Our Foundation
History & Founder
Richard J. Reynolds, Jr. first visited coastal Georgia in the early 1930s. This coastal region – rich in culture, beauty, history, and natural resources – captured his interest, imagination, and philanthropy. Over his lifetime, Mr. Reynolds developed a deep appreciation for the people and places of Sapelo Island, one of the many barrier islands along the Georgia coast. He was especially intrigued by the vast salt marsh ecosystem that separates Sapelo Island from the mainland. In 1949, he began his institutional philanthropy in Georgia, with what would become our private, family foundation: The Sapelo Foundation. In 1953, he created the world-renowned Sapelo Island Marine Institute, as a research affiliate of the University of Georgia. For 23 years, his philanthropy served as the vehicle for the development, operation, and advancement of the institute. Then, in 1976, when the University of Georgia took charge of this work, his philanthropic legacy broadened and stewarded in a new era.
As a result, our work at The Sapelo Foundation pivoted and expanded. We embraced a new role: grantmaking partner for nonprofit organizations and networks statewide. Over time, we added new roles: thought partner, convener, advocate, capacity builder, mission investor, and more.
With our grants, we supported grantee partners that pursued power-building strategies, such as policy advocacy, civic engagement, and grassroots community organizing. We also embraced grantmaking best practices, such as considering grants for general operating support, multi-year support, and organizational development. Connecting our grantmaking goals and governance goals, we welcomed dedicated trustees who were family members, as well as non-family community members with deep and diverse expertise about Georgia. Meanwhile, we remained dedicated to our namesake with grantmaking strategies focused on the people of Sapelo Island and McIntosh County.
We also committed to a mission investing journey, to align 100% our capital with our mission. This included an intentional breakdown of the traditional and unnecessary firewall between our grants (at least 5% of financial capital) and endowment (95% of financial capital). Our single decision unleashed 19 times more resources for us to advance our mission. After approving a new Investment Policy Statement and completing a search for a new investment advisor, we completely reorganized the investments in our endowment. Our goal was simple, but complex: ensure that the companies we own align with our mission and the missions of our grantee partners. We also initiated a process for Program Related Investments (PRIs) – low/no-percent interest loans – to small businesses, to complement our grantmaking and further our mission.
Today, we are dedicated to the entire state of Georgia, based in Savannah, led by an Executive Director, and governed by a 10 member Board of Trustees that is composed, in part, by members of the Reynolds family. We strive for our bold mission by constantly and creatively challenging ourselves to listen, learn, lead, and leverage alongside our incredible partners.
In 2021, our trustees approved two long-term priorities for each of our main grant portfolios. For grant portfolio I: Environmental Justice & Protection, they approved (1) water and (2) climate/energy. For grant portfolio II: Social Justice, they approved (1) voting rights and (2) criminal justice.
To learn more about our history, please read our history book: “A Part of this Earth, The Story of The Sapelo Foundation.”
2026 – 2030 Strategic Plan
Throughout 2025, the Sapelo Foundation has undertaken a thoughtful and inclusive approach to strategic planning that centered perspectives from every Board member, staff leadership, and core partners in Georgia. The nonprofit landscape is facing an unprecedented moment marked by instability, polarization, and strain on capacity. Organizations face shrinking and unpredictable funding as national and corporate support recedes, federal programs stall, and short-term project grants continue to dominate over multi-year commitments creating a great deal of uncertainty. At the same time, heightened political hostility toward DEI, environmental justice, voting rights, and immigrant advocacy has created operational risks for nonprofit organizations, forcing groups to shift strategies and counter rising misinformation. Chronic staffing challenges — including burnout, turnover, and weak infrastructure — compound the difficulty of balancing long-term power-building with urgent crisis response. Rural and underserved communities remain persistently underfunded, leaving critical gaps in farmland protection and environmental work. Leaders on the frontlines have expressed the emotional toll of this moment and the urgent need for peer support, convening spaces, and sustainability strategies to maintain hope and resilience.
The Foundation didn’t hit “pause” to undertake its strategic planning process, but instead continued to show up, expediting grant payments, connecting personally with grantee partners, and providing perspectives and leadership at strategic convenings and tables. Sapelo has been referred to as a “bright spot” in Georgia philanthropy. The Foundation is viewed as a real partner who listens, is respected, and authentically cares for the nonprofit landscape, its people and the communities being served. Stakeholder feedback reveals deep appreciation for Sapelo’s “Trust-Based” approach, with a call to take this even further in this moment. The mission and core work of the Foundation is clear and steadfast. This Strategic Plan identifies ways to build on the strengths, sharpen practice and programs, and experiment with new approaches.