Robin Hood Expands Largest Charity Gala to Full-Day Event
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
May 6, 2016 | Read Time: 2 minutes
When you already host what’s considered the country’s biggest charity gala, how do you outdo yourself year after year?
If you’re the Robin Hood Foundation, you go beyond the gala.
The New York antipoverty group is experimenting with a day-long roster of events throughout New York City Monday while continuing to bank on its annual blowout that evening.
The foundation’s annual dinner at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center — which last year raised $101 million, including two $25 million gifts — attracts a Wall Street and Hollywood who’s who, but Robin Hood’s appeal extends beyond the rich and famous. Over the past 28 years, around 360,000 donors have contributed.
The extra events this year are part of that ongoing, organic growth, said David Saltzman, the foundation’s executive director.
“Good people across the city wanted to give back in all sorts of different ways in different venues,” he said.
Last year’s benefit, which Bloomberg News dubbed “the ultimate do-gooder’s rave,” expanded beyond the formal dinner, which drew 4,000 attendees (and reportedly cost several thousand dollars per ticket). The charity also held side events at Manhattan clubs as part of its Philanthropic Young Things effort. Those parties, which carried $150 ticket prices, raised $158,000 and were seen as a way of engaging future generations of donors and antipoverty advocates.
Nightlife side events this year include concerts Monday featuring Chance the Rapper and Citizen Cope.
New additions to the schedule include:
- Ringing the Nasdaq opening bell Monday morning. The guests of honor will be children served by some of the organizations that Robin Hood supports, plus board member Emma Bloomberg.
- Tutoring sessions by 50 students involved with the charity’s Teen Council, who will assist their classmates. The Teen Council students will also help distribute meals at a local charity.
- Free tickets to a Yankees game for 10,000 people served by Robin Hood grantee organizations.
- Four Brooklyn restaurants will donate a portion of the evening’s cocktail sales to the charity.
- Landmarks like Madison Square Garden and the Empire State Building will light up in Robin Hood green.
The philanthropic focus of this year’s gala is brain research to help eliminate the school-readiness gap between rich and poor students. Robin Hood board member Katie Couric will host the evening, which will include performances by Usher and comedian Jim Gaffigan.
