Mission & History
We strive to make our state clean, green, and beautiful.
The Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation educates and inspires Georgians to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environments. As a state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, we lead more than 70 city and county programs across Georgia, providing them with the tools and resources they need to engage an average of 100,000 volunteers in environmental preservation efforts each year. We also strive to increase our impact even further by engaging additional communities and individuals in our efforts to end litter, reduce waste, promote recycling, and beautify communities.
We’ve been making a difference in Georgia for 45 years. Created as a state program in 1978 by Governor George Busbee, we became a 501(c)3 nonprofit in May 2011. With offices at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, our unique structure as a public-private partnership allows us to unite citizens in all sectors: civic, government, and business. As the first-ever state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, we provide support to the largest network of local affiliates in the country. Our programs represent 80% of Georgia's population.
In many areas of the state, our affiliates are the only broad-based sustainability group in their community. They are also national leaders—many of Keep America Beautiful’s initiatives have started with Georgia affiliates. These efforts yield amazing results; in the last 15 years we have reduced litter collected during the Great American Cleanup by 75%. Our affiliates also leverage resources expertly: for every $1 of public funds invested, they return an average of $85.46 in benefits to their communities.
You can help! Contact your local affiliate to volunteer or make a donation to support our efforts. Thank you for all you do to keep our state beautiful!
Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
At the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, we believe everyone should have access to a clean, green, and beautiful environment, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability, age, socioeconomic status, or religion (or lack thereof). We recognize that environmental injustice, particularly as it relates to pollution and the distribution of green spaces, disproportionately affects low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, and we want to do our part to change that. We welcome new ideas and different points of view, and seek to represent the diversity of our state as we pursue our mission.
We envision a more just and equitable Georgia, where every individual has access to parks, wilderness areas, and community gardens. We understand that vibrant,litter-free public spaces strengthen community ties, promote physical health and mental well-being, and inspire robust economies. We commit to working hand in hand with residents across the state to create inclusive, welcoming outdoor environments for all, and have embarked on a journey to develop strategies to hold ourselves accountable.
