In the Press
Read the latest news mentions about Robert F. Smith and his business and giving to support his communities.
How Broadway Is Celebrating Juneteenth 2021 and How to Tune In
06/18/2021
This Juneteenth, Carnegie Hall hosted a live celebration to recognize the importance of this historic day and the long road that still lies ahead. Robert F. Smith, chairman of Carnegie Hall’s Board of Trustees, was joined with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative.
Read ArticleNational Society of Black CPAs Celebrate 1-Year Anniversary As More Accountants Create Generational Wealth in Black Communities
06/14/2021
The National Society of Black Certified Public Accountants (NSBCPA) celebrated its one-year anniversary on June 8. The organization, which received a $1 million pledge from Robert F. Smith in 2020, aims to increase the number of Black CPAs, which today represent less than 1% of all certified public accountants.
Read ArticleWu President Uses Inspiration for Project
06/01/2021
Wilberforce University President Dr. Elfred Anthony Pinkard told 2020 and 2021 graduates at their graduation ceremony that all their student loan debt would be cancelled. Pinkard said he was spurred to action and inspired by philanthropist Robert F. Smith who paid the student loan debt of nearly 400 Morehouse College graduates in 2019.
Read ArticleCompanies Must Give More for an Equitable World
05/24/2021
A year after the killing of George Floyd, Robert F. Smith penned an op-ed for Quartz arguing that while a number of companies have made significant financial commitments to address systemic inequities in the past year, the private sector must continue to act to drive lasting change.
Read ArticleCisco Will Donate $150 Million to the Robert F. Smith Student Freedom Initiative to Help HBCU Students
05/24/2021
Cisco Systems committed $150 million to the nonprofit Student Freedom Initiative, which was the brainchild of Robert F. Smith. The funds will help students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Read ArticleCisco is Giving $150 Million to Robert F. Smith’s Student Freedom Initiative
05/20/2021
Student Freedom Initiative, founded by Robert F. Smith and the Fund II Foundation, received $150 million from Cisco Systems. Fifty million of the investment will provide financing for 500 HBCU students for the next four years to attend colleges and the other $100 million will help bolster HBCU technology and cybersecurity systems.
Read ArticleA Gift Left the Morehouse Class of ’19 Debt-free. Here’s How it’s Changing Their Lives
05/13/2021
Two years ago, Robert F. Smith committed to paying off the student loan debt of the entire Morehouse College class of 2019. That gift helped some Morehouse students explore new opportunities like applying to medical school or using their money to buy homes, save or invest for the future rather than being forced to pay down student loan debt.
Read ArticleRobert F. Smith’s Philanthropy has Lasting Impact on Morehouse Students Lives, Sparks Additional Funding
05/17/2021
In 2019, Robert F. Smith gave a commencement speech at Morehouse College and announced he would wipe out student loan debt for the graduating class. Black Enterprise explores how this commitment is continuing to impact 2019 Morehouse graduates two years later.
Read ArticleEnterprise Software Companies Set to Boom in APAC: Vista’s Robert Smith
05/05/2021
Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, spoke at the Fiduciary Investors Symposium about the future of software companies in the Asia Pacific region. Smith noted that he expected these types of companies to increase exponentially and anticipates big growth in the region.
Read ArticleStudents of Staten Island Eagle Academy Win the Black History in Two Minutes Essay Contest
05/02/2021
Two students from Staten Island Eagle Academy won the “Black History in Two Minutes” essay contest, which was created by the Eagle Academy and Fund II Foundation. Robert F. Smith is the founding director and President of the Fund II Foundation. The essay content asked students to watch the Black History in Two Minutes series and draft an essay on what the series meant to them and how it gave them tools to live a good life.
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