Zoo Atlanta Reaches Campaign Goal

ATLANTA, GA -- A $2 million gift from the Thalia N. Carlos & Chris M. Carlos Foundation is enabling Zoo Atlanta to claim a $20 million challenge grant from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation for a campaign total of $41 million.

The gift comes 18 months after the zoo's official campaign launch.

The Carlos gift is the 12th gift of $1 million or more made to the campaign since the announcement of the challenge grant, which specified that Zoo Atlanta could claim 1:1 matches on all campaign gifts made by June 30 of this year.

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The zoo increased its fundraising goal to $40 million to ensure that full advantage was taken of the matching grant.

In an email to zoo supporters, President and CEO Raymond King said, "We’re deeply grateful to Chris Carlos for his role in the homestretch of the campaign. We’ve been working on a very aggressive 18-month timeline, and from the outset, the campaign has been defined by the leadership of our community, beginning with the announcement of our campaign Honorary Co-Chairs, Mayor Kasim Reed and Arthur Blank, and our outstanding campaign cabinet, to the extraordinary generosity of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation’s challenge grant, followed by the support of our city’s greatest philanthropic leaders."