By Hannah E. Jones

The word “philanthropy,” when broken down to its Greek roots, means a love for humanity. 

That’s the tone that kicked off a recent panel discussion among Atlanta leaders about the important role that foundations and their philanthropic efforts play in our community. The program, held on Aug. 22, was presented through the Atlanta Press Club’s (APC) ongoing Leadership Newsmaker series.

The panel included:

• Nicole “Nikki” Clifton, president of The UPS Foundation
• Frank Fernandez, president and CEO of Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
• Fay Twersky, president of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

The conversation was moderated by SaportaReport’s Maria Saporta. The three local leaders joined Saporta on-stage at the Buckhead Club to discuss their foundation’s philanthropic efforts to help create a better Atlanta.

When asked to describe Atlanta’s philanthropic landscape, the speakers agreed that it’s a strong city for giving.

“In terms of philanthropy, Atlanta is a very generous place,” Fernandez said. “There is a commitment, both from the corporate community and individuals who have done well, to give back in a way that I haven’t seen in a lot of other places. Folks want to really see themselves rooting here which I think was a great thing.”

UPS is one of those companies, and it has called Atlanta home for nearly 30 years. While UPS is a global company, Clifton said that CEO Carol Tomé — who stepped into the role in 2021 — has emphasized that “how we show up in Atlanta really matters to her.” 

To that end, the team has pinpointed four areas to invest in to help Atlantans thrive — community safety, entrepreneurship, education and arts and civic engagement. 

The team identified these as priorities through conversations with other Atlanta leaders,…