Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation gives $100,000 to Atlanta nonprofit COR for youth support services

Grant targets school-based mental health and family stability support

Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to COR, an Atlanta nonprofit that works with students and families facing barriers tied to poverty, trauma exposure, and education inequities. The funding is slated primarily to support the salaries of social workers delivering services through COR’s programming in local school communities.

COR’s model centers on connecting young people and their caregivers with practical and behavioral health supports—an approach commonly described as “wraparound” care, in which services are coordinated around a student’s needs and may extend beyond the classroom to the household. In practice, this can include mental health support, case management, and links to basic-needs resources intended to reduce destabilizing pressures that can affect school attendance and learning.

How COR says it will use the money

In outlining its planned use of the grant, COR said most of the $100,000 will be directed to social worker staffing. The organization also indicated the funding will help families address urgent needs—such as support when households are behind on rent or utility bills—alongside ongoing services aimed at student well-being.

• Primary use: compensation for social workers serving children through COR’s programs
• Additional use: targeted assistance to families facing immediate financial strain, including housing- and utility-related needs

Part of a broader youth mental health grant strategy

The gift aligns with Born This Way Foundation’s long-running emphasis on youth mental health and community-based supports. The foundation’s initiatives include grantmaking that directs money to local organizations providing youth-focused mental health services, often with an emphasis on community-led programs and measurable service delivery.

In metro Atlanta, COR has previously been identified as a recipient of grants tied to the foundation’s youth mental health funding streams, reflecting a pattern of support for organizations that work directly with young people in their day-to-day environments.

Why staffing dollars matter in school-linked care

While philanthropic giving often highlights program expansion, workforce costs can be a limiting factor for school-linked services. Social workers and related professionals provide assessment, crisis response, referrals, and longer-term support plans that can help students remain engaged in school. For organizations built around direct service delivery, payroll support can stabilize services that otherwise depend on short-term funding cycles.

The donation is structured as an investment in personnel capacity—an area frequently cited by nonprofits as essential to maintaining consistent student-facing services.

The grant comes amid sustained national attention on youth mental health needs and the role of schools and community partners in connecting families to care. For Atlanta-area students and caregivers served by COR, the immediate impact is expected to be continued staffing for frontline support, alongside limited emergency assistance for households experiencing acute financial pressure.