Grant Guidelines The Foundation targets its grants to the following areas with priority in the order listed. Special consideration is given to institutions that were supported by Mr. Lanier during his lifetime. The target areas are: • Education • Health and Human Services • Arts • Environment and Community    Development In 2001, the Trustees determined that a major focus of the Foundation's new initiatives would be to enhance available options for K-12 education in the metro Atlanta area. The Foundation will have a particular emphasis on programs that enhance the effectiveness of the Atlanta Public Schools (specifically programs that have systemic impact). The Foundation will not be establishing new relationships with private schools at this time, but may continue to make grants to private schools which have received grants from the foundation in the past. Grants are made only in the southeastern United States with the majority of recipients being located in the Atlanta metro area. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the Foundation's resources, the Foundation prefers to provide significant support on a project specific basis to a small number of organizations rather than to give more limited operating support to a large number of applicants. Thus, requests for major capital projects, capital campaigns, or to underwrite a particular program (particularly when the program has broad-based support from other sources) will be given priority over those for an annual campaign or administrative or operating support. Organizations that can establish a broad base of financial support from their own governing body and membership as well as from other sources in their community are given priority. The Foundation does not make grants to individuals, to churches or religious organizations for projects that primarily benefit their own members, for partisan political purposes, for tickets to charitable events or dinners, or to sponsor special events or fundraisers. Because of limited resources and the Foundation's preference for making larger grants to a limited number of applicants, many worthwhile programs will not be funded. The Foundation requests all applicants to wait at least one year from the date of any previous request before submitting a new request.