From Your Neighbors

Where does Neighbors for Schools get its funding? Right now, mostly from our founder. We're a brand new 501(c)(3) that received IRS determination in just six days and spent June scrambling to build the infrastructure donors deserve. Here's an honest look at our startup costs, funding sources, and why transparency isn't optional for us, it's the whole point.

Here's a 500-character excerpt: "A call to action in a local Facebook group raised hundreds of dollars for school lunch debt and felt like a community win. But something nagged. When balances vanish mid-year, families naturally adjust their expectations, and districts notice. Cherokee County school nutrition asked us to hold donations until year-end so they retain control. That guidance shaped everything about how Neighbors for Schools operates.

A social media pledge drive to pay off school lunch debt sparked an idea: what if that generosity could be channeled through a 501(c)3, giving donors a tax receipt while keeping individual student accounts anonymous? Two years later, after life got in the way more than once, that idea became Neighbors for Schools, Inc. Here's the story of how an informal act of kindness became a structured way to help Metro Atlanta schools and families.

Starting in 2026, you can deduct up to $1,000 ($2,000 if filing jointly) in cash donations even without itemizing. Here's what the new rule means for donors, what records to keep, and how giving to Neighbors for Schools may now offer a tax benefit.