Robert F. Smith’s Philanthropy

Robert F. Smith is a philanthropist and entrepreneur committed to uplifting the human spirit, particularly in underrepresented communities. Smith’s work individually and in conjunction with the Fund II Foundation has helped fund racial equity and educational reform initiatives, outdoor access and historic preservation efforts, as well as internships and career pipeline opportunities for African Americans and other marginalized groups.

“There’s nothing greater than liberating the human spirit.”

-Robert F. Smith

Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners

Giving Back

Smith hopes to inspire a legacy of giving through his efforts, with each generation stepping forward to become community leaders and philanthropists who pass the initiative on to those who follow. “One of the benefits…is I now have the ability…to inspire some people, some young people, African Americans, to actually say ‘I can now go do this,’” Smith said in a conversation with the Columbia Black Business Students Association at his alma mater Columbia Business School. “I realized that part of my role and responsibility now…is I have to give some of these young people someone they can look to and say, ‘Ok, if that guy could do it, I could do it.’”

Smith aims to encourage outdoor preservation and access by working with organizations like Lincoln Hills Cares.

Organizations

Smith is committed to creating philanthropic infrastructure that allows underserved communities to heal, grow, find strength and renew their purpose. He purposefully invests his resources in organizations that are pursuing innovative solutions and building towards a better, more equitable, future.

As the founding director and President of Fund II Foundation, a charitable organization providing grants to nonprofits, Smith is specifically focused on addressing racial inequity in the United States. Since 2014, Fund II Foundation has awarded funding to institutions supporting equity and access in historic preservation, the outdoors, STEM and art education.

As a husband, father and Black man attuned to his cultural heritage and history, Smith has also contributed to such organizations that reflect his values and legacy.

About Robert F. Smith

Robert F. Smith is a descendant of Pullman Porters and workers who achieved middle-class stability in the twentieth century, and he is of the first generation in his family to grow up with his civil rights intact. Advocacy and activism became part of his life at a young age, with his mother carrying him with her during the historic March on Washington in 1963. The speakers that day – including the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – talked about the connection between economic health and civil rights. Smith has advanced this conversation throughout his career, drawing awareness to the economic opportunities lost when minorities lack access to education, jobs and building generational wealth.

Smith is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, a global leading investment firm that launched in 2000. Vista was founded on the idea that society’s path to healthier models for our economy, our communities and our planet lies in the transformative power of technology. As Vista grew, Smith was able to broaden the scope of his philanthropic goals, but his original inspiration remains his mother’s monthly $25 gift to the UNCF. In 2017, Smith signed the Giving Pledge. With his wife, Hope Dworaczyk Smith, by his side, he committed to investing half of his net worth in charitable projects that liberate African Americans and support ecological initiatives that will ensure a better future for humankind.