Mailchimp Community College
At Mailchimp, we wanted to develop individual leaders within our company and empower them to act as leaders in our community. So, we partnered with the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to take our intentional first step, and Mailchimp Community College was born.
A Mailchimp Community College class
Atlanta is one of the least equitable cities in the United States. Every day, powerful systemic forces make it harder and harder for many of our neighbors to succeed or even keep up. As a business, Mailchimp’s purpose is to give underdogs the tools to succeed. As a neighbor, that’s our instinct, too.
Jamil Zainaldin, retired president of the Georgia Humanities Council
So, in early 2017 we convened our inaugural Mailchimp Community College cohort, which consisted of 12 Mailchimp employees from across departments. We wanted to give these participants a broad survey of their community, the challenges it faces, and the work being done within it.
Throughout the program, dozens of civic leaders, nonprofit executives, and community organizers joined us for deep conversations about the work they do and the challenges they face. Four core themes ran through these sessions: Atlanta’s equity gap, philanthropy, corporate citizenship, and inspiring positive change. Armed with these themes, we got to work.
Sandra Barnhill, National Executive Director of Forever Family
We visited local nonprofits for a first-hand look at their work and awarded a total of $200,000 in grants to effective, excellent organizations addressing equity in Atlanta. To date our two cohorts have awarded the following grants:
Raising Expectations
$28,750 for Project DREAM, an after-school program in Atlanta’s Vine City.
Georgia Justice Project
$100,000 for their advocacy for GA businesses hiring justice-involved persons.
Partnership for Southern Equity
$16,250 for the organization’s mission, vision, and staff development.
ACLU of Georgia
$35,500 to expand voting rights and protect women’s civil liberties in Georgia.
Amani Women's Center
$26,000 to educate and empower refugee women as they enter the workforce.
El Refugio
$18,000 to serve the families of immigrants detained at Stewart Detention Center.
New American Pathways
$55,000 for services that support new Americans on their paths to citizenship.
Ser Familia
$35,500 to equip Latino families through networks for social and mental support.
