Executive Compensation at the Robin Hood Foundation (2022)

The Robin Hood Foundation (RHF) – a 501 (c) (3) based in New York City – is an organization that primarily awards grants to organizations fighting poverty by providing food, shelter, and healthcare and by helping people lift themselves out of poverty. They do this primarily by awarding grants (in 2022, the organization collected $129 million in revenue and awarded $131 million in grants) and reported $34 million in organization expenses (which is reportedly paid for by the 42 board members – an average of $800,000 each to fully cover operational expenses).

In 2021, there was a shakeup at RHF with the departure of Wes Moore, the CEO (for four years)  and several other highly compensated employees (Derek Ferguson, Kristine Sudano, Beth Zolkind, and Sheila Kelly). Richard Buery was named the new CEO. The reasons for the departure are unclear but could be due to the deterioration in net assets.

In 2022, RHF had 162 employees who were compensated $23 million, which equates to an average compensation of $142,000. However, only 56 employees received more than $100,000 in compensation. The 13 most highly compensated individuals were:

• $896,110:  Richard Buery Jr, CEO
• $495,515:  Emary Aronson, Chief Program Officer
• $445,009:  Carolyn Vine, Chief Development Officer
• $429,471:  Susan Sack, Managing Director, Real Estate
• $393,956:  Joanna Pressman, General Counsel, Asst Secretary
• $383,450:  Stephanie Royal, Human Capital
• $380,710:  Deborah McCoy, Managing Director, Early Childhood
• $373,361:  Jason Cone, Chief Public Policy Officer
• $368,772:  Susan Epstein, Managing Director, Jobs and Economic Security
• $360,614:  Daryl Mintz, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
• $351,443:  Matthew Klein, Chief Impact and Program Officer
• $341,362:  Sarah Oltsman, Chief of Grant Strategy
• $327,728:  Kyle Ferrara, Corporate Sponsorship Director

Of the 13 most highly compensated employees in 2020, 8 were women (62%) and 5 were men (38%). The 13 most highly compensated employees received nearly $6 million in compensation which means the remaining 149 employees received $18 million.  43 of the 149 received more than$100,000 while 106 of the 149 received less than $100,000 in compensation.

21 independent contractors received more than $100,000 for services. The five most highly compensated independent contractors were reported to be:

• $1,241,949:  David Stark, of Brooklyn, NY for design consulting
• $1,144,708:  Nimblist, of Lancaster, PA for event production
• $  750,352:  SKDKnickbocker, of Washington, DC for design consulting
• $  619,579:  4Wall Entertainment, of Las Vegas, NV for design consulting
• $  591,790:  Jessica Stuart Media, of Washington, DC for design consulting

On Schedule G of the Form 990, RHF reports 10 fundraising events. The gross receipts of the 11 events was $45 million.  Contributions were $43 million. After spending $15 million on expenses for these events, the organization reported a net loss of $13 million on fundraising events.

To read the IRS Form 990 (2022), click here.