Empowering women through philanthropy.
Elizabeth Burdette was living in Austin going through a difficult divorce when she made a connection with another woman and realized the healing power of human connection. After she moved to Buckhead, she looked for ways to help women bond with one another in a meaningful way.
Her brainchild was Bloom, a giving circle that removes barriers to community engagement and philanthropy. “Our members contribute $1,000 or whatever is comfortable for them and can nominate small 501c3 nonprofits. The board selects three that are put to a vote of our 130 members, who select one,” she says. “The organization does all the research on the donor side and removes obstacles that sometimes prevent small nonprofits from receiving funds by keeping the process simple. Gifts are unrestricted, and we have no expectations about how or when the grant will be used. The winning organizations also nominate future recipients.”
Bloom’s first grant of $55,000 in 2023 was to Motherhood Beyond Bars that serves pregnant incarcerated women, their babies and caregivers with a goal of safe reunification. The 2024 grant of $75,000 went to the Mothers Advocacy Project that helps create stable families to keep kids out of the foster care system and has a 100% success rate. Members also bond through volunteering.
BLOOM
bloomatl.org
@bloomatl
