O Wayne Rollins Foundation

The O. Wayne Rollins Foundation operates as a deeply private, family-directed philanthropy with no open application process. The foundation's IRS filing explicitly marks it as preselected-only (`application_instructions: '__none__'`), and multiple sector databases confirm it does not publish guidelines or accept unsolicited requests. This is not a foundation you apply to — it is one you earn a relationship with.

The foundation was established in 1967 by O. Wayne Rollins, the founder of Rollins, Inc. (pest control and security services) and the patriarch of one of Atlanta's most prominent business dynasties. Today it is managed by RFA Management Co. LLC and governed by Rollins family members: Gary W. Rollins, Tim Rollins, Pam R. Rollins, and R. Randall Rollins serve as trustees, while Amy Rollins Kreisler serves as Executive Director at $212,500–$300,000 annual compensation. Kreisler is the primary relationship holder and decision-maker for day-to-day grantmaking.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on improving physical, mental, and spiritual well-being in Georgia, with Emory University as the institutional anchor. Emory received $33.7 million in general support in the most recent grantee dataset — representing over 83% of that year's grant pool in a single gift. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta ($5M), Shepherd Center (ongoing), and Emory RSPH ($445K) round out the institutional health and education cluster.

First-time grant seekers should understand that the path to funding runs through institutional reputation and personal trust, not competitive applications. Realistic entry points include: (1) organizations with existing Emory University partnerships or faculty affiliations, (2) Atlanta-area health systems or specialty hospitals with a capital or endowment need, (3) theological institutions with documented clergy-training missions, and (4) established community organizations in Atlanta's Buckhead/North Fulton corridor where the Rollins family is socially active. Organizations should build visibility in the Atlanta philanthropic community, seek board introductions, and cultivate a multi-year relationship before any funding conversation occurs.

The O. Wayne Rollins Foundation deploys significant capital — $28.6M to $40.3M in annual grants paid over the 2019–2022 period — but the distribution is highly concentrated and bimodal.

Scale: Total assets stood at $431.9M in FY2024, with net investment income generating $15–29M annually and asset sales supplementing distributions. Total giving reached $45.6M in FY2022, $38.3M in FY2021, and $34.5M in FY2020, suggesting a consistent 7–9% payout rate relative to assets.

Grant sizing: The typical grant size database shows a median of $25,000 but an average of $905,132 — a spread that reveals two distinct grantmaking tiers. The top tier consists of transformational institutional gifts: the single Emory University general support grant of $33.7M and the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta capital gift of $5M account for roughly 94% of the FY2022 grants paid pool. The mid-tier includes capital/renovation projects ($833K to the University of the Cumberlands library; $445K to Emory RSPH for Alzheimer's research). The bottom tier consists of small community grants ranging from $500 to $25,000 to local churches, nonprofits, and employee relief funds.

Geography: Georgia dominates at 62% of grants by count (20 of 32 tracked), with Iowa at 12% (4 grants) reflecting the company's Midwest business roots. Smaller grants surface in DC, FL, KY, NC, NY, TN, and VA.

By focus area: Higher education commands the overwhelming majority of dollar volume (Emory alone), with healthcare/hospitals second (Children's Healthcare, Shepherd Center), followed by theological education (Candler's $20M in February 2025), and scientific research (Alzheimer's, brain injury). Community and human services grants exist but are token-sized ($500–$10,000) relative to the institution-level gifts.

Trend: Grants paid grew from $24M (FY2015) to $40.3M (FY2022), a 68% increase over seven years, reflecting both asset appreciation and increased family philanthropic commitment.

The O. Wayne Rollins Foundation occupies a mid-large tier among Atlanta-based private foundations, with assets comparable to the Woodruff Health Sciences Fund but far below the largest regional funders like the Marcus Foundation or Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.

The Rollins Foundation's concentration at Emory University distinguishes it from peers who spread giving more broadly. The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, while 8x larger in assets, maintains a comparable preselected/invited structure and similarly favors named/endowed gifts to Atlanta institutions. The Marcus Foundation overlaps in the children's health space (Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is a shared grantee). For organizations that cannot access Rollins directly, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta offers the only open competitive pathway among regional funders of comparable scale. The Rollins Foundation's unusual bimodal grant structure — massive single-institution commitments alongside small $500–$10,000 community grants — reflects its hybrid identity as both an institutional endowment vehicle and a family-directed community philanthropy.

The foundation's most significant recent action was the $20 million gift to Candler School of Theology at Emory University, announced February 14, 2025. Described as the foundation's largest-ever Candler commitment, the gift funds Master of Divinity scholarships and was framed as honoring the Rollins family's Methodist roots in rural Georgia. This followed a separate 2024 action in which the foundation funded $25,000 tuition scholarships for students entering Emory RSPH's new online DrPH, MPH, and MHA programs for fall 2026 enrollment.

In FY2024, ProPublica data shows the foundation made 29 awards totaling approximately $39.8 million in charitable disbursements, with Amy Rollins Kreisler compensated at $212,500 as Executive Director — a reduction from the $300,000 reported in FY2021–2023, possibly reflecting a reorganization or salary adjustment.

Prior notable activity includes the construction contribution to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Arthur M. Blank Hospital and North Druid Hills Campus ($5M) and multi-year support for Shepherd Center's brain injury research directorship. The foundation has supported Shepherd Center continuously since 2008. No leadership changes, board departures, or program pivots beyond the theological education expansion have been announced publicly as of March 2026.

Do not submit an unsolicited application. This is not a procedural note — it is the single most important fact about this funder. The foundation's application instructions are formally coded as 'none' in IRS filings, and sector databases uniformly confirm it makes contributions only to preselected organizations. Any cold submission will be ignored or returned.

Build the relationship first, proposal second. The path to Rollins funding is through sustained presence in Atlanta's institutional and philanthropic networks. Attend events at Emory, the Shepherd Center Foundation, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Candler School of Theology where Rollins family members and Amy Rollins Kreisler are active. The Association of Fundraising Professionals Georgia chapter and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (Atlanta chapter) are productive networking venues.

Match the foundation's vocabulary. Grant purposes in the data reveal preferred framing: 'general support,' 'capital campaign,' 'renovation,' 'scholarship,' 'research,' 'leadership fund,' and 'endowment.' Avoid framing proposals as operational sustainability asks. The foundation funds legacy, named assets, and institutional advancement — not gap funding or program expansion grants.

Anchor your ask to Emory or a named Atlanta institution. Organizations with formal Emory affiliations, faculty partnerships, or shared patient/student populations are far more likely to appear on the trustees' radar. If your work can be linked to Rollins School of Public Health research, Winship Cancer Institute clinical outcomes, or Candler's ministry pipeline, that alignment should lead your relationship narrative.

Target the small-grant tier if pursuing community entry. The foundation does award sub-$25,000 community grants to Atlanta-area nonprofits, churches, and local organizations — likely at individual trustee discretion. These are relationship-based and personal rather than programmatic. Organizations in Roswell, North Fulton, or Buckhead with board members known to the Rollins family are best positioned for this tier.

Timing: The foundation has no published grant cycle. Capital campaign gifts and large institutional commitments appear to be negotiated year-round. Community gifts likely reflect trustee requests at board meetings, probably held quarterly.