Argo Foundation Inc.

## Approach & Strategy

Argo Foundation Inc. is a small private non-operating foundation established in 1993, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and administered by The Northern Trust Company at 191 Peachtree Street NE. The foundation operates as a discretionary grantmaking vehicle with no public application process, suggesting it functions as a family or donor-advised style private foundation serving the personal philanthropic interests of its principals.

The foundation's strategy centers on hyper-local community investment in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Roughly 85-90% of grants go to Atlanta-based organizations, with occasional support for national organizations with local presence or personal connections (Sweet Briar College in Virginia, Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston). The grant portfolio reveals a blended approach: supporting anchor institutions (Central Presbyterian Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Columbia Theological Seminary) alongside direct service nonprofits (AG Rhodes Home elder care, Agape Youth and Family Center, Midtown Assistance Center).

A distinctive feature is the presence of donor-advised fund pass-throughs among grantees — organizations like "Rich And Caye Oglesby Family Charity," "Frances And Michael Williamson," and "Jack Williamson Charitable Fund" appear to be DAF vehicles at Northern Trust or similar custodians, suggesting the foundation distributes to family members' charitable funds rather than only to operating nonprofits. This pattern is common in single-family foundations managed by wealth management firms.

The foundation meets its IRS 5% minimum distribution requirement through a combination of direct grants to nonprofits and pass-through distributions to related charitable funds. In 2022, total distributions were approximately $290,768 from assets of $1.14M, well above the required minimum of ~$57,000.

## Funding Patterns

Annual Giving Volume: The foundation has shown consistent annual grant-making activity, with total distributions (grants paid) growing from approximately $87,000 in 2011 to $290,768 in 2022 — a 234% increase over eleven years. This growth reflects both investment appreciation and increased giving ambition.

Asset Base: Book assets of ~$1.08M (2024) sit within a pool with a much higher fair market value — the 2022 filing showed a FMV of approximately $2.86M for the investment portfolio. The foundation's primary asset is a corporate stock holding of ~$1.08M book value.

Grant Size Distribution (2022 fiscal year): - Largest grants: $60,419 (Oglesby Family Charity pass-through), $40,500 (Central Presbyterian), $30,802 (Shakespeare Charitable Fund) - Mid-range: $10,000-$25,000 to established organizations (AG Rhodes, Agape Youth, Midtown Assistance Center, Atlanta Resource Foundation) - Small grants: $1,000-$3,000 to a wide range of organizations (Red Cross, Atlanta Mission, Boy Scouts, Cherokee Garden Library) - Total grant count in 2022: approximately 28 organizations/funds

Revenue Sources: Primarily contributions from donors ($250,596 in 2022), supplemented by investment income ($2,997 dividends, $1,582 capital gains). No earned revenue or program-related investments.

Funding Cycle: Annual discretionary grantmaking; no identified application cycle or RFP process. Administrative expenses are modest (~$12,600 management fees to Northern Trust in 2022, $4,600 accounting fees).

Key Trend: Distribution amounts have increased steadily with each year: 2015 ($103,500), 2019 ($209,485), 2020 ($238,797), 2021 ($275,777), 2022 ($290,768), indicating consistent growth in grantmaking generosity.

## Peer Comparison

The following table compares Argo Foundation Inc. to similarly-sized private foundations in Atlanta, Georgia based on publicly available IRS 990-PF data.

Key Observations: - Argo Foundation is significantly smaller than its Atlanta private foundation peers, with assets roughly 4-5x lower than comparable foundations in the same city - Its annual giving (~$290K) is proportionally high relative to its asset base, indicating a generous distribution rate well above the 5% IRS minimum - Unlike larger Atlanta family foundations, Argo does not appear to have a formal program area or strategic focus — grants are broadly distributed across religion, social services, education, healthcare, and community organizations - The presence of Northern Trust as custodian places this foundation within a network of wealth-management-administered charitable vehicles, a structure more common for mid-market family foundations than institutional grantmakers - Peer foundations in the $1-5M asset range in Atlanta tend to focus more narrowly; Argo's broad portfolio suggests personal relationship-driven grantmaking rather than strategic philanthropy

## Recent Activity

Based on 2022 IRS 990-PF data (the most recent available), Argo Foundation Inc. made 28 grants totaling approximately $290,768. Notable 2022 grantees include:

Largest Grants (2022): - Rich And Caye Oglesby Family Charity — $60,419 (pass-through/DAF distribution) - Central Presbyterian Church (Atlanta) — $40,500 - Shakespeare Charitable Fund — $30,802 (likely arts/literature organization) - Frances And Michael Williamson Charitable Fund (New Orleans) — $23,755 - Jack Williamson Charitable Fund (Atlanta) — $21,861 - Sarah & Brayden Bennett Charitable Fund (Atlanta) — $16,931

Community Service Organizations (2022): - AG Rhodes Home (Atlanta elder care) — $15,000 - Agape Youth And Family Center — $12,500 - Midtown Assistance Center — $10,000 - Atlanta Resource Foundation — $10,000 - Jack And Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation — $2,500 - Community Helping Place (Dahlonega, GA) — $2,500

Religious Institutions (2022): - Central Presbyterian Church — $40,500 - Trinity Presbyterian Church — $10,000 - Presbyterian Church of Greater Atlanta — $2,500 - Macedonia Road Baptist Church — $1,500 - Columbia Theological Seminary — $1,000

Education (2022): - Children's Literature For Children — $10,000 - Sweet Briar College — $3,000 - Westminster Schools (Oglesby Fund) — $2,000 - GCSU Foundation (Georgia College) — $1,000

Healthcare (2022): - Children's Healthcare Of Atlanta — $2,500 - Dana Farber Cancer Center — $2,000

The foundation's 2024 fiscal year assets of $1.08M show a slight decline from the 2022 peak of $1.14M, likely reflecting continued distributions in excess of investment returns. Revenue in fiscal year 2024 was $193,605, suggesting continued, if slightly reduced, grantmaking activity.

## Application Tips

Critical Note: Argo Foundation Inc. does not accept unsolicited grant applications. The foundation's website (argo.org) is a placeholder ("Coming Soon") with no public-facing information, and no application portal, RFP, or contact information has been identified through public sources.

Who Gets Funded: - The grant portfolio is dominated by organizations with pre-existing relationships to the foundation's principals — churches, schools, and community organizations in central Atlanta where the founding family has deep roots - Pass-through distributions to named family charitable funds (Oglesby, Williamson, Bennett) suggest the foundation serves multiple family members - Presbyterian and general Protestant religious institutions feature prominently

If You Believe You Have a Relationship Connection: 1. Contact The Northern Trust Company, Atlanta office at 191 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 2000, Atlanta, GA 30303 — this is the foundation's listed address and likely where administrative contact can be made 2. Identify whether you have a personal connection to the foundation's principals — without a relationship, prospects are very low 3. Focus on alignment with Atlanta-based community service, religious programming, elder care, youth development, or education — these are the documented grant categories 4. Grant requests from $1,000 to $15,000 appear to be the practical range for new or smaller relationships; the largest grants ($40K+) appear to go to long-standing anchor relationships

Practical Expectations: - Typical award range: $1,000–$15,000 for community organizations without prior relationship - Turnaround: Likely annual cycle with no formal deadline - Reporting requirements: Unknown; as a small family foundation, informal relationship-based stewardship is most probable - Geographic eligibility: Effectively limited to Atlanta, GA metro area, with rare exceptions for national institutions with personal connections