[65][66] He was awarded an honorary doctorate of International Affairs from American University's School of International Service[67][68] and an honorary doctorate from Morehouse College. And in 2018, Smith dropped $59 million on a three-story New York City penthouse in the Getty, a new luxury building in Chelsea. *Uh oh. Fund II Foundation 990. IRS. "When I finished business school and decided to join the tumultuous world of investment banking, my family and friends spoke up with concerns about my sanity," Smith said in his American University commencement speech. [25] In a June 2020 report, Time reported the launch of The Student Freedom Initiative, a nonprofit led by Smith, to benefit HBCU students. [10] According to Black Enterprise magazine, Smith is credited with consistently generating a 30 percent rate of return for his investors from the company's inception to 2020. Now they did all the heavy lifting. Fund technical assistance $25M: fund Prosper Birmingham, Magic City Match, and Birmingham Business Alliance to establish/expand business advisory programs, renovate and subsidize retail/office space for MBEs and scale coaches & support services (e.g., digital footprint, B2C platforms, accounting & bookkeeping, recruitment, etc.) Download theGrio today! [74] Smith was also inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame as a Class of 2019 Legend. Partygoers weren't . Robert is registered to vote in Hancock County, Ohio. [1][4], In high school, he applied for an internship at Bell Labs but was told the program was intended for college students. Smith's strategy as well as his work ethic have won him praise on Wall Street. [6], Smith died on September 21, 2020, in Medford, Oregon at the age of 89. Robert F. Smith. Smith later extended the gift, which Morehouse later said totaled $34 million, to cover the graduates' parents' loans, too. Accessed August 25, 2021. [49], Smith became the board chairman of Carnegie Hall in 2016, the first African American to hold that position. ** Minority Serving Institutions / HBCUs with STEM programs being considered: Texas Southern University, University of Houston, Prairie View A&M University, Houston Baptist University, University of Houston-Clear Lake, University of Houston-Downtown, University of St Thomas. 1. Fund SFI program $120M: fund the Student Freedom Initiatives Income Contingent Alternative to Parent Plus* to support ~1.2K Black STEM students per year forever at 7 HBCUs**, * Student Freedom Initiative serves as lead (main contact if you are interested in learning more and funding this initiative). Accessed August 25, 2021. Toggle navigation VoterRecords.com. He was Speaker of the House for the 1969 and 1971 sessions. Smith is the richest black person in the United States, with a net worth of $5 billion, according to Forbes. Smith will pay $140 million to settle to a four-year-long investigation into his personal taxes, Bloomberg reported. Smith was accused of conspiring with billionaire software CEO Robert Brockman to conceal his income by routing proceeds from Vista Equity Partners through Caribbean shell corporations secretly owned by Smith. [1], Smith gained public acclaim as one of the most prominent African-American philanthropists through his Fund II Foundation, which has donated tens of millions of dollars to universities, and in 2019 paid off the student loan debt of the entire graduating class of Morehouse College. Smith allegedly failed to pay taxes on about $200 million in assets that moved through offshore accounts tied to Robert Brockman, a Houston software businessman. [7], In 2014, Robert Smith founded the Fund II Foundation, a grant making philanthropic group. Discussion about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has grown over the last few years as more, Image: NRC Region II Staff Members Celebrate HBCU Week by Nuclear Regulatory Commission is licensed, Every February, the U.S. celebrates Black History Month a time when we reflect on. [92][10][93][94][95], For other people named Robert F. Smith, see, "At Carnegie Hall, a New Leader With a Son Named Hendrix", "Billionaire Denver native donated $20 million to new African-American museum (Video)", "A Private Equity Titan With a Narrow Focus and Broad Aims", "Cornell Engineering To Recognize Robert F. Smith '85 With 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award", "5 things to know about Robert F. Smith, Morehouse donor to pay off Class of 2019's student loans", "Smith '85 to receive engineering college alumni honor", "Meet Robert F. Smith, the billionaire who's paying off student loans, owns a home in Malibu, and married a former Playboy model in a lavish Italian ceremony", "Who is Robert F. Smith? Yes, he's richer than Oprah. In addition to his personal philanthropy, Smith is the founding director and President of the Fund II Foundation, a charitable organization making grants to support a broad range of organizations. Now, Ive got the alumni over here, and this is a challenge to you, alumni: this is my class, 2019. Powered by. Robert F. Smith believes deeply in the need to give back and support communities. 5. Billionaire, philanthropist Robert F. Smith lobbies Washington, Wall Street for funding for minority businesses during pandemic - The Washington Post Advertisement This article was. [26] According to Forbes, "Smith is the first African-American to sign the Giving Pledge, a commitment to contribute the majority of his wealth to philanthropic causes. Celebrating Famous Black People From History, founding director and President of the Fund II Foundation, Learn About The Southern Communities Initiative, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Income Contingent Alternative to Parent Plus, Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HSMDC), Office of Information Technology & Innovation, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance (CRBA). [23], The 2019 PitchBook Private Equity Awards named Vista Equity Partners "Dealmaker of the Year". Download all contribution records for this person. After graduating, he began working in industry in Applied Research and Development and received two US and two European patents and numerous awards. [2][50], Also that year, Cornell University named the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering after him, following a donation. As one of the most active investors in the enterprise software market, Vista believes in the advancement of technology to create opportunity. Robert Freeman Smith (June 16, 1931 September 21, 2020), commonly known as Bob Smith, was an American Republican politician who represented Oregon in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and from 1997 to 1999. Much to my dismay, they disagreed.". [53] In May 2017, The Giving Pledge announced that Smith had joined as its first African-American signatory. "[27], In December 2022, taking a stand together against increasing instances of racism and antisemitism in the US, Smith joined New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Reverends Al Sharpton and Conrad Tillard, World Values Network founder and CEO Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, and Elisha Wiesel to host 15 Days of Light, celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa in a unifying holiday ceremony at Carnegie Hall. For his 60th birthday, billionaire Robert F. Smith's wife threw him a James Bond-themed party. The New York Times called Vista's hiring strategy "decidedly unusual" for how it uses tests to whittle down candidate lists. [38] According to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, Brockman's lawyer helped Smith set up the offshore entity. as well as other partner offers and accept our, Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images, Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images), http://robertfsmith.org/post/118605075721/robert-f-smith-is-the-founder-chairman-and-ceo. Data on individual contributors includes the following: The following are examples of the various types of contributor searches that may be conducted: Search an individual contributor by their last and/or first name. Some of their responsibilities include overseeing the Primary, Candidate Filing, and other elections; chairing County Executive Committee Meetings; organizing and leading the local party; as well as overseeing and/or assisting with precinct and county or Senate District Conventions as required. At one point, we were having daily conference calls with him and his team. PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: A party arranged in James bond theme by Hope Dworaczyk, wife of Robert Frederick Smith, for her husband's 60th birthday allegedly pissed the guests due to the bizarre security measures. You are responsible for building strong, safe places where our young brothers and sisters can grow with confidence, watch and learn from positive role models, and believe that, they too, are entitled to the American Dream. -Robert F. Smith @RFS_Vista #MorehouseGrad2019 pic.twitter.com/CeMs6CxQkq, Morehouse College (@Morehouse) May 19, 2019. In 2016, Smith and his wife bought a $20 million Malibu mansion from "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Yolanda Hadid. Today, Smith is Vistas Chairman and CEO. [80][81], In May 2022, Cornell University announced a $15 million donation from Robert Frederick Smith that will provide financial aid to engineering students from historically underrepresented communities. The 2% Solution is a groundbreaking idea for generational change in at-risk communities. In particular, his philanthropy honors the sacrifices and contributions of his parents, grandparents and African American ancestors who he says paved the way for his success. The 2% Solution: Driving Action for Real Change. Robert F. Smith. This effort will drive corporate collaboration with local grassroots community organizations to help achieve scalable projects that can be rolled out across the country wherever inequity exists. As a high schooler, Smith convinced Bell Labs to give him an internship even though they were reserved for college students. So the next generation can go even higher., Robert F. Smith says his mother's giving help inspire his philanthropy: "She instilled in me the importance of giving to the community" https://t.co/c4NHbWdOsS pic.twitter.com/vu6kamY7IB. He worked as an engineer at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Air Products and Chemicals, and Kraft General Foods. She also retweeted the Post profile of him. [4] In 1994, Smith earned an MBA from Columbia University and pivoted his career towards business and finance. Columbia Business School Smith's generous gift of $15 million to the Columbia Business School in 2017, helped the School secure its $500 million fundraising goal for its move to Manhattanville. Robert F.Smith is a billionaire who gave the commencement speech at Morehouse College on Sunday, telling the graduating students his gift was to pay off all of their student loans. [31][37], In early October 2021, Smith and Brockman were both among those listed in the Pandora Papers revelation, exposing the offshore sheltering of financial assets by hundreds of politicians, businesspeople, and celebrities. ", "Inspiring Female Founders In The Beauty Industry", "Suzanne McFayden Wiki: Facts about Billionaire Robert F. Smith's Ex-Wife", "How Robert F. Smith, the Wealthiest Black American, Is Making Change", "The World's Billionaires (2016 ranking): #688 Robert Smith", "Real Housewives of Malibu Part 2: Yolanda Hadid Foster sells to Robert & Hope Smith for nearly $20 million", "Billionaire Robert Smith Is Buyer Of Record-Breaking $59M New York Penthouse", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_F._Smith_(investor)&oldid=1130578664, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 22:11. [37], According to reports in Bloomberg and The Washington Post, Brockman approached Smith in the 1990s about creating a private equity fund and offered to back the initial fund. "[30], In August 2020, Bloomberg reported that Smith was facing a tax inquiry regarding a potential failure to pay U.S. taxes on $200 million in assets, intended for U.S. charities, that were transferred through offshore entities. [55][56], In 2018, Fund II Foundation gave a $2.7 million grant to the Louis Armstrong House Museum, and Smith has served as a board member since. Robert Frederick Smith (born December 1, 1962) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. [22], In 2016, Smith was named as Private Equity International's Game Changer of the Year for his work with Vista. His father, Benjamin F. Smith, was a doctor. No matter our skin color or our political beliefs, we must all agree that the right to vote is foundational to our democracy and who we are." -Robert F. Smith In March 2021 and again in January 2022 Smith collaborated with dozens of Black executives and the Freedom to Vote Alliance to condemn new voting restrictions that harken back to Jim Crow. [9], The Foundations largest donations have gone to universities. [2] Wes Cooley, the Republican who had succeeded Smith in the House, had been caught in several lies about his military service and Smith was persuaded to come out of retirement. Everything You Need To Know: What Is an HBCU? [5], In 2000, Smith founded Vista Equity Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm focused on technology. Talk about a graduation gift! Smith donated $50 million to his alma mater. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. He's the founder of the . Search Terms: Robert Smith Reset All Filters Page 3 of 1,139 First Previous 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next Adeniji, Ade. [57][58], In 2018, Smith was the largest individual donor at the City of Hope Gala, which funds prostate cancer treatment and breast cancer research for black men and women. This agreement came alongside Smith agreeing to assist the DOJ in creating a separate case against Robert T. Brockman, who had been charged with hiding $2 billion in income. Raise community awareness & adoption of Emergency Broadband Benefit: increase door-to-door and community outreach in low-income neighborhoods to get households onto EBB to help connect ~135K unconnected households, * Lead organization: The Collective Blueprint; Contributing local organizations for community strategy include (but not limited to): CodeCrew, Estimated impact (of all initiatives): ~135K households connected to high-speed internet to unlock ~$2B+ in economic potential, Lead community organization: Greater Houston Partnership, 1. He founded Vista Equity Partners, which invests in software companies, in 2000. Smith did not flee the scene, was cooperative with investigators, and was determined to not be under the influence of intoxicants at the time of the wreck. [69], In May 2019, while at Morehouse College to receive an honorary doctorate and deliver the commencement address, he announced that he and his family would pay off the entire student loan debt of the 2019 Morehouse College graduating class of 396 students. The banker went on to praise Vista, as well, saying "there is no shortage of PE shops that have succumbed to style creep and/or chasing fleeting trends, but Vista has remained focused on enterprise software and technology. [11] From 1994 to 2000, he worked for Goldman Sachs in technology investment banking, first in New York City and then in Silicon Valley. Provide technical expertise: offer subject matter and technical expertise to catalyze and support community initiatives, E.g., tax/accounting experts to help MBEs file taxes, E.g., business experts to help MBEs better access capital and craft business plans to scale their teams and operations, 2. Vista uses a personality test developed by IBM that measures social and technical skills, as well as applicants' interest in arts and humanities. Smith left Goldman Sachs, where he worked on tech M&A, in 2000 and launched his own private equity firm. [2], Smith served in the state House until he retired in 1972 to return to his ranch. At that point, Smith had been under a four-year criminal tax investigation dating back to 2014, theGrio reported. Robert, on the other hand, has donated more than $250,000 to Republican campaigns and political groups. . Billionaire Robert Smith befriended Trump inner circle after paying off Morehouse debts: report, Just hours before the Idaho slayings, another grisly scene unfolded outside Bryan Kohberger's window, Polar bear kills woman, boy in remote Alaska village, Hawaii fisherman overboard, missing after hooking large ahi, Reality TV star Julie Chrisley reassigned from Florida prison to federal medical center, The rich and powerful flocked to Davos via private jet to discuss climate change, study finds, Sunny skies, cool temps expected for most of SoCal on Wednesday, Big Change Leaves Missouri Drivers Fuming, Idaho murders: Mysteries linger in Moscow weeks after Bryan Kohberger's arrest, UH Cougar signee leading Cy-Falls HS into hopeful playoff run. * In partnership with National Bankers Association and Appalachian Community Capital; CDFIs/MDIs being considered include: First Bancshares, Commonwealth National Bank, TruFund, Sabre Finance, Bronze Valley, etc. Smith, a private equity investor, is one of the wealthiest African Americans in the world, and the richest black person in the United States. 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