Sustainability Plan Updated: June 1, 2026 Background and Recent Accomplishments Atlanta Grade School Friends in Atlanta, Texas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established and approved by the IRS in May 2003. It continues to operate under the guidance of an entirely volunteer Board of Directors. Professional contractors are hired as needed for specific tasks, from architectural services to maintenance, from communications to development. There are no staff members currently. This structure has allowed the organization to maintain a strong community focus while directing its financial and physical resources toward preservation, education, and public benefit. In 2022, Atlanta Grade School Friends turned its attention from physical stabilization and basic restoration of the historic 1936 Atlanta-Miller Grade School (the property is still owned by the nonprofit today), to building up the organization’s infrastructure. Because major gift donors and partners require nonprofit organizations like ours to be publicly accountable and to demonstrate exceptional professionalism in all aspects of fundraising and communications, we now maintain an annual GuideStar gold seal profile, reflecting organizational transparency, accountability, and community trust. In addition, we have secured written letters of endorsement and several online reviews via GreatNonprofits. Monthly newsletters were launched to share both the school’s history and its future plans with the community and beyond. An archive of prior issues may be found on our website: atlantagradeschoolfriends.org. In tandem, we created an email list on MailChimp, in tandem with a new 2,000-person USPS mailing list. These documents are safely secured in the cloud and are accessible to the Board President, Board Treasurer, Board Secretary, CPA and to the Administrator.
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We moved our official IRS mailing address to Atlanta, Texas (away from a member of the Board of Directors), to reduce potential confusion. With the nonprofit operating solely by Board member volunteers until recently, the IRS paperwork was well kept in Brenham, but it needed to move as the nonprofit expanded its infrastructure and public presence. Our thanks go to Senator John Cornyn for expediting this important process. We also changed our NTEE code (National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities) from a primary school and historic site to a community development organization. A constituent database on BetterUnite was created over many months that includes the nonprofit’s giving history over approximately ten years. Previously kept on separate sheets of paper, the database also includes prospective donors, partner and potential partner contact information. A paid Google Workspace provides Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Photos, Google Maps, YouTube, Google Calendar, and Gmail capabilities, interlinked. We also installed online charitable giving in keeping with modern trends, tied to our new database on BetterUnite. And perhaps most importantly, we updated our website – which experts call an organization’s online “front door” - and it now resides on WordPress. Our Facebook page has always been our strong suit online. But we have polished the page, and we intend to make use of its advertising functions once facility rentals are available. We have applied for a Meta-verified seal. We also applied for and were accepted to Google Nonprofit free advertising, and we are running a regional general ad now that focuses on our adaptive reuse project, and it encourages people to visit our website. In addition, we set up a YouTube channel for video communications. Keep in mind: Google, YouTube and Facebook are the most used platforms today. We also created a Yelp profile for the school. Hence, once we are open to the public, these platforms will be put to good use promoting the school and space rentals. During this infrastructure development time, we asked Google Maps to remap and rephotograph our site. We now have a contemporary image of the school on the platform and an updated physical address to match. Numerous community conversations have helped area civic leaders better understand what we hope to accomplish, and through them we hope to engage them in making use of the facility in future years once open to the public. The property secured a historic marker from the Texas Historical Commission in 2006. It recently received approval from the Texas Historical Commission to move forward with an application for a National Register of Historic Places marker, reinforcing both the historical significance of the structure and the long-term viability of our preservation efforts. The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to 2
coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources. We will soon be part of a national network of historic sites, and our historic school will celebrate its 100 th anniversary in 2036. These are a few of the key steps we have taken to strengthen our nonprofit from an organizational standpoint since 2022, to ensure its future fiscal viability and professionalism in the years to come.
Community Partnerships and Program Sustainability Strong community interest exists for ongoing use of the facility. Atlanta Independent School District has expressed interest in utilizing approximately one-quarter of the available space for its self-paced Flex Program designed to assist students in completing high school education requirements. The local arts organization, 903 Artisans, has also expressed interest in utilizing dedicated studio space within the building. Their participation would allow for rotating displays of local artwork throughout the facility, increasing public engagement and creating an ongoing cultural presence. A popular music professional has suggested he host a “music business” course for Atlanta Independent School District high school students in the school (and he is in touch with AISD). Additional discussions have taken place regarding museum and exhibit partnerships, among them: • • •
Relocation of the Bessie Coleman exhibit currently housed in the Chamber of Commerce building; Display of historical medical equipment from the former Ellington Clinic; Potential traveling exhibits associated with the Texas Railroad Museum.
Continuing Education and Public Programming The facility is positioned to support continuing education seminars, training events, and public programming. Atlanta State Park, a division of Texas Parks and Wildlife, has identified a regional need for training and seminar space including certification programs, and the property is well-suited to accommodate these kinds of functions. Atlanta Public Library, a division of the City of Atlanta, has expressed an interest in securing space in the restored Atlanta-Miller Grade School for its digital services activities, as it supports veterans and other community members who do not have Internet access nor computer equipment for essential needs that involve working online. The Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce has 3
expressed an interest in moving its offices into the restored school. We have had other inquiries about professional office space as well. Throughout our conversations with the community, the need for a professional facility that has modern technology installed within it has been a rallying cry! In this way, the restored Atlanta-Miller Grade School will become both a new historic site generating public interest in heritage tourism for the City of Atlanta and the region, and a modern community center supporting contemporary gatherings of all types.
Capacity and Accessibility The building includes 10,850 square feet, and it can support a broad range of educational, cultural, and civic activities. • • •
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The auditorium comfortably accommodates approximately 100 attendees; Five additional classrooms can accommodate approximately 50 individuals each; The former teacher’s lounge located behind and at the back of the auditorium will be converted into a “break room” with appliances and cabinetry to make providing refreshments throughout the facility easy to facilitate. The property includes paved off-street parking sufficient for more than 100 vehicles, along with additional unpaved overflow parking areas, meeting all regulations for our future operations. The building once open will be ADA compliant, ensuring accessibility for all community members and visitors. With the help of The Summerlee Foundation, we were able to install a professional fire prevention sprinkler system, thereby ensuring safety for the public. We are now investigating booking software platforms that can easily connect to our website on WordPress, making inquiries about event space and management much easier for a new staff member.
Long-Term Financial Sustainability Through nonprofit stewardship, strong community partnerships, educational programming, cultural opportunities, historical preservation, and adaptable public-use space, Atlanta Grade School Friends is positioned to remain a sustainable and valuable regional asset for decades to come. We anticipate the following annual expenses, managing the facility once it opens to the public. Monthly budget for maintaining the facility: 4
Budget Item
Monthly Anticipated Cost
New staff member (part-time)
$2,000 Flat fee (although this could change). Tasks range from handling onsite visitor requests and tours to enewsletter production, booking, website and database maintenance (and limited fundraising), online advertising and social media backup. $1,000 Insurance for potential property loss $1,000 Physical maintenance, event set up and tear down, janitorial services $500 $500 Yard, parking lot $500 The new facility will have technologies of various types installed and support for those renting space will undoubtedly be required. $250 Atlanta Grade School Friends will maintain an office space in the restored building and basic office functions will be performed there. $250
Insurance Superintendent Electricity Exterior maintenance IT Support
Office expenses
Miscellaneous GRAND TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES
Comments
$6,000 Annual expenses: $72,000
Long-Term Financial Sustainability Income generation will include: •
Business sponsorships of future programs (we have already had some interest in underwriting of future programs, among them Brookshire’s and Domino FCU).
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Founder’s Circle membership program will launch in summer 2026, which encourages those capable of making $5,000 annual pledges each of two years ($10,000 total), payable in 2027 and 2028. 5
o If we can attract 20 prospects for the Founder’s Circle (and we have done our research), that would generate $100,000 each for 2027 and for 2028 for general operations to help put the new community center on a solid footing going forward, for the first two years of operation. o We believe after two years, rentals should pick up and provide the income required to cover annual expenses. •
Additionally, we have begun to promote an endowment fund via planned or estate gifts. We share information in our monthly newsletters along these lines. We know developing an endowment fund will take time, but ultimately, we hope planned gifts should yield additional annual income for facility operations.
Fees for Use of Space: A Modest Proposal •
Rental of one of three classroom spaces (capacity: 50) would be $100/hour for a corporate rate, $75/hour for families; and $50/hour for nonprofit organizations, educational groups, churches and the City of Atlanta. Included in these fees would be set up and tear-down assistance. o For example, for one month if we rent these three classroom spaces for twelve days at three hours each to nonprofit organizations = $5,400 monthly income (and we hope to rent more space than this, of course). o We anticipate the auditorium to be a popular rental space and will soon be determining the hourly rental rate. Being a community development organization and a nonprofit, we want to make rentals possible for organizations, families and churches of all financial capabilities. This is anticipated to provide perhaps $1,600 income each month (for example, 4 events at $200/hour for 2 hours each).
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Office space rental will be a flat $350/month ($4,200 annually for one organization in one space). At this time, we plan to set aside two classroom spaces for offices, which would bring monthly income for office space up to $700, or annual income to $8,400.
Atlanta Grade School Friends and its Board of Directors believe the future is bright for the management of Atlanta-Miller Grade School as a modern, professional community center and a first-class historic site. We believe it is highly financially viable. Questions? Reach out anytime to our Treasurer, Danny Stanley at tdstanley111@gmail.com or 903-824-4471.
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