Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc
SAWNEE ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP is a public charity based in Cumming, Georgia. Through the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation, it supports charitable organizations and community programs in the Sawnee EMC service area, including through Operation Round Up.
Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc gave $222K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in Georgia. 41% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $221,800
- +162.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +112.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,047
- +23.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $11,000
- Total assets
- $753,022
- +19.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (7 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Georgia (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation accepts unsolicited requests through its general grant application. It says applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed quarterly; emergency applications are reviewed case by case as needs arise. Its application materials ask for a one-page cover sheet explaining the need and how the request aligns with the “neighbors helping neighbors” mission. Applicants are asked to provide proof of 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) status, a board list with affiliations, a current operating budget, the most recent annual financial statement, and an annual report. A letter of support is optional. The application says funding is for specific projects, not operating costs, and asks applicants to provide a project budget and identify other funding sources.
- Deadline
- Rolling
- Contact
Mailing address: 543 Atlanta Highway, Cumming, GA 30040
Phone: (770) 887-2363
Website: https://sawnee.coop
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Georgia Mountain Food Bank Inc ($25K). Together the top 10 received $166K.
Grant Size Distribution
44 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 44 grants of 44 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation says its service territory includes parts of Cherokee, Dawson, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, and Lumpkin counties in Georgia. The 2025 filing reports that all grant dollars went to Georgia recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 17 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $11K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $42K (2023) to $356K (2020). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $222K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia Mountain Food Bank Inc Gainesville, GA | — | $25,000 |
| Unseen Hand Ministries Inc Cumming, GA | — | $25,000 |
| Dawson Community Food Bank Inc Dawsonville, GA | — | $22,000 |
| There's Hope for the Hungry Inc Cumming, GA | — | $17,500 |
| Must Ministries Inc Marietta, GA | — | $15,000 |
| The Place of Forsyth County Inc Cumming, GA | — | $15,000 |
| Executive Committee of the Baptist Convention of the State of Georgia Lawrenceville, GA | — | $13,000 |
| Senior Services of North Fulton Alpharetta, GA | — | $12,500 |
| Fill Ministries Inc Meals by Grace Cumming, GA | — | $11,000 |
| Gwinnett Tech Foundation Inc Lawrenceville, GA | — | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $753,022 | $608,638 | $484,325 | $221,800 | 17 |
| 2024 | $628,709 | $532,905 | $348,144 | $84,516 | 8 |
| 2023 | $443,948 | $307,640 | $299,531 | $41,652 | 6 |
| 2022 | $435,839 | $318,828 | $310,481 | $62,319 | 7 |
| 2021 | $427,492 | $311,671 | $290,042 | $47,548 | 6 |
| 2020 | $405,863 | $349,898 | $573,774 | $356,481 | 25 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated mission is to strengthen communities served by Sawnee EMC by providing financial assistance to selected charitable organizations through Operation Round Up. Members can round up their electric bills, and the Foundation says donated funds stay within the communities it serves.
Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied charitable missions. For example, Georgia Mountain Food Bank says it addresses hunger, health, and quality of life by serving people in need through community partners. The Place of Forsyth County says it assists people in the Forsyth and Dawson County areas with essential needs and self-sufficiency. Gwinnett Tech Foundation says it supports Gwinnett Technical College and its students, including through scholarships. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
The Foundation also describes Bright Ideas as a classroom grant program for Georgia-certified teachers in its seven-county service area, with awards of up to $1,750 for innovative projects. Its Youth Scholarship Program is for high school seniors whose permanent residence receives electricity from Sawnee EMC; this is a scholarship program for students, not a grant program for outside applicants.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 17 grants totaling $221,800. Grant amounts ranged from $5,500 to $25,000, with a median of $11,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $25,000 to Georgia Mountain Food Bank and $25,000 to Unseen Hand Ministries; $22,000 to Dawson Community Food Bank; $17,500 to There’s Hope for the Hungry; and $15,000 each to Must Ministries and The Place of Forsyth County. All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Georgia.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sylvia Lundberg as chairman; Deborah Pelfrey as vice chairman; Evonda Mathis as secretary; and Virginia Tibbetts, Ruby Coleman, Lacelle W. Doss, John Richards, Mechelle Needham, and Henry Zuckerman as directors.
Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc is led by Sylvia Lundberg, Chairman since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 9 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sylvia Lundberg
Chairman
Secretary → Vice Chairman, 2022
Vice Chairman → Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Henry Zuckerman
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lacelle W. Doss
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mechelle Needham
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ruby Coleman
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Virginia Tibbetts
Director
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Richards
Director
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Deborah Pelfrey
Vice Chairman
Chairman → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → Vice Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Evonda Mathis
Secretary
Vice Chairman → Chairman, 2022
Chairman → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Adrian Flack (2021–2024) — Director - F
- Former: Dennis Anderson (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Ed J. Ledbetter (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc
How much does Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc give each year?
Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc gave $222K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $85K across 8 grants.
What is Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $11,000, and its average grant was $13,047, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc that year got $15K on average.
Where does Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc give grants?
Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc gives mostly in Georgia: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Cumming, GA (7 grants), Dawsonville, GA (2 grants), Lawrenceville, GA (2 grants) and Alpharetta, GA (2 grants).
Who are Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Georgia Mountain Food Bank Inc ($25,000), Unseen Hand Ministries Inc ($25,000) and Dawson Community Food Bank Inc ($22,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc?
Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc reported $753K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $609K.
What does Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc fund?
The Foundation’s stated mission is to strengthen communities served by Sawnee EMC by providing financial assistance to selected charitable organizations through Operation Round Up. Members can round up their electric bills, and the Foundation says donated funds stay within the communities it serves. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc?
The Foundation accepts unsolicited requests through its general grant application. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc's EIN?
Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 65-1166584. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 31, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 22, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 19, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 3, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 10, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sawnee-electric-membership-foundation-inc-morg_a5048f8874764e1b9df3897bf72dbd5d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_651166584_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sawnee-electric-membership-foundation-inc-morg_a5048f8874764e1b9df3897bf72dbd5d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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