James P. Riley Jr.

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Goldman Sachs

FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Catholic Causes, Health & Human Services, Arts & Culture

OVERVIEW: James Riley has steadily supported his alma mater, St. John’s University, and his children’s alma mater, Villanova. In 2012, he established the Riley Family Foundation, which supports “stable, grass-roots organizations that serve in areas of personal interest including the arts, physical and mental handicaps, disadvantaged youth and single parents, among others.” According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded just $20,000 in grants in 2017.

BACKGROUND: James P. Riley Jr. graduated from St. John’s University in 1974 and earned an MBA from the same school in 1975. He joined Goldman Sachs and became a managing director and partner. He is currently retired.

ISSUES:

EDUCATION & YOUTH: Riley’s education funding has prioritized Catholic schools. He has endowed several scholarships at his alma mater, St. John’s University, and the Riley Family Campus Ministry at Villanova, the alma mater of his four daughters and his father. Other past recipients include Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead, New York, where he serves on the Board of Trustees, as well as the Big Brother’s scholarship fund at Catholic Charities of New York and Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation, which advocates for Catholic education on Long Island. Non-Catholic recipients include his mother’s alma mater, Adelphi University, where Riley funded the James Riley, Jr. Trading Room and the Philanthropic Action for Challenging Times program, and the Children’s Aid Society, where one of his daughters has worked as a social worker. Riley has also supported the Harlem Children’s Zone and the Uncommon Schools charter school network.

CATHOLIC CAUSES: In addition to supporting a range of Catholic schools, Riley has supported New York City’s Church of St. Ignatius Loyola and the the Augustinian Fund, which provides care for elderly and infirm Augustinian friars.

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Recent grantees in the area of health and human services include the Middlesex Parents Association of Darien, Connecticut and Shelter for the Homeless of Stamford, Connecticut.

ARTS & CULTURE: Riley has supported Shakespeare on the Sound, an organization that “is committed to producing affordable, professional open-air productions of the plays of William Shakespeare and related authors in Fairfield County,” and Jazz Aspen Snowmass, a jazz performance and education program in Aspen, Colorado.

LOOKING FORWARD: Riley’s philanthropy has prioritized Catholic organizations, Fairfield County, and the organizations and institutions with which he and his family members are affiliated. It is likely that his foundation’s work will continue in this vein. The Riley Family Foundation accepts proposals via mail at the address provided below.

CONTACT:

Riley Family Foundation

P.O. Box 2113

Darien, CT 06829

LINKS:

The Riley Family Foundation

Grants History

Request Process

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