About

The Foundation devotes most of its resources to the Lettie Pate Whitehead scholarship program, which provides scholarship grants for deserving female students with financial need at more than 200 colleges, universities and schools. The Foundation also supports select senior care facilities in Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. The Foundation does not make grants to individuals. If you are seeking a scholarship or senior care assistance, please contact your institution for information on how to apply.

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Legacy of Mrs. Whitehead

The Foundation’s grantmaking is inspired by the life of Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans, an extraordinary philanthropist and businesswoman. She was the wife of Joseph B. Whitehead, one of the original bottlers of Coca-Cola. When Mr. Whitehead died at an early age, Lettie Pate took over her husband’s bottling business and real estate interests, guiding both to great success. She became one of the first female directors of any major American corporation when she was appointed to the board of The Coca-Cola Company in 1934. Mrs. Whitehead gave generously to educational institutions throughout her life, and she had a special empathy for senior women in need. At her death The Coca-Cola Company honored her thus: “Endowed with material things, she had a conviction that she held them as trustee for the poor, the meek and the unfortunate.”

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About the Foundation

The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation was created by Conkey Pate Whitehead, Mrs. Whitehead’s youngest son, in honor of his mother. It was chartered in 1946 for the “aid and benefit of poor and deserving Christian girls and women” in nine states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The Foundation has awarded more than $998 million in grants since inception. The Foundation shares an office and staff with other Whitehead family philanthropies – the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation and the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation – as well as with the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. This arrangement came about through the friendship and business relationship between Mrs. Whitehead and Mr. Woodruff, longtime leader of The Coca-Cola Company. Each foundation is governed by its own board and charter.

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Governance

The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation is governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees, which sets policies and makes decisions regarding the Foundation’s operations, grantmaking, management, investments and governance.

Articles of Incorporation
Provides specific purposes for the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation as a Georgia corporation and public charity.

Bylaws
Lists the rules that guide the Board of Trustees in managing the Foundation’s operations.

Statement of Principles
Serves as a guide for everyday professional conduct for the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and staff.

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The Foundation would like to extend a special thanks to the following for providing images for this website: Clemson University, Millsaps College, Mississippi University for Women and the University of Virginia. The use of any images on this site is expressly prohibited without the written consent of the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation.