Robin Hood Donors Raise $60 million at Annual Benefit, Including $35 million for American Dream Fund to Help Immigrants Struggling in Poverty

NEW YORK, May 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night at its annual benefit at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan, Robin Hood raised $60 million to fight poverty in New York City, including  $35 million for the newly launched Robin Hood American Dream Fund, which will support non-profit organizations helping immigrants and their families gain the skills and resources they need to move from poverty to prosperity.  Benefit co-chair David Tepper, his charitable foundation, and Appaloosa Management, L.P., contributed $5 million to the Fund, along with a matching grant of $5 million to assist organizations helping immigrants in Mr. Tepper's home state of New Jersey.  The Fund was launched with a $10 million challenge grant which included a $5 million donation from The Pershing Square Foundation and $5 million from an anonymous donor and others.   

Robin Hood is New York's largest poverty-fighting organization, and the City's largest private funder of schools, emergency food programs, homeless shelters and job training services.  Since its founding in 1988, Robin Hood has raised and granted more than $1.45 billion to help New York's neediest residents. 

"Currently, more than 1.8 million of our neighbors live in poverty, and nearly half of those individuals are people who came here from all over the world in search of a better life," said David Saltzman, executive director of Robin Hood.  "These people lend their skills, talents, vitality and diversity to New York – making it unlike any other City on the planet – and thanks to our generous donors, we will continue to do all we can to help them achieve their American Dream."

The highlight of the evening came when more thirty newly naturalized citizens were introduced to the audience.  The group included men and women from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Hungary, Iraq, the Philippines, Senegal, Sweden and Taiwan -- each of whom came to New York City to create a brighter future for themselves and their families.

NBC Nightly News anchor and Robin Hood board member Brian Williams hosted last night's Benefit, and the evening's headliner was multi-platinum recording artist and two-time Grammy Award winner Bruno Mars.

The Benefit also featured appearances by John Oliver, host of HBO's Last Week Tonight, and comedian Jim Gaffigan, as well as surprise musical performances by Grammy Award winners Sting, and FUN.

The co-chairs for the Robin Hood Benefit included Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie; co-founder of Brevan Howard Asset Management Alan Howard and his wife Sabine; Michael Strahan, co-host of ABC's Live! With Kelly and Michael; and, Robin Hood board member David Tepper and his firm Appaloosa Management, L.P.

In 2013, Robin Hood made over 200 grants totaling $126 million to organizations throughout New York City, and an additional $56 million in grants to groups in New York, New Jersey, Long Island and Westchester that are helping people still struggling to rebuild their lives following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

About Robin Hood

Robin Hood is New York's largest poverty-fighting organization, and since 1988 has focused on finding, funding, and creating programs and schools that generate meaningful results for families in New York's poorest neighborhoods.  Since its founding, Robin Hood has distributed more than $1.45 billion in grants and initiatives to hundreds of New York City-based soup kitchens, homeless shelters, schools, job training programs, and other vital services that give New York's neediest citizens the tools they need to build better lives for themselves and their families.  In addition, Robin Hood's board of directors pays all administrative, fundraising and evaluation costs, so 100% of your donation goes directly to organizations helping New Yorkers in need.

Media contact:
Edelman
Shaina Lamb
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SOURCE Robin Hood