The Ma-Ran Foundation

The Ma-Ran Foundation is a private family foundation created in 1991 by R. Randall and Margaret 'Peggy' Rollins — the name itself derives from its founders, 'Ma' for Margaret and 'Ran' for Randall. Grants flow almost exclusively through personal relationships and longstanding institutional partnerships. The foundation's application instructions are explicitly listed as none, and its grantee selection is restricted to preselected organizations. Unsolicited applications are not accepted and will not be reviewed.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on deep, multi-year relationships with a concentrated portfolio of beneficiaries. Of 57 tracked grants totaling $55.4 million, the top 10 recipients account for roughly 85% of all dollars distributed. Organizations like Beebe Healthcare (supported since 1985), The Lovett School, Atlanta Speech School, and Emory University have received cumulative seven-figure support across decades of engagement. This pattern reflects a philanthropic approach that rewards trusted partners rather than cycling in new grantees through competitive processes.

Decision-making authority rests with the Rollins family board — trustees include R. Randall Rollins, Margaret H. Rollins (deceased December 2025), Pam Rollins, Tim Rollins, and Gary W. Rollins — with day-to-day operations managed by Executive Director Amy R. Kreisler through RFA Management Co. LLC in Atlanta. Kreisler is herself a Rollins family member (Amy Rollins Kreisler), meaning institutional knowledge and personal values are deeply intertwined in every grant decision.

For organizations seeking entry into the Ma-Ran ecosystem, the key is authentic alignment with the family's generational commitments: pediatric and adult mental health services, healthcare facilities in greater Atlanta and the Delaware coast, K-12 education (especially independent and faith-adjacent schools), community health, and specific Rollins family legacy institutions. New organizations that have gained support typically share a geographic or sector connection with established grantees or have been introduced through personal networks.

The December 2025 death of co-founder Margaret Rollins and the dramatic FY2024 asset expansion — from $63 million to $690 million — represent a pivotal moment. The foundation is entering a new chapter under second-generation Rollins trustees with a significantly enlarged endowment, potentially signaling a period of strategic review and possibly expanded or formalized grant-making.

The Ma-Ran Foundation's giving has grown substantially over the past decade. Annual grants paid rose from approximately $3.0 million (FY2012-FY2013) to $4.5-$4.9 million (FY2014-FY2015), then climbed to $8.7 million (FY2021), $11.9 million (FY2022), $14.6 million (FY2023), and a record $43.6 million in FY2024 — nearly tripling year-over-year. The FY2024 surge was directly tied to $662.6 million in new contributions received, expanding total assets from $63.1 million to $690.4 million.

Across the tracked grant dataset (57 grants, $55.4 million total), the average grant is $972,737 — but this average is heavily skewed by several large single-year transfers. The median grant is $50,000, revealing a strongly bi-modal distribution: a handful of anchor gifts in the $3-7.5 million range alongside a steady stream of smaller annual gifts between $10,000 and $550,000.

By sector, the portfolio breaks down approximately as follows: - Healthcare and mental health: ~40% (George West Mental Health Foundation/Skyland Trail $7.5M, Beebe Medical Foundation $4.0M, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory Alzheimer's research $3.2M, Atlanta Ronald McDonald House $1.7M) - Education: ~35% (Rollins Child Development Center $8.5M across two grants, Lovett School $6.2M, Atlanta Speech School $4.1M, Schenck School $100K, Ben Franklin Academy $100K) - Arts and culture: ~9% (Atlanta History Center Swan House Ball $4.97M) - Faith-based and community: ~8% (Peachtree Rd United Methodist Church $998K across multiple gifts, United Way $110K) - Wildlife and other: ~8% (Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research $10K, Habitat for Humanity $52K in-kind, CASA $20K)

Geographically, 82% of grants by count flow to Georgia (47 of 57), with 11% to Delaware (6 grants), 4% to Texas (2 grants), and individual grants to Alabama and Ohio. The Delaware portfolio centers entirely on Beebe Healthcare-affiliated institutions and Lewes civic organizations.

Grant size varies dramatically by purpose: capital campaigns and endowment gifts command the largest individual amounts ($3.0-$7.5 million); general operating support spans $10,000 to $2 million; annual fund gifts for long-tenured relationships typically run $50,000 to $551,000. Net investment income ranged from $1.9 million (FY2012) to $14.9 million (FY2024), confirming the foundation's strong asset management.

The Ma-Ran Foundation operates within Atlanta's elite family foundation ecosystem. Following its FY2024 capitalization to $690 million in assets, it now sits alongside Atlanta's most significant private funders. The comparison below uses publicly available 990 filings and foundation directory data.

The Ma-Ran Foundation at $690 million in assets now approaches the tier of Atlanta's most significant family foundations after its dramatic FY2024 capitalization. Unlike the Woodruff or Whitehead foundations, which maintain formal program offices with staff-driven due diligence, Ma-Ran remains a tightly family-controlled operation managed through RFA Management Co. LLC with a single compensated executive. This structural difference means relationships with Rollins family members carry far more weight than formal applications. The foundation's giving-to-assets ratio of approximately 6.3% in FY2024 reflects an exceptional transition year; watch for annual giving to stabilize at $35-50 million per year as trustees establish a post-capitalization rhythm.

The most significant development in the Ma-Ran Foundation's recent history is the December 9, 2025, death of co-founder Margaret 'Peggy' Hastings Rollins at age 92. Born June 4, 1933, in Lewes, Delaware, Margaret was the namesake of multiple foundation-supported facilities: the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing at Beebe Healthcare, the Margaret H. Rollins Community Center in Lewes, and the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus. She co-founded the Ma-Ran Foundation alongside R. Randall Rollins in 1991. Her passing marks the end of the founding generation's direct stewardship and will likely trigger a period of strategic reflection for remaining trustees Pam Rollins, Tim Rollins, and Executive Director Amy R. Kreisler.

In FY2024, the foundation received $662.6 million in new contributions — an unprecedented capitalization that grew the endowment from $63.1 million to $690.4 million. Grant-making correspondingly surged to a record $43.6 million, nearly tripling the FY2023 total of $14.6 million.

Prior notable activity includes the 2022 $3 million gift to Beebe Medical Foundation establishing the R. Randall Rollins Center for Medical Education, and a separate $1.1 million grant supporting nursing faculty at the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing. These Delaware gifts continue a philanthropic relationship with Beebe Healthcare dating to 1985 — among the foundation's longest institutional partnerships. No new program announcements or strategic pivots have been publicly confirmed as of early 2026.

The Ma-Ran Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. There is no publicly available grants portal, LOI form, application deadline, or submission process. The foundation's profile explicitly indicates preselected organizations only and lists no application instructions. This is a relationship-first, family-driven funder — not an open-application funder.

For organizations that are a genuine mission and geographic fit, the following strategic approaches apply:

Establish sector and geographic alignment first. The foundation overwhelmingly supports Atlanta-area nonprofits in healthcare, mental health, K-12 education (particularly private or faith-adjacent schools), and community services — plus Delaware coastal organizations tied to Lewes. Organizations outside these two geographies face an extraordinarily high bar. Confirm alignment before investing relationship-building time.

Pursue introductions through the existing grantee network. The most reliable pathway is a personal introduction from a senior leader at a current Ma-Ran partner: Skyland Trail, Atlanta Speech School, The Lovett School, Beebe Healthcare, Emory's Winship Cancer Institute, or Atlanta History Center. Board-level connections carry the most weight. Identify any overlap between your organization's board or advisory network and these institutions.

Understand the family's faith and civic context. The Rollins family's deep connection to Peachtree Road United Methodist Church — which received $998,000+ across seven separate gifts for programs from turkey drives to capital campaigns — signals that faith-aligned organizations in Atlanta, particularly those connected to PRUMC's community programs, may have informal access.

Note the Rollins corporate identity. Rollins Inc. (parent of Orkin) is the family business. Organizations with employee-aligned programs or corporate social responsibility intersections may encounter the family through corporate giving channels, creating a bridge to the foundation.

Respect the timeline and avoid transactional outreach. Do not cold-email the foundation or submit unsolicited proposals — this approach will not succeed and may foreclose future opportunities. Relationship-based funders of this type typically take 12-36 months from first contact to first grant. Following the December 2025 co-founder death and FY2024 capitalization, the foundation may eventually formalize its processes — monitor for any public announcements.