Vasser Woolley Foundation

The foundation does not publicly disclose its investment management structure. Given its small asset base — estimated by Altss at roughly $16 million — and the absence of professional staff, investment management is likely outsourced to a third-party advisor or handled by the trustee board, which is dominated by Alston & Bird attorneys. No chief investment officer or dedicated investment committee has been identified through public records.

The foundation supports charitable organizations in the metropolitan Atlanta area, with a stated focus on general welfare, education, the arts, and youth development. It has also funded multiple endowed academic chairs in chemistry at a Georgia university. The foundation does not maintain a website or publish grant guidelines, so the full scope of its grantmaking is not publicly available.

The IRS classifies it as an independent 501(c)(3) private foundation. Unlike family foundations, where relatives of the donor typically dominate the board, the Vasser Woolley Foundation's governance has long been controlled by trustees drawn from Atlanta's legal and civic community — particularly partners at Alston & Bird — with no publicly disclosed family involvement.

There is no public evidence that the foundation engages in program-related investments, mission-related investing, or any allocation to private equity, venture capital, or direct impact strategies. Its grantmaking appears to follow a traditional check-writing model focused on Atlanta-area nonprofits, with no disclosed alternative investment activity.

Public records identify three current trustees: Margaret W. Scott, a partner at Alston & Bird leading the firm's Wealth Planning and Tax-Exempt Organizations practice, serving as Secretary/Treasurer; Bernard Taylor Sr., a JAMS mediator and arbitrator who formerly chaired the World Affairs Council Atlanta; and Cyril Turner, former president of the Delta Nature Center. The late Neil Williams, former managing partner of Alston & Bird and chair of The Duke Endowment, served as chair until his death in 2012.

The foundation's endowment was established from the estate of Vasser Woolley, an Atlanta-based attorney and businessman who incorporated the foundation in 1961. The specific source of his wealth beyond his law practice and business activities has not been publicly detailed.

The foundation does not maintain a website, publish grant guidelines, or issue requests for proposals. Combined with its exclusively local Atlanta focus and trustee-driven governance, the foundation likely sources grantees through the board's existing civic networks rather than through open application processes.