The Robin Hood Foundation is the biggest anti-poverty organization in New York City, and 100% of all donations go toward fighting poverty. Founded more than 20 years ago, the Robin Hood Foundation partners only with those organizations that have proven effective in the war on poverty. It aims to maximize impact with every donation.
To do so, the Robin Hood Foundation also partners with some of today’s most innovative and intelligent leaders, experts, and thinkers such as Goldman Sachs Group CEO Lloyd Blankfein, KKR’s Kenneth Mehlman, and TV personalities Jon Stewart and Tom Brokaw.
Poverty can take many forms, including body, mind, and opportunity. According to The Robin Hood Foundation’s website, 1 in every 6 New Yorkers (1.4 million people) rely on emergency food every day. Nearly half (40%) of NY Public School students won’t graduate on time, meaning that they’ll lack even a solid basic education. Three hundred and sixty-five thousand people in New York will look for work today and won’t find any.
There are many things that cause poverty, and the Robin Hood Foundation is committed to having an effect on as many fronts as possible. Chronic illnesses such as asthma are found more frequently in poverty-ridden neighborhoods and often result in absences from school and work, which in turn affects performance and success. And for the 40,000 children in NYC who don’t have a place to call home, it’s no wonder they’re not concerned about the math lesson of the day. These ruts are difficult to get out of, and often require extra assistance.
That’s what the Robin Hood Foundation seeks to provide. By partnering with innovative organizations and leaders in the New York community, they are able to do so in the most effective way possible. Business and social cause leaders like Ken Mehlman have the power to inspire millions to action. Mehlman is perhaps the most powerful gay-rights advocate in the Republican Party. A former RNC chairman, Ken Mehlman came out publicly in 2008 and has been a driving force in pro-LGBT movements since. Clearly, men like Mehlman have the power to push social agendas forward.