Atlanta, GA — October 14, 2025 — In a landmark philanthropic move, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has pledged $50 million over ten years to support students at four of Atlanta’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The gift is structured as gap scholarships — funding reserved for students who are academically eligible for graduation but are at risk of falling short due to unmet financial needs — across Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Morris Brown College.
Bridging the Final Stretch
Under the initiative, qualifying students who have exhausted other financial aid sources — including scholarships, federal grants, and loan eligibility — may receive support in their junior and senior years. The foundation estimates the program will benefit nearly 10,000 students in total.
Fay Twersky, President of the Blank Foundation, described the grants as “a material investment in hope.” She emphasized that even modest financial gaps can derail a student’s path to graduation.
Arthur Blank remarked:
“Atlanta holds a special place in my heart … We know Spelman, Morris Brown, Morehouse and Clark Atlanta are vital to Atlanta’s future, and we are deeply committed to supporting the students who will carry that legacy forward.”
A Legacy of Giving to HBCUs
The $50 million commitment is the largest gift the Blank Foundation has made to HBCUs in Georgia — and one of its most significant education-focused donations regionally.
Previous investments by the foundation include:
- A $10 million endowment to Spelman College to support an innovation lab
- $6 million toward athletic field upgrades at Clark Atlanta, Albany State, Miles College, and Savannah State
- Other smaller grants supporting credentials, athletic programs, and infrastructure across HBCUs in the region
Arthur Blank, a co-founder of The Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, has pledged to give away at least half his wealth through the Giving Pledge. To date, his foundation has dispersed over $1.5 billion across education, health, arts, and community development.
Impact and Reactions
Leaders from the recipient institutions have hailed the announcement as transformative. Dr. F. DuBois Bowman, president of Morehouse College, said the gift would “ensure that their talent, ambition, hard work, and integrity, not financial hardship, will determine their futures.”
Administrators note that supporting students in the final years is especially critical — it’s common for financial pressures to intensify as family resources stretch, additional siblings begin college, or unexpected expenses arise.
The foundation also pointed to broader benefits: Atlanta’s HBCUs contribute about $1 billion annually to the region’s economy. Moreover, research suggests that HBCU graduates outperform peers in lifting themselves from lower-income brackets into higher ones.
Some observers frame the timing as significant: the announcement comes amid national debates over federal funding for minority-serving institutions and rising concerns about equity in higher education access.
Looking Ahead
The Blank Foundation plans for the scholarship disbursements to begin in 2026.
As the groundwork is laid, key questions emerge: how institutions will administer and vet eligibility, how best to monitor outcomes (e.g. graduation rates, student retention), and whether this model can inspire similar large-scale gifts to other HBCUs nationwide.
Still, for thousands of students, this pledge may spell the difference between walking across a graduation stage — or never finishing at all.
