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Saving and Changing Lives

Charity is no different from business. There’s a bottom line to it. The return on your investment is measured by how many lives you’ve saved, whether or not you’ve developed a drug that’s going to cure people, whether or not children are getting a better education. You see a need and you figure out how to fill the need.
—Bernie Marcus

Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, founded The Marcus Foundation in 1989 to carry out his philanthropic vision. The Foundation’s grantmaking philosophy is derived from Bernie Marcus’ personal life and career experiences, and his success as an entrepreneur enables him to give back.

The Marcus Foundation has five key areas of philanthropy – giving back in spheres that uphold Bernie’s beliefs and values – all with the goal to save and change lives through entrepreneurial philanthropy. The five focus areas are:

1

Medical Research and Healthcare

2

Jewish Causes

3

Free Enterprise, including Veteran Initiatives and National Security

4

The Health and Welfare of Children, with an emphasis on Civics Education

5

Targeted Community Support

Since its founding in 1989, The Marcus Foundation has given more than $2.7 billion through 3,500+ grants.  (Please note: We do not accept unsolicited requests.  Proposals are by invitation only.) 

Read our latest Impact Stories
Bernie Home Depot Image
People often ask me why the Foundation exists. This is really the most amazing story—the Foundation is an extension of their character and core beliefs. The Marcus Foundation represents who and what Bernie is all about, it’s a living testament to Bernie’s values.
—Jay Kaiman
President, The Marcus Foundation

Programs

An Entrepreneurial Approach to Philanthropy. Bernie Marcus is a self-made man who combines an extraordinary entrepreneurial vision with a selfless passion for serving others.

Medical Research and Healthcare

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Jewish Causes

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Free Enterprise, National Security, and Veterans

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Children and Youth Development

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Community Support

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Decades of Impact

1920s
1970s

  • 1929 | Bernie is born
  • 1954 | Bernie finishes pharmacy school at Rutgers University
  • 1978 | “You’re fired”—Bernie and Arthur Blank’s career at Handy Dan ends
    The Home Depot, Inc. incorporated in Delaware
    Bernie is titled Chairman and CEO
  • 1979 | The first two Home Depot stores open

1980s
1990s

  • 1981 | The Home Depot is taken public on NASDAQ
  • 1989 | The Marcus Foundation, Inc. begins
  • 1990 | The Marcus Foundation’s first grant: $110,000 to Emory Egleston Children’s Research
  • 1991 | Israel Democracy Institute founded
  • 1999 | Marcus Community Bridge Program established at Shepherd Center
  • 1999 | Built From Scratch, the story of the beginning of The Home Depot, is published

1980s
1990s

2000s

  • 2002 | Bernie retires from The Home Depot
    The Marcus Institute is created
  • 2003 | CDC Marcus Emergency Operations Center dedication
  • 2005 | Autism Speaks is founded with initial funding from The Marcus Foundation
    Opening of Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world
  • 2008 | The Marcus Institute becomes a subsidiary of CHOA and becomes the Marcus Autism Center
    Project SHARE initiative at Shepherd Center begins
  • 2009 | Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center opens on campus of Georgia Institute of Technology
  • 2010 | Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center opens at Grady Memorial Hospital

2010s

  • 2012 | Bernie is the recipient of the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership
  • 2014 | Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital opens
  • 2015 | The Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing grant given to Georgia Institute of Technology
  • 2016 | Marcus Heart and Vascular Center established at Piedmont Hospital
    Major transformation of Hillel is launched
  • 2017 | Marcus Institute of Integrative Health established at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health
  • 2017 | Establishment of the Marcus Institute for Brain Health at University of Colorado’s Anschutz Health and Wellness Center
  • 2018 | Marcus Stroke Network partners Grady Health System, American Heart Association, and Emory University; region’s first Mobile Stroke Unit introduced
  • 2019 | The country’s first academic department of integrative medicine and nutritional sciences is established at Thomas Jefferson University
    The Avalon Fund is announced to create a network of 20 sites to serve veterans with TBI and post-traumatic stress disorder
    Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Home Depot

2010s

2020s

  • 2020 | RootOne is established to take Jewish teenagers to Israel
  • 2022 | Kick Up Some Dust is published
  • 2022 | Israel's Magen David Adom opens the world's first underground blood processing and storage facility, the Marcus National Blood Center
  • 2023 | Mission Roll Call, a non-partisan veterans advocacy group, is established
  • 2024 | Marcus Foundation giving in support of veteran causes reaches $250 million, making Bernie one of the largest veteran philanthropists
    RootOne reaches milestone of taking 15,000 teens from across 48 states to Israel
    Grady’s Marcus Stroke Center embarks on a game-changing clinical trial to address hemorrhagic (bleeding) strokes, representing the single largest philanthropic award for research made for fatal stroke intervention.
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Bernie Marcus
1929–2024

It is with great sadness that The Marcus Foundation announces the death of its founder and chair, Bernard (Bernie) Marcus, on November 4, 2024, at the age of 95, in Boca Raton, FL.

We know that many people have stories, messages and memories they would like to share about Bernie. Please send them to observing@marcusfoundation.org.

Bernie loved medical research, Israel and Jewish causes, and veterans.  In lieu of gifts or flowers, the Foundation and Marcus family ask that folks consider a donation to one of the following groups.  Bernie would have also been very happy for donations in his honor to go to any other organizations meaningful to the donor that impactfully advance these causes.

  • RootOne
  • Avalon Action Alliance
  • Marcus Autism Center
  • Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center at Grady
  • Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital
  • Israel Democracy Institute Foundation
  • Magen David Adom Marcus National Blood Services Center
About Bernard (Bernie) Marcus
If you wish to send physical mail, please direct it to the below address: Marcus Foundation 1266 West Paces Ferry Rd. #615 Atlanta, GA 30327 Funeral service will be held Thurs., Nov 7, at 1 pm at The Temple in Atlanta, GA, followed by graveside service for family and close friends. The family will sit shiva that evening at 7 pm at The Temple. The Temple 1589 Peachtree St. NE Atlanta, GA 30309

A livestream of the service can be viewed here starting at 1 pm.

Bernard (Bernie) Marcus
PHILANTHROPIST AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE HOME DEPOT
1929-2024

Bernard (Bernie) Marcus passed away on November 4, 2024, at the age of 95, in Boca Raton, FL.

Born on May 12, 1929, in Newark, New Jersey, Bernie is a name synonymous with entrepreneurial success and generous philanthropy.

In 1978, he co-founded The Home Depot, now the world’s largest home improvement retailer, served as its first CEO, and was chairman until his retirement in 2002.  The company began in 1978 and opened its first two stores in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1979. The company grew to embody the ideals of its founders, Bernie, Arthur Blank and Ken Langone to treat employees and their local communities as family, reward associates with stock options, and provide associates and their families with financial assistance in times of need. There are now approximately 500,000 associates and more than 2,300 stores in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with 2023 revenues of $152.7 billion.

For many people, creating a successful company would have been the achievement of a lifetime. But Bernie and his wife Billi began to focus their energy and resources on philanthropy.

The core values of The Home Depot – taking care of its people, giving back to its communities, and doing the right thing – became the fundamental principles of The Marcus Foundation, which Bernie founded in 1989. Bernie’s entrepreneurial business approach characterized his unique brand of hands-on philanthropy. 

Since its founding, The Marcus Foundation has granted more than $2.7 billion through 3,500+ grants. Their contributions support a wide range of causes, including medical research; Jewish causes; free enterprise, including veteran initiatives and national security; the health and welfare of children, with an emphasis on civics education; and targeted community support. Through these focus areas, Bernie and Billi’s philanthropy has made a significant impact by changing and saving countless lives.

Bernie Marcus was born the youngest of four children of Sara and Joe Marcus, poor Russian immigrants, in Newark, New Jersey.  They lived in a fourth-floor walkup tenement, and it was there he learned from his mother the importance of giving back, “Tzedakah.” He began working at age 11 to help support his family, with jobs including grocery store and candy store clerk, a theater usher, a magician and a hypnotist. He attended Southside High School, was named Most Popular, served on the swim team, and graduated in 1947. He had a propensity for medicine, and his dream was to go to medical school and be a doctor – a psychiatrist. When he completed most of his pre-med courses at Rutgers University, he was told he had been accepted at Harvard Medical School with a scholarship. His dream was not to be realized: a quota on Jewish students required an additional admission fee that was more than his entire family could afford. He returned to Rutgers and graduated with a degree in pharmacy in 1954.

During the following years, Mr. Marcus climbed the corporate ladder at leading retail companies, including Two Guys, Daylin and Handy Dan.  Mr. Marcus often said that being fired by Handy Dan in 1978, was both the low point in his life and the moment of greatest opportunity.  He had already envisioned a store of placing all home improvement supplies under one roof, cutting out the middleman, and passing the savings to the customers.  On June 29, 1978, The Home Depot was incorporated, and its first two stores opened in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1979.  America soon became a nation of do-it-yourselfers, and The Home Depot became, and continues to be, one of the most successful and respected companies. 

The Home Depot’s success  allowed Bernie and Billi to establish The Marcus Foundation. It also compelled them to create a cultural asset, The Georgia Aquarium, to give thanks to the people of Atlanta and Georgia, who had supported them from the very beginning.  This was the largest single grant The Marcus Foundation has given, and it opened in 2005 as the largest aquarium in the world.

Their extraordinary generosity has been widely recognized for its enduring impact. Bernie and Billi Marcus were recently named the 2024 Philanthropists of the Year by Forbes and have received The Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, given to individuals who have served with distinction in public life. Mr. Marcus was named the inaugural recipient of Inc. 500’s Bernard A. Goldhirsh Award, was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame, and has received the USO Patriot Award, as well as the Sea Keeper Award for promoting the restoration and protection of the world’s oceans.

The Marcuses were among the first to sign the Giving Pledge and have been recognized among the top 20 donors in the country.

Mr. Marcus co-authored two books, Built From Scratch, How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion, and Kick Up Some Dust, Lessons on Thinking Big, Giving Back and Doing It Yourself. These books offer a glimpse into his remarkable journey and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

Bernie Marcus’s life story is one of extraordinary perseverance, innovative and entrepreneurial thinking, and heartfelt generosity. From his humble beginnings in a New Jersey tenement to the heights of business success and philanthropy, Bernie’s journey is a powerful reminder of the impact one person can make. His story embodies the spirit of dreaming big, working hard, and always giving back—a legacy that continues to inspire and uplift countless lives.

Bernie is survived by his wife Billi, his sons Fred Marcus (Nancy) and Michael Morris, and was predeceased by daughter Susanne Marcus Collins.  He had seven grandchildren and dozens of nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews.

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