Carnegie Hall

Investor and philanthropist Robert F. Smith became a Carnegie Hall Trustee in 2013 and was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees in 2016. In response to Smith’s election as Chairman, Carnegie Hall President Sanford I. Weill stated, “He recognizes that music education is important to the intellectual development of young people and that we must play a role in returning music to our schools.”

While serving on the board, Smith has worked to advance Carnegie Hall’s mission of championing extraordinary artists and bringing the transformative power of music to the widest possible audience. In addition, he has helped further the growth of the Hall’s extensive music education initiatives in schools and communities to reach the next generation of artists and music lovers.

Support for Carnegie Hall Programs

Many of the education and social impact programs of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) are supported by Smith and his wife, Hope Dworaczyk Smith. Fund II Foundation, of which Smith is the founding director and President, also provides lead support for WMI’s Link Up and PlayUSA programs. Together, the Smiths are Lead Donors and Global Ambassadors of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), NYO2, NYO Jazz and Ensemble Connect, a fellowship program for exceptional young professional musicians created by Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and WMI in partnership with the New York City Department of Education.

The Smiths support the Hall’s online series, Live with Carnegie Hall, and sponsor Chairman Student Seats, which are sold for $10 on the day of each performance. They also supported the Annual Opening Night Galas, the 2024 Chairman's Dinner and Power Network, a conversation and celebration about Black History. In 2024, the “Concert for the Children and Youth of Ukraine” was made possible by a gift from the Smiths. Proceeds from this event supported children and families affected by the war in Ukraine.

Building a Passion for Music

Smith’s passion for music began at an early age. He learned to play the piano from his grandmother and father, the latter of whom attended the University of Denver on a band scholarship, and he quickly became a fan of classical pianist André Watts. Smith often vacationed at Lincoln Hills, a Rocky Mountains retreat popular with jazz musicians, and he later purchased and refurbished it. In addition, he founded Lincoln Hills Cares with fellow philanthropist Matthew Burkett. The charitable organization delivers outdoor education and recreation programs and experiences to communities in the metropolitan Denver area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.

In 2016, Smith also committed a $250,000 gift to the Sphinx Organization. Sphinx programs are dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. The gift also established the Robert Frederick Smith Prize, presented annually to the winners of the Senior Division of the Sphinx Competition.

Career and Philanthropy

Smith is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners (Vista), a leading global investment firm. Vista invests exclusively in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses across three investment strategies, including private equity, permanent capital and credit. Through its social engagement efforts, Vista strives to create equitable access to opportunities and move the digital economy forward. Because of the firm’s work over the past few decades, Vista was named the 2023 Global Technology Private Equity Firm of the Year by Private Equity International (PEI).

Smith has been recognized for his leadership, professional accomplishments and bold philanthropic efforts over the years. In 2017, Forbes named Smith one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds. In 2019, he was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, bestowed by the Carnegie family of institutions. He is a recipient of several other honors that include the Ripple of Hope Award from Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the United Negro College Fund President’s Award, Cornell Engineering’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the HBCU Impact Award, Legal Defense Fund’s National Equal Justice Award, the Founders Award from Foster Love, the George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award, theGrio’s Philanthropy Icon Award and the National Arts Award. In 2020, Smith was also named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.

In 2019, Smith committed to eliminating the student loan debt of the Morehouse College graduating class and debt held by their parents on their behalf. This gift helped inspire the creation of Student Freedom Initiative (SFI), which aims to alleviate some of the burden of student loan debt for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). Smith also co-leads Southern Communities Initiative (SCI), a catalytic program for advancing racial equity across six Southern communities that represent more than 50% of the Black population in the U.S.

In addition, Smith has been a longtime supporter of his alma maters, Columbia University and Cornell University. In 2017, he made a generous gift of $15 million to help Columbia Business School reach its fundraising goal for its expansion into the Manhattanville neighborhood in West Harlem and develop new, state-of-the-art infrastructure. In 2022, he continued his mission to help students from HBCUs by establishing and donating $10 million to the Robert F. Smith '94 Scholarship Fund at Columbia Business School. The scholarship is awarded to students who have graduated from HBCUs.

The same year, he donated $15 million to support Cornell University’s College of Engineering. The gift allows the university to provide financial aid to undergraduate students from urban high schools and graduate students who attended HBCUs for their undergraduate degrees. In 2016, Smith also personally contributed $20 million to the College of Engineering and another $10 million in scholarships for Black Americans and women. In recognition of Smith’s leadership, Cornell renamed its engineering school the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

For more information about Smith’s latest philanthropic activity and supported organizations, follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X.