HispanicBusiness

Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of Atlanta-based Home Depot, was awarded a $250,000 prize Thursday for his philanthropy.

The money will be donated to the Marcus Autism Center and Piedmont School of Autism.

The William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership is given to living philanthropists and is intended to inspire giving to charities that achieve results.

In a statement, Marcus called the honor "surprising and humbling."

In addition to the autism centers, Marcus has given to the Georgia Aquarium, has led the creation of the nonpartisan think tank Israel Democracy Institute and the Job Creators Alliance and has focused on the medical research for children and military veterans.

"He gives in a very understated way," Home Depot CEO Frank Blake said in a statement, "and in a way that has a huge impact for the entire community."

The prize is administered by The Philanthropy Roundtable. Past recipients include Philip and Nancy Anschutz, Ben Carson, S. Truett Cathy, Raymond G. Chambers, Richard and Helen DeVos, Frank J. Hanna III, Roger Hertog, Charles G. Koch, David Robinson, the late John M. Templeton, and the late John T. Walton.