Funds from Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta to be used for greener work space

The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta  this week announced Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) as the recipient of its latest “Grants to Green” giving cycle. The $175,000 matching grant will support green upgrades to FODAC’s corporate offices and warehouse in Stone Mountain / Tucker, Georgia, making it operate more efficiently and freeing up additional funds to support services.  FODAC provides durable medical equipment (DME), such as wheelchairs, power chairs, shower benches and patient lifts, for the disabled community, much of it provided at little to no cost to the recipient.

“FODAC has always promoted a ‘green’ initiative,” said Chris Brand, president and CEO of FODAC. “Repurposing and recycling used DME provides much of our inventory to supply the needs of our clients, and keeps almost 350 tons of equipment and related parts, like batteries, out of landfills. This grant and its matching funds will not only deepen our commitment to the environment, but the upgrades to our facilities will create significant savings in operating costs and free up more money that can go to supporting our mission.”

FODAC’s 64,000 square foot facility was renovated in 2010 – 2011 to refurbish old furnishings and increase access throughout the facility for operations. Now the organization wants to maximize energy efficiency throughout the facility by replacing outdated systems with state-of-the-art technology. Plans include:

• Replacing seven split-system HVAC units with fourteen individual thermostats with one high-efficiency HVAC unit with a central, web-based thermostat system that would allow for programming individual zones and regulate temperatures for evenings, weekends and holidays

• Replace forty halogen display lighting in lobby area with LED PAR lamps

• Install photovoltaic (PV) solar panels which will produce electricity for the facility, thus lowering the amount of electricity pulled from the local utility.

• Replace water heater with an electric point-of-use water heater and switch to a seasonal gas rate structure.

Once fully implemented, the green upgrades will lower FODAC’s annual operational budget by over $40,000, providing additional funding for services vital to keeping clients with disabilities and injuries independent and mobile.

Grants to Green is helping to transform the nonprofit sector by encouraging nonprofits to renovate, expand or construct buildings that operate more efficiently. This innovative partnership between the Community Foundation, the Kendeda Fund and Southface gives metro Atlanta nonprofits the opportunity to renovate or build greener work places that are energy- and water-efficient—all with the ultimate goal of improving a nonprofit organization’s building structure and saving money that allows more resources to go to services.

Grants to Green is a matching grant program, meaning FODAC will need to contribute matching funds to receive the full grant. In early 2016, FODAC launched a year-long capital campaign, “Keeping People with Disabilities Moving,” seeking to raise $1.5 million by the end of 2016 to support in part facility upgrades promoting green initiatives.

“This grant will go far in meeting the goals for facilities upgrades we set out at the start of this year,” said Brand. “We are so grateful to this gift from the Community Foundation, and are hopeful our supporters will help FODAC meet the fundraising goal to obtain the full grant.”

About FODAC

Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) helps people with injuries and disabilities of all ages regain their mobility, independence and quality of life. The non-profit organization provides more than $10 million annually in refurbished home medical equipment (HME) and home modifications in Georgia and across the United States, all at little or no cost to the recipients. A pioneer in re-use, FODAC keeps 350 tons of materials out of landfills each year by refurbishing and reissuing over 500 HME items every month, and is recognized nationally for best practices. In 2014, FODAC was named to Charities Under 5% Overhead, an organization of charities that have operating overhead of five percent or less.

In 2013, Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) appointed FODAC to serve as the statewide distributor of HME and assistive technology in the event of a large population-affecting emergency situation. In this role, FODAC will warehouse the HME and other equipment, then, working with GEMA, the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the American Red Cross (ARC) of Georgia, will coordinate the delivery and distribution to emergency shelters around the state.

For more information on FODAC and its programs, visit www.fodac.org. Follow FODAC on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

Since 1951, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has been connecting the passions of philanthropists with the purposes of nonprofits doing that work. With 65 years serving the 23-county Atlanta region and a robust team of experts, the Community Foundation manages the behind-the-scenes details, empowering our donors to focus on the joy of giving. The Community Foundation is a top-20 community foundation nationally with $920 million in current assets and is Georgia’s second largest foundation. Through its quality services and innovative leadership on community issues, the Foundation received more than $113 million from donors in 2015 (unaudited) and distributed more than $139 million that same year to support nonprofits throughout the region and beyond. In 2016 Charity Navigator named the Community Foundation a four-star rated nonprofit, its top distinction. For more information, visit: cfgreateratlanta.org or connect with the Foundation via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.