MARIETTA — The Cobb Community Foundation is one of 20 nonprofit agencies to receive funding from the Home Depot Foundation’s Building Community Network Class of 2012.

The award brings $20,000 to the Cobb Community Foundation, which assists individuals, families and other nonprofits with philanthropic endeavors.

“They’ve given these awards to almost 100 different nonprofits,” said Acworth Mayor Tommy Allegood, Cobb Community Foundation’s executive director. “It’s quite an encouragement to the nonprofit community.”

Among the Cobb foundation’s programs are donor investment education classes, as well as partnering with the Cobb Schools Foundation, which funds classroom projects. Among the 51 funds it assists are several family funds, as well as agency funds like the MUST Ministries Foundation Fund, Marietta Museum of History Foundation Fund and WellStar Angel Fund.

“We obviously have established an important leadership role by creating a real educational awareness for philanthropy,” Allegood said.

Over the past five years, the Cobb foundation has distributed more than $4 million through the funds it manages, he said.

Each year, the Home Depot Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Vinings-based home-improvement retailer, works with the Georgia Center for Nonprofits to select a different group of agencies to donate to based on their mission, strength of their organization and impact in the community, Home Depot Foundation spokeswoman Catherine Woodling said. Among the other metro Atlanta organizations to receive $20,000 grants in 2012 are MUST Ministries, Chattahoochee River Keeper and Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta.

Cobb Community Foundation board Chairman Rick Hamilton, a Marietta accountant, said the money will help the agency provide more education and other services.

“It’s a huge boost to our efforts to promote philanthropic endeavors in Cobb County and get our message out and build more relationships with donors and organizations that we’re partnering with,” he said.