SPARK Ignite presented by the Coca-Cola Company celebrates and connects industry and nonprofit leaders across multiple touchpoints that culminates in one powerful night of impact
Thirteen nonprofits learning and growing together. Dozens of grants investing in the next generation. Countless lives impacted.
Hundreds of dreamers, doers, and difference makers joined the third annual SPARK Ignite presented by Coca-Cola (SPARK) as the culmination of a year of vision and partnership. Together, the Inspire Foundation, corporate partners, and team members drove youth development and workforce readiness across Atlanta, representing millions of dollars donated alongside time volunteered and experience invested in the local community.
“SPARK isn’t just an event. It’s a reflection of what happens when we all believe,” says Inspire CFO Kate Jaspon. “Tonight, we are pledging our belief in the next generation by investing in nonprofit organizations changing lives across our city – and beyond.”
While the first SPARK event took place in 2023, this year’s program highlighted the new Nonprofit Accelerator Program, which supports a cohort of nonprofits as they develop critical capabilities to strengthen their impact in the community.
For the last year, these youth-focused organizations have received funding, learning, and the opportunity to forge connections across the Inspire Foundation and our partner organizations. The program included expert-led workshops, networking events, and a final pitch for additional grant opportunities.
The inaugural 2025-2026 program includes 14 nonprofits:
- Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency bridges the gap for equitable workforce opportunities
- Bearings Bike Works serves as a workforce training space for teens and young adults
- Camp Horizon empowers and restores dignity to youth in foster care through summer camp
- College AIM makes paths to college and into career more accessible for students
- HBCU ELITE addresses the lack of exposure and resources in HBCU athletics
- Hope thru Soap meets the immediate needs of those living unsheltered
- L.E.A.D. Center for Youth uses power of sports to empower future leaders
- Leap Year prepares first generation students to succeed in college
- National Black Arts Festival exposes, educates, and engages creative artists of African descent
- Raising Expectations Inc. empowers youth in crisis through impactful development programming
- The BEE Club for Girls equips teen girls with resources to activate their personal power and impact
- The Literacy Lab build a world where everyone has the literacy to shape their future
- The Make Cents Foundation educates and empowers the next generation
- VOX Teen Communications prepares teens by harnessing the power of youth voice and self-expression
SPARK Inaugural Nonprofit Accelerator Program College AIM – Joanne Santivasci, Sam Aleinikoff, and Jamesia Craig | Presented by Brian Nixon, The Coca-Cola Company and Stuart Brown, Inspire Brands Foundation SPARK Accelerator Program – Total Grants Awarded BEE Club – Akilah Blount | Presented by Brian Nixon, The Coca-Cola Company and Stuart Brown, Inspire Brands Foundation Bearings Bike Works – Iris Harrington, Jessie Joiner, and Becky O’Mara | Presented by Stuart Brown, Inspire Brands Foundation Raising Expectations – Maria Armstrong and Tangee Allen | Presented by Stuart Brown, Inspire Brands Foundation Camp Horizon – Courtney Lindner | Presented by Stuart Brown, Inspire Brands Foundation
After a year of preparation, these nonprofits participated in the SPARK Tank on February 25, utilizing all the tools and resources gained throughout the Nonprofit Accelerator Program to share their vision for additional funding. Throughout 2025, $215,000 was awarded, and at SPARK Ignite on February 26, an additional $210,000 grants were given, including the top nonprofit that received a $100,000 grant: College Aim!
In addition to awarding the top nonprofits, SPARK Ignite featured Tricky Stewart – an Inspire Foundation Board Member, Atlanta music legend, and five-time Grammy winner – who shared the importance of investing in potential to help the next generation thrive. Later, keynote speaker Inky Johnson shared his own journey of overcoming, inspiring the room with lessongs of grit, heart, and resilience.
“This is why nights like this matter. We need the vision and the commitment of everyone in this room to continue creating opportunity in our communities,” says Foundation Executive Director Stuart Brown.
The Inspire Foundation exists to ignite and nourish change for good. In 2025, Inspire’s brand foundations gave more than $24 million to support youth-related organizations, making a difference in the communities we serve. To learn more about the Inspire Foundation, visit foundation.inspirebrands.com.
Thank you to our leading SPARK sponsors, including The Coca-Cola Company, Comcast Business, Deloitte, DIRECTV, Ecolab, Paul Weiss, Roark, and Rokt, and to all of our sponsors who made this happen: Adobe, Allegis Global Solutions, Ankura, Bank of America Securities, BrightCore, Bunge HQ, Coates Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Comcast Business, CTI Foods, Deloitte, DIRECTV, Ecolab, Etherio, Fiserv, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, Gonnella Frozen Products, Gordon Food Service, Morgan Stanley, National Distribution Alliance, Paul Weiss, Publicis Groupe, Roark, Rokt, and Tukiaz.
To learn more about SPARK, visit sparkevent.org.
