About the Fund

Liz & Frank Blake

Liz and Frank Blake have been active leaders in the philanthropic community in Atlanta for many years both in their professional careers and in retirement. Liz served as Habitat for Humanity’s senior vice president, Advocacy, Government Affairs, and General Counsel for nine years. After retiring in late 2014, Liz continued to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity International, making over fifty trips to Haiti to secure tenure and land rights and address gender issues impacting development. Prior to 2006, Liz was executive vice president and general counsel of US Airways, Trizec Properties and GE Power Systems. She was also vice president and chief of staff of Cinergy Corp., now part of Duke Energy. Liz serves on the boards of Green Brick Partners, Inc. (GRBK NYSE), the Marcus Autism Center, Enterprise Community Partners, Skyland Trail, and the Westminster Schools. She previously served ten years on the board of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; is a past chair of the Ohio Board of Regents and of the Carter Center's Board of Councilors. Liz is a graduate of Smith College and Columbia University School of Law.
In late 2019, the Blakes launched the Liz Blake Giving Fund to pilot giving strategies that would demonstrate significant and immediate impact in Metro Atlanta, where they have made their home. Learnings from the Fund will instruct future givings of their family foundation.

Mary Flynn Niemitz

Mary Flynn Niemitz serves as Director of Strategy for the Liz Blake Giving Fund. An Atlanta native, she has previously worked in affordable housing in San Francisco and philanthropy in New York City. Since moving home to Atlanta 2014, she has worked with nonprofits and family funds to develop strategy, engage stakeholders, and create mission impact. She holds an MPA from the Columbia School of International Affairs and a BA from Washington and Lee University.

Principles of Investment

  • TWO GENERATION
    We are interested in strategies that build family well-being by intentionally and simultaneously working with children and adults. We fund efforts that 1) empower caregivers as economic providers and as parents, and 2) facilitate high-quality early care/education for their children.

  • COMMUNITY DRIVEN
    We believe the best ideas and innovations often come from engaged community members and community-based leaders. We support community-driven initiatives in Metro Atlanta that can be scaled and have the potential to inform national best practices.

  • COLLECTIVE IMPACT
    We prioritize opportunities to bridge silos between nonprofit organizations and to catalyze public-private partnerships. We believe there is strength in collaboration when it leads to shared impact and evaluation.

  • CELEBRATE THE GOOD
    We look to our partners as experts and innovators in their fields. Our support is intended to advance emerging leaders and their agendas for impactful and sustaining change.

  • RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS
    Emerging pre and post-natal brain science tells us that the most important period of brain growth is ages 0 to 5 and may begin as early as 2-6 weeks of age. We champion efforts to integrate cutting-edge brain science into child development and parenting best practices.

Methods of Investment

Through the grantmaking process, The Liz Blake Giving Fund makes several types of investments:

  • Grants for two-generation projects

    metric-driven - focus on new approaches - scalable

  • Capacity building grants

    training or consulting to augment impact and support new collaborations

  • Fellowships

    for social impact leaders in Metro Atlanta to bring their efforts to scale