3 Major Donors Died in December, Leaving Distinct Philanthropic Legacies

Three prominent donors died in December, leaving a rich legacy of giving to environmental groups, Jewish organizations, and hospitals:

• Robert Wilson, a hedge-fund founder who donated about $600-million during his lifetime, most of it to environmental groups like the Nature Conservancy and the Environmental Defense Fund, died on December 23.
• Edgar M. Bronfman, a billionaire who chaired the liquor company Seagram and gave generously to Jewish educational and social programs, died on December 21.
• Harold Simmons, a billionaire businessman who supported hospitals, universities, and arts organizations, primarily near his Dallas home, died on December 28.

Mr. Wilson, whose net worth peaked at about $800-million in 2000, had vowed to give away 70 percent of his fortune during his lifetime, even though he told The Chronicle in a 2008 profile that he took no joy in it. “It’s sort of a duty,” he said at the time.

Mr. Wilson was outspoken about philanthropic efforts, calling the record of most foundations a “disgrace.”

After his death, the website BuzzFeed published a 2010 email exchange between Mr. Wilson and Bill Gates, who had encouraged Mr. Wilson to sign the Giving Pledge, a commitment by the wealthiest Americans to give most of their fortunes to charity.

Mr. Wilson declined the invitation, calling the Giving Pledge “practically worthless” since it counted posthumous giving.

“I have found that most billionaires or near billionaires hate giving large sums of money away while alive and instead set up family-controlled foundations to do it for them after death,” Mr. Wilson wrote to Mr. Gates. “And these foundations become, more often than not, bureaucracy-ridden sluggards.”

‘Didn’t Micromanage’

A decade ago, Mr. Wilson made $100-million pledges to each of four groups: the Environmental Defense Fund, the Nature Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the World Monuments Fund. He required all four to match his gifts.

David Yarnold, president of the National Audubon Society, first met Mr. Wilson while working at Environmental Defense.

“Bob knew when to exert influence, which was usually at the outset when he established a challenge, and when not to,” Mr. Yarnold said.

“He didn’t micromanage his gift once he made it. He just made sure that the goals were right and that the big-picture thinking was in place.”

National Audubon got its first gift from Mr. Wilson—$1.25-million, with a requirement to match it—not long before he died.

Mr. Wilson, an atheist, also gave $30-million over several years to Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of New York, because he viewed the schools as more effective than the city’s public schools.

Mr. Wilson died in an apparent suicide after leaping from his 16th-floor apartment in Manhattan. He was 87, divorced, and had no children.

Citing a friend of Mr. Wilson, the New York Post reported that up to the time of his death he had reduced the size of his fortune to about $100-million through giving.

Two of Mr. Wilson’s longtime philanthropic advisers at Anchin, Block & Anchin declined to comment or didn’t return phone calls from The Chronicle.

Jewish Youth Focus

Mr. Bronfman carried out his giving through the Samuel Bronfman Foundation, which is named for his father. Mr. Bronfman served as president of the World Jewish Congress from 1981 to 2007.

The foundation’s three areas of focus help young Jews learn more about Jewish history and traditions while cultivating leadership skills.

“One of Edgar’s core beliefs was that investing in youth in a deep and profound way is the best way to improve the future,” said Dana Raucher, the foundation’s executive director.

Mr. Bronfman was a longtime supporter of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. His signature program, the Bronfman Youth Fellowships, annually selects 26 high-achieving Jewish teenagers in North America and 20 from Israel for a rigorous academic year of seminars.

“He wanted to create a cadre of young people who could see the world through a lens that was broader than their own,” said Rebecca Voorwinde, the fellowships’ co-director.

Mr. Bronfman signed the Giving Pledge, and Ms. Raucher said much of his estate will probably go to the foundation. Mr. Bronfman was 84.

Medical Gifts

Mr. Simmons, with a net worth estimated at $10-billion by Forbes, appeared three times on The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Philanthropy 50 list of top annual donors.

Mr. Simmons built a pharmacy chain in Texas, sold it for $50-million in 1973, and then grew his wealth through investments and business deals.

He and his wife, Annette, gave hundreds of millions of dollars to Texas universities and medical centers, including a total of nearly $200-million to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Mr. Simmons gave tens of millions of dollars to Republican political candidates, but his foundation, headed by two of his daughters, has also made grants that are typically seen as more left-leaning, including to public television and Planned Parenthood.

Last month, the fund gave $600,000 to the Dallas-based Resource Center to support the city’s gay community.

Mr. Simmons, who was 82, signed the Giving Pledge, but his estate plans are unclear. Calls and emails to the Harold Simmons Foundation were not returned.