Foundation Strengthens Cherokee County Nonprofits with Grant Writing Academy and Support
Cherokee County- Nonprofits in Cherokee County, Alabama, are getting a boost thanks to a new initiative by the Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation aimed at strengthening local organizations beyond just financial support. The Foundation recently hosted a free Grant Writing Academy that provided vital training to nearly 100 nonprofit leaders, including from Cherokee County, equipping them with the skills needed to secure funding and tackle long-term community challenges.
From Atrium Health Floyd:
Building Capacity, Not Just Funding: Foundation Aims to Broaden its Impact:
Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation Launches New Education Effort
ROME, Ga., JULY 28, 2025 – Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation wants to set a new tone for how nonprofits in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama can work together to create lasting impact.
The Foundation’s recent Grant Writing Academy is just the beginning of a broader initiative to serve as a convener, collaborator and resource hub—not merely a funder. By equipping nonprofit leaders with tools, training and opportunities to connect, the Foundation aims to strengthen the entire ecosystem of community service.
“We believe our role goes far beyond funding,” said Dan Bevels, president of Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation. “We want to be a catalyst for collaboration and a source of knowledge and support. When nonprofits are empowered with the right resources, they can do extraordinary things for the people they serve. This workshop is just the start of what we hope will be a long-term investment in building capacity across our region.”
Attendees of the free session organized by Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation said the event was a win for area non-profits that are often searching for funding to support projects that benefit the communities they serve.
The Georgia Clinical & Translational Science Alliance, which includes Emory University, Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, provided experts for Thursday’s event at Berry College’s Christopher Browning Pavilion at Oak Hill to help provide participants with the skills needed to navigate the grant-writing process.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the experts who made this workshop possible,” Bevels said. “We recognize that many nonprofits operate with limited resources and may not have access to specialized training like this. Our hope is that by equipping them with the tools to secure funding, we’re also helping them build long-term capacity to address the deeper, systemic challenges facing our communities.”
Nearly 100 people participated, including Tammy Amos, with Children and Seniors Assistance Foundation(CSAF) in Cherokee County, Alabama.
“This is fantastic,” Amos said. “It will help us in the future knowing how to find funding for projects. We are really grateful to the foundation for helping pull this together.”
CSAF helps provide home access and safety needs for seniors, veterans and widows. It also operates a Christmas for Kids program and provides hygiene products to seniors, children and homeless people in the community.
Sarah Colombo,branch services andgrant manager for the Sarah Hightower Regional Library, agreed that the workshop was beneficial.
“The information they provided about finding and sourcing data was very useful. This event likely provided many nonprofits with important training they might not be able to otherwise afford,” Colombo added.
Antonio Burnette, director of advancement at Rome’s Unity Christian School, was also impressed.
“This was absolutely awesome,” said Burnette. “Unity Christian is looking at its options to expand, and that takes money. This workshop definitely helped provide some tools to help us find funding options.”
Bevels said these efforts are born of the Foundation’s desire to tackle the root causes of challenges facing our communities. By fostering collaboration and investing in long-term solutions, the Foundation aims to help nonprofits move beyond temporary fixes and toward systemic change. This approach reflects a deeper commitment to sustainability and measurable impact.
“We want to help our communities thrive—not just survive,” said Bevels. “That means supporting nonprofits in ways that allow them to address the underlying issues that create barriers to health, opportunity, and well-being. Our goal is to be a partner in building lasting solutions, not just short-term relief.”
Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation was founded in 2021 as part of the strategic combination between Floyd Medical Center and Atrium Health. The Foundation supports creative approaches by Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center and Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center to address important community needs, such as food, housing and mental health challenges, and to improve access to care across the communities served by Atrium Health Floyd
In just two years, the Foundation has awarded more than $2.6million in community grants to nonprofits in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama as well as an additional $6 million in grants, donations and sponsorshipsaimed at improving wellness and access to health care in the communities served by Atrium Health Floyd.
About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Healthand Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd strategically combined with Harbin Clinic in 2024 and employs more than 5,200 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at four facilities: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 361-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health,also in Rome. Together, Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic provide primary care, specialty care and urgent care throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.
