In the summer of 2020, we made a public commitment to listening and learning more about the inequities in our city of Atlanta. Like so many others we were moved by everything going on in the world, to be a part of the change we felt our society needed. We created a GoFundMe campaign to not only make our own financial commitment, but to create inclusion and action across our entire community. We were overwhelmed by the response that helped us raise over 1.3 million dollars. As a result, we felt the need to create an organization that would help make a meaningful and sustainable impact.

We started by consulting with different thought partners from the City of Atlanta and across the country, who were from all backgrounds, to help us in shaping our vision and developing action. Together, we developed our mission of “fighting inequality where it starts” where our ur efforts will be focused on supporting organizations that provide opportunity and exposure to Black children in Atlanta.

Around that same time, we felt that in order for us to do this the right way we needed someone who would be working on this full time. We feel very fortunate to have Taylor Stanley to spearhead our efforts moving forward. Her ties to the city and her previous experience working in policy and education makes her uniquely qualified to lead ATL moving forward and are truly excited about the direction and vision she has for the organization.

Sarah and I both feel a tremendous responsibility to everyone who supported the initial GoFundMe campaign and are dedicated to making your donation impactful. We have been extremely diligent over the last year and are proud of what ATL has become and look forward to seeing what we can do in the future.

-Matt and Sarah Ryan