Twelve educational institutions across the greater Atlanta area, North Georgia and Columbus have been awarded a combined $40,000 through the 2025 McDonald’s Golden Grants program.
The annual initiative (established by the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators Association) provides funding in support of organizations that “fuel local youth’s imagination, education and growth,” according to a release.
This year, organizations were selected for the grants based on criteria like creativity, innovation, need, as well as hands-on application of projects in Georgia.
Receiving the largest grant total was South Atlanta High School, which was awarded $20,000 in funding. Earning the second-highest amount ($10,000 grant) was Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
The other 10 recipients each received $1,000. Among them were Clayton County Public Schools (Jonesboro), DHS Titans Baseball (Riverdale), Duluth Middle School (Duluth), Frank L. Stanton Elementary School (Atlanta), Grayson Elementary School (Grayson), Lekotek of Georgia Inc. (Tucker), Morgan County Middle School (Madison), Truth Spring (Columbus), ViZion Dance Inc. (McDonough) and Wheeler High School (Marietta).
Eligible activities for Golden Grants funding included student homelessness support, mentorship and empowerment programs, supply needs, after-school programs, community service outreach and other educational initiatives.
“The McDonald’s Golden Grants program, in its eighth year, continues to support educators and non-profit leaders across the state of Georgia,” said McDonald’s Owner/Operator Steve Akinboro. “On behalf of the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operator’s Association, we are honored to provide funding to assist this year’s recipients. We cannot wait to see what impact these grants make.”
Local McDonald’s owners and operators will present checks to the Golden Grants’ top recipients sometime in mid-December 2026.