CARE FUND

The Atlanta REALTORS® Board of Directors approved the formation of a Care Fund, designed by the ARA Community Service Committee, to assist members of the Association who run into a financial hardship due to a sudden life crisis or substantial damage to personal property, leading to unexpected expenses such as medical bills, mental health support, childcare expenses, or funeral expenses.

To be eligible for assistance, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Have an active Real Estate License
• Be a current member of the Atlanta REALTORS® Association in good standing at the time of application submission through the application final deadline and approval.
• Have a minimum of 5 real estate transactions in the last 24 months, OR, be an active REALTOR® in Georgia over the past 12 months prior to applying.

Application Cycles:

• 1st Quarter - Begins January 1st and Ends January 15th
• 2nd Quarter - Begins April 1st and Ends April 15th
• 3rd Quarter - Begins July 1st and Ends July 15th
• 4th Quarter - Begins October 1st and Ends October 15th

*Effective 03/19/25: Care Fund recipients will be selected based on a random drawing of applications received within each application cycle; therefore, it is no longer necessary to be the first one submitted to be considered, but applicants must meet the application's criteria to be eligible to receive Care Funds. Recipients will be notified at the end of the month of each deadline.

Financial Hardship within one year of applying* due to:

• Substantial Damage to Personal Property/Core Needs
  • Transportation
  • Housing
• Sudden Life Change
  • Funeral Expenses for Immediate Family Member
  • Childcare Costs
  • Medical Bills/Expenses
  • Mental Health Support

* Exclusions apply, such as hardship due to a slow market, which the Committee would not deem as a sudden life crisis.

• Applicants may apply quarterly but are limited to receiving CARE funds no more than two times per calendar year.
• Applicants will be able to apply once per application cycle and receive a maximum disbursement of $5,000 annually.
• Total Care Fund will be evenly distributed annually across the four application periods: 2nd Quarter and 4th Quarter will have two openings, each, and the 1st and 3rd Quarters will have only one opening, for a total of six awards given total per year.
• Staff will remove personal names and companies from applications before they are reviewed by the Care Fund Sub-Committee, and recipients will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis.
• Recipients are encouraged to become an active ARA Committee Member within 24 months of receiving disbursement.
• Applicants' real estate license has to be active and must be a current member of the Atlanta REALTORS® Association in good standing at the time of the application submission through the application final deadline and approval.
• Applicants must have had a minimum of five transactions in the last 24 months OR have been an active REALTOR® in Georgia over the past 12 months prior to applying. 

Confidentiality:

Personal names and companies will remain confidential, except to ARA staff who receive the online submissions. All applications will be reviewed by the Care Fund Sub-Committee, with recipients selected on a first-come, first-serve basis.