he says. Instead, Brill says, Marcus
leads by example: "Generally, he does-
n't grab you by the arm and say, 'I'd
like you to give to this charity.'"
Giving Gilts
Marcus created the Marcus
Foundation to involve his family in
the process of giving. His wife, Billi,
serves on the foundation's board, as
do his three children: Fred Marcus
and Suzanne Collins, children from
his first marriage, and Morris, 35,
who is Billi Marcus' son.
Marcus' philanthropic passions are
education, health, children and
Judaism. He funds the Shepherd
Center, which serves people with
spinal and brain injuries, and he's the
chairman of the Centers for Disease
Control Foundation.
A member of The Temple in
Atlanta, Marcus is also a supporter of
Israel and Jewish issues. He's the
international chairman of the 1999
General Assembly of the Council of
UJA Federations, which is expected to
bring 5,000 people to Atlanta.
Though he's been critical of federa-
tion officials for not demanding
greater accountability about where
money goes, he gives anyway. He
donated $15 million to the Atlanta
Jewish Federation's capital campaign
— a $10 million grant and a promise
of another $5 million if the federation
raised $35 million, which it did.
Marcus topped that with a $52
million gift to the Billi and Bernie
Marcus Supporting Foundation of the
Atlanta Jewish Federation. It's one of
13 family-funded foundations affiliat-
ed with the federation and, after that
gift, leapfrogged to the top of the list
as the largest, says Jack Balser, the fed-
eration endowment director.
Family members work with the
federation to allocate money for fed-
eration-approved causes. Supporting
foundation gifts are usually made in
the form of securities and invest-
ments.
Steve Selig, the immediate past
president of the Atlanta Federation,
says Marcus is Atlanta's leading con-
tributor to Jewish causes and is a
benefactor in less visible ways as well.
"He is accessible and I can't tell
you how important that is," says
Selig, who's known Marcus for 15
years and golfs with him. "As busy as
he is, he always finds time to meet
with members of the community," to
give advice or offer perspective.
Marcus' pet Jewish project is the
Israel Democracy Institute. The think
tank and public policy group is dedi-
cated to helping Israel evolve into a
democratic, capitalist state.
Israel, he says, is really "a semi-
democracy" because it lacks a consti-
tution and a bill of rights. Founded
eight years ago with Marcus' help, the
institute was created to help Israelis
set up a stable capitalist economy that
will flourish without relying on U.S.
aid. Marcus would also like to see the
Middle Eastern country nurture the
same sort of free-market economy
that made it possible for him to
become a billionaire.
"You know, communism just does-
n't work. Socialism doesn't work,"
Marcus insists. The free-enterprise
system works, and that's what we're
trying to incorporate into Israel. And
you can only have a free-enterprise
system when you don't have a com-
munist or socialist government. And
right now, Israel is still a socialist gov-
ernment."
Bickering among political factions
sucks up the government's attention,
he says. As a result, the country's
security is at risk, and government
business, such as funding schools, is
neglected, Marcus says.
"We're not dictating policy ... and
I'm happy to say it's non-partisan ...
because everybody understands if they
don't straighten out their act, they're
not going to survive." Marcus says he
could never achieve this through
Atlanta's federation.
For too long, federations provid-
ed "a blanket check that went to
Israel" that was basically "the black
hole," he says. Federations are wis-
ing up lately by insisting on target-
ing their contributions to specific
causes, he says.
"I think people would feel better
about watching the bottom line where
they see something happening. And I
think there's more accountability.
Everyone looks for accountability."
Marcus is pleased the Atlanta
Federation supports the democracy
foundation, which has a $3.5 million
annual budget. Marcus restricts his
contributions to no more than 25
percent of that budget.
"It's not a Bernie Marcus deal," he
explains. "And we need other Jews to
support it as well. I don't want it to
be so identified with me that if people
don't like me, they'll take it out on
IDI."
After 19 years as Home Depot's
CEO, Marcus stepped down last year,
turning the reins over to Blank, 55.
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