Grantmakers in the News
March 1, 2003
Name:The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
Year Founded: 1995
Contact Person: Elise Eplan, Vice President for Special Initiatives
or Deva Hirsch, Vice President for Program
Address: 3290 Northside Parkway, N.W., Suite 600
Atlanta, Georgia 30327
Phone: 404-239-0600 Fax: 404-442-0991
URL: http://www.blankfoundation.org
To help guide its continuing commitment to be a catalyst for positive social
change, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has appointed Elise Eplan and Deva Hirsch as
the first vice presidents of the Atlanta-based philanthropic organization.
Ms. Eplan has been appointed Vice President for Special Initiatives, with management
responsibility for the Foundation's contributions to dozens of community and quality of life
initiatives. This includes the Foundation's Environmental Initiative, which will invest at
least $20 million over a three-year period to help preserve green space and improve parks in
the core of metro Atlanta, as well as the Blank family's support for a new Atlanta Symphony
Center and a new Children's Museum in the heart of the city.
Ms. Hirsch will serve as Vice President for Program, guiding the Foundation's investments in
innovative programs that enhance youth development through education, the arts, athletics and
outdoor activities, and other key areas, with an emphasis on helping nonprofit partners
improve their effectiveness and impact.
Earlier this year, Ms. Hirsch and Ms. Eplan directed the Foundation's first grantee conference,
assembling nearly 400 nonprofit partners in Atlanta in June to share best practices and promote
collaboration. The Foundation offered $500,000 in "collaboration grants" to conference
participants to create innovative solutions to social challenges facing youth. The
appointments coincide with a major Foundation milestone. At its December trustee meeting, The
Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation will reach the $100 million mark in grants and commitments
to youth and community causes since 1995. Ms. Eplan and Ms. Hirsch joined the Foundation as
co-directors in 1997.
"My family has been blessed to have Elise and Deva serve as joint architects of our giving
programs," said Foundation Chairman Arthur M. Blank. "They have made giving back their life's
work, evidenced by years of selfless commitment to community. Together with the appointment of
our new Foundation President, Ira Jackson, these management roles for Elise and Deva build
strength upon strength, cementing the foundation of leadership for all of our initiatives going
forward."
In July 2002, the Blank family trustees named Ira A. Jackson, former director and faculty chair
of the Center for Business and Government at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government,
the first president of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
"Deva and Elise have served ably, energetically and successfully as the Foundation's
co-directors for the past five years," said Jackson. "I'm honored to have the opportunity to
work alongside such highly regarded colleagues, knowing they will continue to apply their
remarkable talents to the important work the Foundation seeks to advance. Deva and Elise embody
the spirit of entrepreneurial philanthropy we embrace as a foundation."
Both Ms. Eplan and Ms. Hirsch are co-founding board members of Hands On Atlanta, an organization
that provides community service opportunities to over 20,000 volunteers.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Eplan served as program director for The America Project,
an urban community development program of The Carter Center. She currently serves on the advisory
board of Hands On Atlanta and as a vice president of the Atlanta chapter of the American
Jewish Committee. A native of Atlanta and a graduate of Leadership Atlanta, Ms. Eplan received
her bachelor's degree in American studies from Brandeis University and her master's degree in
public and private management from Yale University.
Ms. Hirsch joined the Foundation from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, where she
served as director of its Grantmakers Forum. She is a member of the advisory boards of the
Foundation Center (Southeastern chapter); TechBridge, a nonprofit technology organization; and
Hands On Atlanta. A graduate of Leadership Atlanta, she holds a bachelor's degree in journalism
from the University of Georgia and a master's degree in urban and environmental policy from
Tufts University.
The Foundation was created in 1995 by Arthur M. Blank to share his civic values and the joy of
giving with his family. Since then, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has granted and
committed $100 million to programs that spark collaboration among nonprofit organizations,
improve access to education, preserve green space, sustain the arts and strengthen local
communities. Mr. Blank is the chairman, president and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons. He co-founded
The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer, in 1978 and retired from the
company as co-chairman in 2001.
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