Grady Memorial Hospital has long been a neglected stepchild of Atlanta's charity community, but it appears now on the verge of a fund-raising explosion.

With the pump primed by an expected $200 million private donation, Grady supporters hope to attract tens of millions more for the cash-strapped health center.

The hospital's nearly-final management restructuring and the prospect of better days ahead have boosted the charity community's faith in the institution, said local fund-raising consultants and health care officials.

The hospital's new nonprofit board includes some of the most powerful fund-raisers in the state, the kind of people who can raise huge sums with a phone call.

Hopes are high that a wave of giving will revive Atlanta's major trauma center and safety net hospital and allow the facility to replace outdated medical equipment, buy a modern computer system and even develop medical specialties to attract more paying patients.

"They are positioned to raise significant money," said David King, president of Alexander Haas Martin and Partners, a fund-raising consulting firm in Atlanta that has worked with Piedmont Hospital and the Southern Regional Medical Center. "We're talking tens of millions. We may be talking hundreds of millions."

Grady has a fund-raising foundation —the Henry W. Grady Health System Foundation— established in 1993. But its efforts don't make a dent in the hospital's financial deficits. In 2006, the foundation raised $3.4 million.

The hospital ended last year with a $55 million deficit in its $730 million budget. It owes $72 million to Emory and Morehouse medical schools, which provide its doctors, and it needs an estimated $300 million for capital improvements.

Several new Grady board members were selected for their fund-raising savvy, said Pete Correll, the newly elected chairman of the Grady nonprofit board.

He's no slacker in that department. In 2001, when Correll heard on his car radio that renovation had halted on the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, he called some friends and quickly raised $390,000 to restart the work.

Other board members include Tom Bell, the head of Cousins Properties, and Duane Ackerman, the retired head of BellSouth. All have track records raising millions for charitable and civic causes.

They know, as the saying goes, how to hold out a big tin cup.

"We've talked to most of the foundation-givers in metro Atlanta, and a few outside, and many of the larger individual-givers and corporate-givers," said Bell. "We've received a very positive reception."

Added Correll, "I have had so many calls from people saying, when you're ready, call me."

But for the fund-raising to be successful, officials say another participant is needed.

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"We're going to be calling on John Q. Citizen," said Correll.

He said he hopes to revamp the Grady Foundaton or start a separate fund-raising arm for Grady.

Correll has identified fund-raising as among the three major roles of the new hospital board, along with guiding the hospital management and hiring its CEO.

The change in hospital management was largely driven by the promise of more charitable dollars.

The old Grady board, formally called the Fulton DeKalb Hospital Authority, voted this month to hand over control of the hospital to nonprofit corporation.

Part of the deal was a promise of $200 million in private money for capital improvements. Speculation on the identity of the unnamed donor has centered on the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Atlanta's largest philanthropy.

The money is expected to be paid out over four years, with the first $50 million check in a few weeks, Correll said, although the hospital can't cash it until the nonprofit board takes full control sometime between May and September. The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce has vowed to campaign for another $100 million.

Fund-raising alone won't save Grady. The hospital, whose patient population is largely indigent or uninsured, needs a steady infusion of federal, state and local government assistance to operate in the black, officials say.

King, the fund-raising consultant, said the time is right for Grady to start soliciting donations. Months of media attention have alerted the public to Grady's financial crisis and its vital role as the hospital of last resort for the poor, as the region's major trauma center and a prime teaching hospital.

More than ever, people know that if they are in a car accident and lose consciousness, they're probably going to Grady.

"People have found a way to personalize Grady," he said.

Andrew Young, the former UN ambassador and Atlanta mayor, said the public's faith in the hospital.

"We're focused on the strengths, not just the weaknesses," said Young. "We have to [donate]. ...I'll be glad to give something for Grady."

Atlanta hospitals depend greatly on fund-raising. Some have staffs to manage an array of direct mailing campaigns, fund-raising events and appeals to corporations and foundations.

These hospitals are well aware that Grady will become a competitor for health care charity dollars.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta just finished a five-year $294 million fund-raising campaign and has a goal this year of raising $40.8 million more, said Scott Hodoval, vice president of development at Children's Healthcare.

These hospitals sponsor charity basketball games between top college teams, 10 K road races, and special events such as black-tie gatherings.

Is a Grady Memorial Hospital Ball down the line?