Contact: Brian Farley
(404) 367 2070

ATLANTA, July 22, 2002 -- The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is awarding more than $6.5 million in grants to 11 Atlanta-area nonprofit organizations to preserve green space and to develop and improve urban parks inside Interstate 285.

The grants represent the first round of green-space projects to be funded in the Foundation's three-year Environmental Initiative to improve the quality of life in the core of metropolitan Atlanta by increasing open space for public use. The Foundation plans to grant between $20 and $30 million to preserve green space through 2004.

Funded projects will preserve 430 acres for open green space, recreation and education. Six of the projects are land acquisitions, aimed at preserving critical wildlife habitat and wetlands, and protecting stream buffer zones along tributaries of the Chattahoochee River and along the South River.

The Foundation announced its Environmental Initiative in December 2001 and began accepting letters of intent for projects in February 2002.

"The clock is ticking on Atlanta's ability to preserve green space and parks," said Elise Eplan, co-director of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. "Livable communities and a world-class city depend on open space for public use. We have a rapidly closing window of opportunity to save Atlanta's remaining green space. The good news is we've received high response from partners in many sectors who are committed to act now."

Foundation grants will help restore and renovate Atlanta's oldest park, Grant Park, and create parks for the Vine City and Carver Homes communities. The Carver Homes project is a potential model for urban redevelopment incorporating green space and recreation areas.

One project along Utoy Creek in Southwest Atlanta will provide an outdoor classroom for environmental studies at The Beecher Hills Elementary School and create additional walking trails for area residents.

Other grants support park advocacy efforts, establish a fund for technical assistance to organizations working to preserve green space, and create a dedicated loan fund to be invested in projects within Interstate 285.

The organizations to receive Foundation green-space grants are:

• The Conservation Fund -- $2.15 million to develop a revolving loan fund for land acquisition within I-285.
• Trust for Public Land -- $1.7 million to support the acquisition of three priority conservation lands in DeKalb County and the City of Atlanta, including properties that include wetlands, open fields and wooded areas.
• Peachtree Woodall Whetstone -- $1 million for land acquisition along Utoy Creek in southwest Atlanta.
• PATH Foundation -- $500,000 to build additional walking and cycling trails and to connect key segments of Atlanta's existing trails, with a focus on 110 miles of trails inside I-285.
• DeKalb County, Georgia -- $350,000 for land acquisition, to include environmental education and recreation in an enhanced wildlife habitat.
• Olmsted Linear Park Alliance -- $300,000 to support capital improvements and other beautification projects at Olmsted Linear Park.
• The Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta, GA -- $150,000 to develop a 4.5-acre park in the new Carver Homes Redevelopment Project, a mixed-use community.
• Grant Park Conservancy -- $150,000 to support maintenance, tree restoration and beautification projects in Grant Park.
• Vine City Neighborhood Association -- $125,000 to acquire a tract of land in the heart of Vine City for a neighborhood park, as part of The Vine City Master Plan.
• Park Pride -- $50,000 to support the PARC-911 project. The PARC-911 plan focuses on reshaping the park system in Atlanta to be more successful, in such areas as maintenance, acquisition, safety and park management.
• Wonderland Gardens -- $27,000 to support capital improvement projects at Wonderland Gardens in Decatur, improving access for youth education and community use.
• Project proposals submitted to the Foundation were evaluated by an Advisory Council consisting of local and national environmental experts, including Bruz Clark, vice president, The Lyndhurst Foundation; Peter Howell, program director, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Stacy Patton, president, Patton & Associates; Randy Roark, professor of architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology; Rutherford Seydel, partner, Lawson, Davis, Pickren & Seydel; and Harvey Young, coordinator of the Georgia Community green space Program, Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

"With this initiative, The Arthur M. Blank Foundation has stirred new energy among nonprofit conservation organizations," said Mr. Young. "It gives new emphasis to the roles that grassroots neighborhood and community groups can play in conserving urban land. This is civic leadership of a very high order."

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation supports programs and organizations that create opportunity, enhance self-esteem, and increase awareness about cultural and community issues among young people.

Arthur M. Blank founded The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in 1995 to share his civic values and the joy of giving with his family. Since that time, Foundation and personal grants paid total more than $86 million, with approximately $37 million planned in 2002.

Mr. Blank co-founded The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer, in 1978 and retired from the company as co-chairman in 2001. He is chairman, president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Falcons.