Recently the Foundation has sought ways in which it can help achieve improvement in public education and in family, children, and youth services. Traditionally, preference has been given to one-time capital projects. Awards for basic operating expenses usually are avoided. Grants are never made to an individual or to an organization for the benefit of a named individual. Grants are not made to any institution or agency if a substantial part of its activities consists of carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation.
Grants are limited to specified charities in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia.
No grants are made to individuals. Joseph B. Whitehead was one of the original bottlers of Coca-Cola. He moved from Chattanooga to Atlanta with his family in 1903. Mr. Whitehead died at the age of 42 in 1906. His son, Joseph B. Whitehead, Jr., established the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation in 1937 as a memorial to his father.