O. Wayne Rollins Foundation

OVERVIEW: The O. Wayne Rollins Foundation supports higher education, science research, public health, and well-being in the state of Georgia and particularly in Atlanta.

IP TAKE: This funder typically sticks to large and well-established institutions in the Atlanta area, but Rollins is still a good name to know around town. It lacks transparency, restricting further information.

PROFILE: Established in 1967, the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation is an independent foundation in Atlanta, Georgia. The foundation is named for the family patriarch, Orville Wayne Rollins, who died in 1991. Rollins is the parent company of Orkin and one of the largest pest control conglomerates in North America. Grantmaking areas of interest include higher education, science research, public health, and well-being.

The foundation does not have its own website to guide grant seekers. However, it is listed on the Orkin website as one of two Rollins philanthropic foundations. Past support includes Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, Young Harris College, Camp Sunshine, and several churches in Georgia. Overall, the foundation awards large grants for naming rights and department chairs. The funder gave $10 million to fund the building that now houses the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta. The foundation also paid to establish the R. Randall Rollins chair in oncology for science research.

Foundation grants tend to be over $1 million each. However, the foundation also awards smaller grants in the $5,000 to $50,000 range for local causes. Review the funder’s recent tax records to learn more about its local giving. The foundation's giving is largely focused on the state of Georgia and the Atlanta area in particular. The foundation does not publicly share its grantmaking guidelines.

This foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits, as it only funds pre-selected organizations.

PEOPLE:

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