Cobb Community Foundation distributed approximately $6.5 million in grants and scholarships in 2025, with 73 percent of that money staying inside Cobb County, President and CEO Shari Martin told Cobb In Focus magazine in a feature profile published in the July/August 2026 issue.
The foundation, which lists East Cobb among the communities it serves directly, now stewards more than $40 million in charitable assets, Martin said. Years ago, two-thirds of grantmaking dollars left the county. That ratio has flipped.
"Our future is not about becoming bigger. It's about helping our community become stronger," Martin told writer Cory Sekine-Pettite for the profile, published July 10.
Match Magic more than doubled
CCF's Match Magic Giveathon raised more than $1.7 million for 27 local nonprofits in three weeks during 2025, according to the foundation's 2025 Impact Report. That more than doubled the $811,000 raised for 25 nonprofits in 2024. More than 1,000 unique donors participated.
The top fundraiser was Matthew 25:40 Car Care Ministry, led by David and Rebecca McCoy, which raised $385,327 toward a $400,000 goal to complete a multi-use building on the campus of Macland Community Church. The ministry provides affordable auto repairs for low-income families.
Where the grants went
No single category received more than 17 percent of total 2025 grants, reflecting broad distribution across cause areas. Education programs took the largest share, followed by faith-based initiatives, healthcare, and youth services, according to CCF's Impact Report.
Martin has reframed the foundation's strategic direction around what she calls a "Community Catalyst" role, emphasizing local problem-solving over fund management. The plan focuses on four areas: organizational effectiveness, expanded nonprofit capacity, community problem solving, and collective giving.
Circles Cobb and Vital Signs
The profile also spotlights Circles Cobb, a local chapter of the national Circles USA program that helps families achieve economic mobility. Martin said the first cohort significantly increased participant incomes, though the foundation did not disclose cohort size or timeframe in the feature.
CCF also launched Vital Signs, a long-term community needs initiative with Kennesaw State University and Neighborhood Nexus, to study factors affecting quality of life across the county. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation coordinated the Cobb Community Food Fleet, which distributed 4.4 million pounds of food through Truist Park and other sites over 15 months in 2020-21.
Getting connected
More information about CCF programs is available at cobbfoundation.org. Martin told the magazine that participation doesn't require wealth: "You don't need to be wealthy, and you certainly don't need to have all the answers."
