Each year, the Decatur Craft Beer Festival issues grants to local organizations stemming from the proceeds of the latest Beer Fest.  The latest issue of the Decatur Focus lists this year’s recipients.

Below you’ll find the Decatur Focus summary of how each group will use their grant, along with a logo/photo and a link to the org’s website if you’d like to learn more about them.

The Saporta Report reports…

The Decatur-based Task Force for Global Health has received a five-year $28.8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to establish a support center for neglected tropical diseases.

The grant will enable the newly-established Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center to collaborate with other partners around the world to address gaps in research. The center will coordinate with partners to implement the research agenda for these diseases, while ensuring the quick translation of new solutions into the program policy.

The Gates grant will be officially announced on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Fisher writes in…

Not sure if you saw this in last week’s Atlanta Business Chronicle but there was a front page article about the “Philanthropy 400″ (I guess the nonprofit version of the Fortune 500). Thought is was awesome that the highest ranking nonprofit in the state, Task Force for Global Health, is headquartered in downtown Decatur (note that it beat out the American Cancer Society). Even more impressively, it is the 4th highest ranking nonprofit in the entire country. They bought the building at 325 Swanton Way a few years ago (corner of Swanton & W. Trinity) and they are currently under construction with an expansion project – I guess we now know why. Very cool to have an organization with such a worldwide reach and meaningful mission located right here in Decatur. Here is the link to the full article.

You can learn more about the Task Force for Global Health on their website.  We covered their recent expansion plans HERE back in May.  The picture above is pre-construction.