Centurion Holdings 1 Inc.

Centurion Holdings 1 Inc. is a private operating foundation — a critically important distinction for any grant seeker approaching this organization. Unlike traditional grantmaking foundations, it does not award competitive cash grants through an open application cycle. Instead, it holds and deploys real estate assets (valued at $318.7M as of FY2023) to support nonprofit organizations by developing, financing, and leasing facilities on their behalf. The related operating entity, The Centurion Foundation (founded 1996), executes this mission through direct project engagement.

Organizations that can benefit from Centurion are those facing a capital-intensive real estate challenge: a health system that needs a new clinic or medical office building, a university that needs student housing or research space, or a local government that needs a community facility. The foundation structures customized financial solutions — acquiring land, developing the facility, arranging financing, and then leasing the completed structure back to the nonprofit at below-market rates — which lowers occupancy costs and removes construction and financing risk from the charitable organization's balance sheet.

First-time applicants should understand this is not a grant relationship but a real estate partnership. There is no LOI to submit, no RFP to respond to, and no online portal. The process begins with a phone call or email to The Centurion Foundation's Atlanta office (404-233-9000 / info@centurionmail.org) to describe the facility need. Leadership — Greg Grove (Founder & Vice Chairman) and Ben Mingle (CEO & Chairman) — evaluate fit based on the nonprofit's mission, creditworthiness, sector, and the viability of the real estate project itself.

Organizations that have successfully engaged Centurion tend to be established nonprofits in healthcare or higher education with identifiable facility needs, credible leadership, and the operational capacity to occupy and manage a purpose-built space. The foundation's 100+ completed transactions worth $850M+ signal a highly experienced partner that moves efficiently once a project is in scope.

Centurion Holdings 1 Inc. does not report traditional grant disbursements in its IRS Form 990PF filings — the grantee schedule shows zero individual grant recipients. This is consistent with its classification as a private operating foundation (IRS foundation code 04): charitable value is delivered through the foundation's direct operations (facility development and leasing), not through grants to third parties. The "total giving" figures in its financials represent facility-related charitable disbursements and operating support rather than discrete grants.

Financial trajectory tells the real story: - FY2020: Total assets $92.0M | Total giving $873,642 | Revenue $853,013 - FY2021: Total assets $146.6M | Total giving $3,575,692 | Revenue $3,639,500 - FY2022: Total assets $318.7M | Total giving $6,436,225 | Revenue $6,338,549 - FY2023: Total assets $318.7M | Total giving $6,436,225 | Revenue $6,338,549

Asset growth of approximately 246% over three fiscal years reflects aggressive real estate acquisition. The giving-to-assets ratio is deliberately low (~2%), consistent with a real estate holding model where the primary charitable impact is the below-market lease structure itself — not cash disbursement. All officer compensation is reported as $0, suggesting the operating personnel are compensated through The Centurion Foundation entity rather than the Holdings vehicle.

Geographically, Centurion's completed transactions span the United States (100+ deals nationwide), with its headquarters and leadership base in Atlanta, GA. There is no disclosed concentration in a single state or region. Sectorally, the split is weighted heavily toward nonprofit healthcare and higher education, with local government as a secondary focus. No program-area breakdown is available in public filings.

Centurion Holdings 1 Inc. sits in a peer cohort of similarly sized private foundations (roughly $309M–$319M in assets), all classified under NTEE major code T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking). However, the peer group spans vastly different philanthropic models, making direct comparison instructive for understanding what Centurion is and is not.

The key analytical point: Centurion Holdings 1 Inc. is the only private operating foundation in this peer set. The others are conventional grantmaking foundations that award cash to third-party nonprofits. Centurion's charitable impact is embedded in its real estate transactions — a structure that makes it largely invisible in typical grant databases but potentially far more impactful for qualifying organizations facing facility capital gaps.

No major press announcements, leadership changes, or new program launches for Centurion Holdings 1 Inc. have surfaced in public sources during 2025–2026. The organization maintains a deliberately low public profile consistent with its relationship-driven, project-by-project operating model.

The most significant recent observable activity is financial: total assets held at $318.7M for both FY2022 and FY2023, suggesting the real estate portfolio has stabilized after rapid growth in 2021–2022. Annual giving has also plateaued at $6.4M across the same two fiscal years, which may indicate the organization is fully deployed and managing its current portfolio rather than actively adding new projects.

The foundation received its IRS tax-exempt ruling in July 2021, making it a relatively young legal entity (though The Centurion Foundation operating entity has been active since 1996). Greg Grove is listed as Founder and Vice Chairman; Ben Mingle serves as CEO and Chairman — leadership continuity appears stable. The leadership team has collectively completed over 100 real estate financing transactions totaling more than $850M, which represents an unusually deep track record for a foundation of this age.

Understand what you are asking for. Centurion Holdings 1 Inc. is not a grant funder — approaching it with a grant proposal will result in a dead end. The ask is a real estate partnership: you need a facility developed, financed, or acquired on your behalf. Frame every communication around your facility challenge, not your program budget.

Qualify your organization first. Centurion works with nonprofit health systems, higher education institutions, and local governments. If your organization is a small human services nonprofit, a community arts group, or an advocacy organization, you are outside the target sectors. Do not pursue this relationship unless you operate in healthcare, higher education, or government-adjacent services.

Start with a phone call, not a written proposal. The contact page explicitly invites a first conversation: 404-233-9000 or info@centurionmail.org. Introduce yourself, describe your organization's sector and scale, and articulate the specific facility challenge in two or three sentences. Let Centurion's leadership determine whether there is a fit before investing in detailed documentation.

Quantify the facility need precisely. Centurion evaluates projects on viability — square footage required, geographic market, timeline, and the financial sustainability of the lessee organization. Come prepared with: square footage and program requirements, timeline for occupancy, your organization's current real estate situation (owned vs. leased), and a clear explanation of why the existing situation is a barrier to mission delivery.

Demonstrate organizational creditworthiness. The foundation is effectively acting as a lender and developer. Your organization's financial health, audited statements, leadership stability, and mission track record are all scrutinized. Prepare your most recent audited financials and be ready to discuss revenue stability.

Avoid cold outreach to leadership on LinkedIn or social channels. Centurion operates with a professional services ethos. Use the official contact channels and allow time for a response — there is no published turnaround window, but a follow-up call within two weeks of an unanswered email inquiry is reasonable.