Larry Robbins
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Glenview Capital Management
FUNDING AREAS: Education, Jewish Causes, Poverty, Health
OVERVIEW: Larry Robbins is deeply involved in the charter school movement and supports Jewish causes, poverty and health.
BACKGROUND: Larry Robbins grew up outside of Chicago. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned degrees in economics and engineering. He worked for several years in the financial industry in New York before starting his own hedge fund, Glenview Management, where he continues to serve as CEO and portfolio manager.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION: Larry Robbins’s education philanthropy has prioritized charter schools and teacher education. Past grantees include KIPP, the Harlem Children’s Zone, Teach for America, Teach for All and New York City’s Relay Graduate School of Education. Robbins supports the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he donated $7.5 million for the renovation of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology building. The Allen Stevenson School, which his four sons attended, has also received funding.
JEWISH CAUSES: Robbins directs most of his philanthropy in this area toward organizations based in New York City. Past grantees include the UJA Federation of New York, the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan and the Metro New York Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty.
POVERTY: Robbins has been a steady supporter of New York City’s Robin Hood Foundation, which has received millions over the past several years. On the national level, he has given to LIFT, an organization that works to alleviate poverty by “helping parents and caregivers build personal well-being social connections and financial strength.”
HEALTH: In recent years, Robbins has given to health organizations including Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital, the Princeton Child Development Institute and the New York University Hospitals Center.
LOOKING FORWARD: It is likely that Robbins will continue to support New York City organizations in his areas of philanthropic interest. He has recently expressed interest in expanding his involvement in medical and drug research.
