GAINESVILLE — Four North Georgia nonprofits will share $200,000 in Opportunity Grants from the North Georgia Community Foundation (NGCF) to expand youth programs, education initiatives, recovery services and accessibility projects across the region.
The grants, announced Friday, support organizations launching new services or scaling existing ones to meet community needs. Abi Carter, NGCF’s vice president of strategic initiatives, said the funding is meant to help nonprofits “take transformative actions that expand their impact and address urgent or emerging needs in our community.”
Catalyst Christian Learning Center received $30,000 to expand its program into White County Middle School. The new partnership will offer biblically based, character-focused elective classes for grades 6–8, emphasizing leadership, relationships, decision-making and personal development. Funds will support curriculum development, teacher salaries, classroom preparation and transportation.
Cleveland Care Center was awarded $55,000 toward the installation of an elevator to improve accessibility and allow full use of its upstairs space. The facility houses group life-skills classes, K-12 tutoring, CPR training and storage for the organization’s thrift store. The center will raise an additional $20,000 to complete the project.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier received the largest award — $75,000 — to launch a new middle school program at the Walters Club in Hall County. The initiative will serve students districtwide and aims to close a significant service gap, as Hall County currently offers no after-school programming for middle schoolers. The program will particularly focus on Chestatee Academy and South Hall Middle, both Title I schools serving predominantly low-income families.
J’s Place, which provides recovery support services, was awarded $40,000 to open a second facility in Dawson County. The expansion will help cover start-up facility costs, including office space and overhead, and will allow the center to offer one-on-one peer recovery coaching, employment assistance, résumé support, access to local treatment resources and social and service activities for individuals affected by substance-use disorder.
NGCF’s Opportunity Grant Program is supported by the NGCF Community Fund, a permanent charitable resource used to address regional needs.
More information is available at ngcf.org.
