Robin Hood Foundation

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Robin Hood Foundation
Type Venture philanthropy[1][2]
Founded 1988[2]
Founder(s) Paul Tudor Jones
Headquarters
  • New York, New York, United States[3]
Area served New York City[2]
Focus(es) Poverty reduction[2]
Mission "Since 1988 Robin Hood has targeted poverty in New York City by supporting and developing organizations that provide direct services to poor New Yorkers as well as improving their earning power and long-term prospects. Robin Hood provides program grants, general operating support, capital grants, and funds to build management capacity."[4]
Method(s) Combining investment principles and philanthropy to assist programs that target poverty.
Website www.robinhood.org

The Robin Hood Foundation is a charitable organization, which attempts to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York, United States. The organization also administers a relief fund for disasters in the New York City area.

History

Founded in 1988, Robin Hood was the brainchild of hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones. In 2006, the board of directors included such names as Jeffrey Immelt, Diane Sawyer, Harvey Weinstein, Marie-Josee Kravis, Lloyd Blankfein, of Goldman Sachs, Richard S. Fuld, Jr., formerly of Lehman Brothers, Glenn Dubin, of Highbridge Capital, Marian Wright Edelman and actress Gwyneth Paltrow. The foundation combines investment principles and philanthropy to assist programs that target poverty in New York City. Artists including The Rolling Stones, Robert Plant & The Strange Sensation, Shakira, John Legend, The Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, The Who and Aerosmith have performed at the group's annual galas.

In 2009, George Soros gave the foundation a US$50 million contribution. The money reportedly helped the organization raise significantly more than that amount.[5] In 2001 the The Concert for New York City provided funds for the organization. After hurricane Sandy, the 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief concert also provided funds for the foundation's efforts.[6]

Approach

According to Fortune Magazine, "Robin Hood was a pioneer in what is now called venture philanthropy, or charity that embraces free-market forces. An early practitioner of using metrics to measure the effectiveness of grants, it is a place where strategies to alleviate urban poverty are hotly debated, ineffectual plans are coldly discarded, and its staff of 66 hatches radical new ideas."[1]

More specifically, the foundation states that it applies the following principles:

  • Give 100 percent of every donation directly to programs helping poor New Yorkers.[2]
  • Identify and stop poverty at its roots.[2]
  • Protect and leverage Robin Hood’s investments by using sound business principles to help programs become more effective.[2]
  • Use metrics and qualitative data to evaluate programs and measure results to compare the relative poverty-fighting success of similar programs.[2]

Programs

The Robin Hood Foundation works with more than 240 nonprofit organizations in New York and surrounding areas.[7] They categorize their programs into "Core fund recipients" and "Relief fund recipients".[7] Core fund recipients consist of four portfolios: early childhood, education, jobs and economic security, and survival.[7] Relief fund activities established to assist low income victims of the 9/11 attacks addressed employment, lower income victims' services and relief and mental health services in addition to other grants.[7] The relief fund also benefited victims of Hurricane Sandy.[8]

Reception

The Robin Hood Foundation was featured in Fortune's 18 September 2006 issue, where the article states that the foundation is "one of the most innovative and influential philanthropic organizations of our time."[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Serwer, Andy (2006-09-08). "The legend of Robin Hood". Fortune (CNN). Retrieved 7 October 2010. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "Approach". Robin Hood Foundation. Retrieved 7 October 2010. 
  3. ↑ "Contact us". Robin Hood Foundation. Retrieved 7 October 2010. 
  4. ↑ "ROBIN HOOD FOUNDATION". GuideStar Nonprofit Directory. GuideStar USA. 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010. 
  5. ↑ Strom, Stephanie (September 6, 2010). "George Soros to Donate $100 Million to Human Rights Watch". The New York Times (New York: NYTC). ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 
  6. ↑ Joshua Dawsey. "A Preview of the ’12-12-12′ Concert and Where to Watch". Well Street Journal. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Programs". Robin Hood Foundation. Retrieved 8 October 2010. 
  8. ↑ "Robin Hood Responds". 

External links

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