leadership base rather than an imposed quota.
The foundation serves 21 counties and is based in Bibb County; Dennis said about 79% of funds are currently directed to Bibb County while the remainder support neighboring counties. She also described donor-advised funds, scholarship cycles, and a donor-relations practice the foundation uses to understand donor intent and legacy priorities. "When we work with a donor... we want to know their story," she said.
Dennis credited donors and local partners — including Peyton Anderson Foundation and Knight Foundation — for enabling the foundation’s expanded programming, and stressed sustainability for nonprofit grantees: "What are your sources of income? How can you do this without relying on grant money?" she asked, urging collaborations to reduce overhead and improve long-term viability.
The interview closed with Dennis noting the foundation’s board and staff contributions and thanking the community for ongoing philanthropic support. The foundation lists grants and scholarships and application deadlines at cfcga.org.
Next steps: seniors interested in scholarship aid were reminded to apply by Feb. 28; those who want information on grants and donor services were directed to the foundation website.
