The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation is pleased to announce that Spring 2007 grant applications will be accepted from February 1-March 5. All applications are available on-line. If you have questions, please contact Lea Bond at 770.965.3115 or lbond@falcons.nfl.com.

The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation is hosting a grant writing workshop Thursday, February 8, 2007, on a first come first serve basis.  Those interested should complete the required questionnaire and submit to Lea Bond at lbond@falcons.nfl.com no later than Friday, January 19, 2007.  Organizations will be notified by January 25, 2007, regarding their participation in the workshop.

AFYF History
The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation (AFYF) was established in 1985 to serve as the philanthropic arm of the Atlanta Falcons. Since Arthur Blank acquired the club in 2002, the AFYF has grown to be the largest team-funded foundation in the National Football League, providing $6.4 million in grants to 194 nonprofit organizations across the state of Georgia.

Today, the AFYF has a grant-making budget of $2.1 million, and focuses on improving physical fitness of Georgia's young people.

The AFYF is taking the issue of childhood obesity head on by providing funding to non-profit groups for fitness-based programs designed to encourage physical healthy lifestyles through physical fitness.

Grant Focus Areas
The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation is committed to working with non-profit organizations throughout Georgia to reduce childhood obesity. In doing so, the work of the Foundation will focus on three primary areas: Youth fitness, sports programs and athletic field development.

Signature Program
With the start of the 2005 season, the AFYF launched its Signature Program -- the Falcons Fitness Zones. The program's focus is on promoting youth fitness in order to combat obesity plaguing Atlanta's children. Key partners in this effort will include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, Metro Atlanta YMCA and YWCA of Greater Atlanta.

The Foundation will select neighborhoods within targeted geographic areas in metropolitan Atlanta to designate as Falcons Fitness Zones. These zones will offer safe and structured physical activities for youth. The first phase of Falcons Fitness Zone are located in neighborhoods around the Georgia Dome.