About
Learn more about Bernie Marcus, our mission, our team, and decades of impact.
About Bernie Marcus
The man behind the mission: from humble beginnings to The Home Depot to a lifetime of giving.
About The Marcus Foundation
Bernie believed philanthropy should do more than support good causes.
Our Team
Trustees
• Frank Blake
Chairman
• Jay Kaiman
President
• Frederick Marcus
Vice Chairman
• Billi Marcus
• Michael Morris
• Tony Gelbart
• James Grien
• Doug Hertz
• Donna Hyland
• Ken Langone
• Mike Leven
• Sara Loft
• Tina Price
• Larry Smith
Foundation Team
• Jonathan W. Simons, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
• Marcus Ruzek
Senior Program Director, Free Enterprise
• Yoni Kaiser-Blueth
Program Director, Jewish Portfolio
• Ryan Braid
Program and Grants Manager
• Yana Abramson
Chief of Staff
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
1989
• The Marcus Foundation, Inc. is established
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
2000s
2002
• Bernie retires from The Home Depot to devote himself full-time to philanthropy
• The Marcus Autism Center is founded as The Marcus Institute
2005
• Autism Speaks is founded with initial funding from The Marcus Foundation
• Opening of Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world
2008
• 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
2017-2019
• Marcus Institute of Integrative Health established at Thomas
• The country’s first academic department of integrative medicine and nutritional sciences is established at Thomas Jefferson University
2017
• Establishment of the Marcus Institute for Brain Health at University of Colorado’s Anschutz Health and Wellness Center
2018
• Marcus Stroke Network partners with Grady Health System, American Heart Association, and Emory University
• The region’s first Mobile Stroke Unit is introduced
2019
• The Avalon Fund is announced to create a network of 20 sites to serve veterans with TBI and post-traumatic stress disorder
2020s
2020-2024
• RootOne is established in 2020. By 2024, the program had taken 15,000 teens from across 48 states to Israel.
2022
• Israel’s Magen David Adom opens the world’s first underground blood processing and storage facility, the Marcus National Blood Center
2024
• Marcus Foundation giving in support of veteran causes reaches $250 million, making Bernie one of the largest veteran philanthropists
• Bernie Marcus passed away November 4 at the age of 95
2025-2026
The Foundation embarks on several strategic clinical trials to advance medical research:
• Hemorrhagic Stroke: Testing minimally invasive surgery and tracking outcomes to improve treatment for brain hemorrhages.
• MarcusMotes: Developing brain-computer interfaces to restore communication for stroke survivors who struggle to speak.
• Cardiac Regeneration: Testing stem cell therapies to rebuild damaged heart muscle and improve survival after heart attacks.
• Xenotransplantation: Rehabilitating donor organs and advancing gene editing to expand transplantation and reduce organ shortages.