The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, founded nearly 30 years ago, is committed to accelerating philanthropy and tackling some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Arthur M. Blank co-founded The Home Depot.
Under the leadership of Fay Twersky, the foundation has expanded its giving and in 2024 granted approximately US $200 million, focusing on core areas, including: democracy, climate change, youth development, mental health and well-being, and community investment in Atlanta’s west side.
The foundation operates as a grant-making institution but also serves as a convener and collaborator, leveraging its influence to drive systemic change. One unique aspect of its work is the use of West Creek Ranch in Montana, a dedicated retreat space designed to foster meaningful dialogue and problem-solving among leaders in philanthropy, policy, and social change.
The foundation is particularly invested in advancing innovative solutions. In climate change, it supports regenerative land management practices in Montana, helping ranchers adopt more sustainable approaches that benefit both the environment and their livelihoods. In Atlanta, it works to preserve affordable housing and promote economic mobility, including piloting a guaranteed income initiative.
Mental health is a newly expanded priority, with a focus on early interventions in childhood and adolescence to prevent long-term crises. The foundation is supporting evidence-based programs like Inner Explorer, which introduces mindfulness practices in schools to help children regulate stress and improve academic outcomes.
With a deep commitment to long-term partnerships, general operating support, and investing in organizations’ capacity, the foundation prioritizes impact over bureaucracy.
Twersky’s philosophy — "Curiosity trumps certainty" — underscores the foundation’s approach to learning, adaptation, and continuous improvement in its mission to repair and uplift society.
About Fay Twersky
Fay Twersky is president and director at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
Fay joined the Blank Family Foundation in February 2021 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in Menlo Park, California, where she served as Vice President. In this position, Fay promoted effective philanthropic practices well beyond Hewlett and among her notable contributions to the field, was serving as the founding Co-Chair of the Fund for Shared Insight, a funding collaborative of more than 100 funders supporting more than 500 nonprofits who are committed to amplifying voices of those least heard in our communities and responding to their preferences, ideas and insights.
Fay spent one year working in Jerusalem, as a Senior Advisor to the Managing Director of Yad Hanadiv (The Rothschild Family Foundation), the largest independent foundation in Israel.
Prior to that, Fay served as director and member of the leadership team of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, developing the impact planning & improvement division. While at Gates, Fay co-founded Youth Truth, a breakthrough student feedback system focusing on the student experience in schools.
Fay is a frequent author and commentator on trends in philanthropy. Her publications include several Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) articles including, “Time for a Three-Legged Measurement Stool,” about balancing monitoring and evaluation with feedback from community members at the heart of our work; “How Philanthropic Collaborations Succeed and Why they Fail,” on the value of funders working together on intractable problems but also some of the pitfalls in doing so; “The Artful Juggler,” on what it takes to be a successful foundation CEO; and “Listening to Those Who Matter Most, the Beneficiaries.”
Fay is a trustee of the Van Leer Foundation based in The Hague. She is board chair for the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and serves on the Executive Committee for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
In 2022, Fay was named one of nine most influential people in Atlanta by Axios Atlanta. In 2023 and 2024 Fay was awarded the Top 50 Power and Influence award by the Nonprofit Times, given to top executives in the nonprofit sector nationally.
Fay holds two bachelor’s degrees in Middle Eastern Studies and Rhetoric, with high honors, from the University of California, Berkeley, and has a master’s degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Fay and her wife Jill have two children – Jaz and David Nathan. The family has an adorable dog named Zadie.