ATLANTA, October 12, 2006 - The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation today announced it is awarding $350,400 through its "Pathways to Success" initiative to the City of Atlanta’s Program "Next Step…The Atlanta Promise", helping to provide internships, scholarships and other support to assist Atlanta students in enrolling in college or technical training.

The foundation’s investment will help the program, administered by the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency, provide Atlanta Public Schools seniors with one-on-one sessions with Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin; SAT preparation, college fairs and workshops, career counseling and direct financial aid. In 2005, more than 400 participants in the program received tuition assistance for college and technical schools, as well as internships with local government, non-profit and corporate sectors.

"The Blank Foundation has been an important partner in our effort to assist and educate Atlanta youth." Mayor Shirley Franklin said. "Their support of The New Schools at Carver and now of the Next Step program has been invaluable and proof that working together we can take significant steps that impact lives."

"This is an exciting opportunity to work with Mayor Franklin on an initiative that means a great deal to all of us," said Penelope McPhee, president of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. "This program is an example of what the public and private sector can accomplish by joining forces and using the resources available to each of us."

Pathways to Success was created in 2004 to expand educational opportunities by providing high school students the support they need to pursue postsecondary education. It consists of collaborative partnerships that include high schools, community organizations, and higher education institutions in Atlanta, Georgia; Bluffton, South Carolina; and Phoenix, Arizona ­ three communities in which the Blank family has roots.

Through the initiative, Atlanta’s New Schools at Carver, the Southeast’s first "small high school" campus, is working with community partners to create in-school and out-of-school support programs for students.

Formed in 1995, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is focused on improving early childhood development, enhancing education, preserving green space, sustaining the arts and sparking collaboration among its nonprofit partners, primarily in Atlanta.

Arthur M. Blank is owner & CEO of the Atlanta Falcons and Georgia Force. 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. Through his generosity, the foundation, along with Blank and his wife's personal giving, has granted over $220 million to various charitable organizations.