A Personal Struggle Inspires a Mission to Help Others
The Hirsch Legacy Fund emerged from a personal journey of compassion and commitment. Driven by their own experience with a child facing complex mental health issues and a generational dedication to philanthropy inspired by Jewish values, Michele and David Hirsch envisioned a way to help families that couldn’t access the quality care they were able to afford.
The journey began with the Peaceful Family Fund, which is dedicated to helping families finance adolescent mental health treatments through interest-free loans and grants. In 2023, Atlanta’s Jewish Family & Career Services began managing the Peaceful Family Fund, and the Hirsch family established the Hirsch Legacy Fund.
Unlike the Peaceful Family Fund which provides funding to individual families, The Hirsch Legacy Fund supports nonprofit organizations that serve communities in Atlanta, Georgia, the U.S., and Israel, to pursue projects focused on mental health, underserved communities, and Jewish causes.
The Hirsch Family
The Hirsch Legacy Fund is very much a family affair.
Michele, David, Lewis, and Henry all contribute to the family’s philanthropic work, often discussing goals and grant decisions at the dinner table.
Gabby Spatt
Vice President of Philanthropy
As Vice President of Philanthropy at the Hirsch Legacy Fund, Gabby Spatt helps the Hirsch Family accomplish their philanthropic goals. She has previously worked in for-profit and nonprofit organizations, focusing on program development, philanthropic impact, and member engagement. A personal tragedy led Gabby to become a mental health advocate, sharing her family’s story of losing her younger sister to mental illness. She devotes her time to her professional role and community engagement through different roles inside and outside the Jewish community. As a Florida native, Gabby holds a BA in Business Administration and a minor in nonprofit leadership from the University of Florida.