Foundation expands work in Montana through new giving areas

ATLANTA and LIVINGSTON, MONTANA – Dec. 7, 2023 – In 2023, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation granted more than $6.5 million to nonprofits serving communities across Montana. The Blank Family Foundation has supported nonprofits in Montana since 2001, when the foundation’s chairman Arthur Blank purchased Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Emigrant.

The foundation has recently adopted new giving areas, the majority of which will find expression in Montana, growing its impact statewide. In 2023, the foundation granted more than $2.9 million to nonprofits in support of these areas.

• More than $1.7 million to support Youth Development, connecting young people in Montana to economic mobility, including a recently approved $919,000 grant to Montana State University to develop and pilot a new one-year Hospitality Management Certificate program
• $706,000 from the foundation’s Environment portfolio, $331,000 of which supports conservation efforts and $375,000 to support the deployment of clean energy
• $500,000 to support Mental Health and Well-Being through a grant to the Montana Community Foundation for Funders for Thriving Communities, a Montana funder collaborative that aims to catalyze collective action through philanthropy for greater impact on mental well-being in Montana with a focus on youth and families as well as Indigenous populations

“We are pleased to expand our giving in Montana to include these new areas of focus,” said Fay Twersky, president, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. “We will continue to invest locally in Park and Gallatin Counties while also looking for opportunities to have state-wide or regional impact across the Intermountain West. We look forward to working with nonprofit partners and other funders to make a positive difference in the lives of Montana residents.”

The foundation granted $2.7 million from its Founder Initiatives portfolio, which is aligned with the interests of Arthur Blank, including a $1.4 million grant to the Montana Historical Society for the new Montana Heritage Center, a world-class destination and community hub that will connect thousands of people annually to Montana's rich history, and $750,000 to Mountain Shadow Association, a Native American-led nonprofit, to build the Crow Reservation’s first dedicated healing center for families healing from substance abuse.

$875,000 of the grants are from the AMB West Community Fund, comprised of a group of associates from across Blank’s four ranches in Montana who collectively recommend grants intended to enhance the quality of life for residents of Montana, particularly in Park and Gallatin Counties and Indigenous communities across the state. Grants this year address community well-being, nurturing childhood and thriving youth. A full list of 2023 AMB West Community Fund grants can be found on the foundation’s website: https://ambff.org/2023AMBWest.

The foundation also supported the efforts of the Atlanta Falcons to grow flag football in Montana, including providing grants to five local high schools to create girls flag football programs. For the last two years, the Blank Family Foundation and the Atlanta Falcons have supported girls flag pilot programs, with the goal of girls flag football becoming a sanctioned high school sport in Montana.

About the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation 

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is a philanthropy founded to help transform lives and communities by uniting people across differences to find common cause. Started in 1995 by Arthur M. Blank, co-founder of The Home Depot, the foundation has granted more than $1 billion to charitable causes. Our collective giving areas are Atlanta’s Westside, Democracy, Environment, Mental Health and Well-Being, and Youth Development. Across these areas, we take on tough challenges by uniting the courage and compassion of our communities so we can all thrive together.

In addition to the priority areas of giving, the foundation oversees a large portfolio of grants including support of essential Atlanta nonprofit institutions, such as Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Shepherd Center, and enduring founder-led initiatives, such as veterans and the military and stuttering, among others. The foundation will also continue to guide the six associate-led giving committees operating across the Blank Family of Businesses. 

 

For more information, please visit www.blankfoundation.org.