Russell and Judy Carson

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Cofounder of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe

FUNDING AREAS: Education, Health, NYC Community

OVERVIEW: Russell and Judy Carson typically move their philanthropy through the Carson Family Charitable Trust. Russell and Judy, along with their children, serve as trustees. The Carsons' daughter, Cecily, is currently president of the foundation. Available tax filings indicate the trust awarded just over $43 million in grants in 2017.

Russell is chairman of the board of trustees of Rockefeller University, and is on the board of overseers of Columbia Business School. He has given millions to his alma mater, Dartmouth, as well as to Rockefeller University. Carson also has an interest in education reform, and cofounded the Endowment Fund for Inner-City Education, now known as the Partnership for Inner-City Education. Carson's philanthropy generally centers on New York City. 

BACKGROUND: Russell L. Carson attended public high school in Toledo, Ohio before going on to Dartmouth College where he received an economics degree in 1965. In 1967, he graduated with an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School. Carson served as chairman and chief executive officer of Citicorp Venture Capital before going on to co-found Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) in 1979 with Patrick Welsh and Bruce Anderson.  

ISSUES:

HIGHER EDUCATION: Carson funds education at both the higher education and K-12 levels. Dartmouth College is a big winner, having received somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million last decade alone. It is worth noting that Cecily Carson also went to Dartmouth like her father. Large sums have also gone to Carson's graduate school alma mater, Columbia Business School. Judy Carson, meanwhile, is an alumna of Marymount Manhattan College, which received at least $7 million last decade. It's not just Carson's alma maters that have been big winners. Rockefeller University, where Carson chairs the board of trustees, has also received millions. Assorted sums have also gone to Harvard, the Relay School of Education, and Cornell recently. Support has recently gone to Student Sponsor Partnership, which supports MBA students from underrepresented groups.

K-12 EDUCATION: Carson has said that he believes in the charter school model. Carson cofounded the Endowment for Inner-City Education in 1997. In 2010 it merged with the Patrons Program to become the Partnership for Inner-City Education, a school management organization for a network of six inner-city Catholic elementary schools in Harlem and the South Bronx. Other past grantees include KIPP New York, Teach for America, Achievement First, the National Foundation for Teaching, Classroom Inc., Educators for Excellence, Friends of Bronx Charter School, and Math for America, among others. It is worth noting that Judy Carson is a founder of Learning to Look, a program that teaches art appreciation to inner-city children of the Archdiocese of New York.

HEALTH: Carson sits on the board of trustees of New York Presbyterian Hospital, which received at least $2 million in 2017. The pair has shown support for Peer Health Exchange, a health education program for youth, the New York Stem Cell Foundation and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The Carsons are also strong supporters of the New York Genome Center, which, according to available tax filings, received over $7.1 million from the foundation over multiple grants. A component of Carson's philanthropy also involves rehabilitation, with recent support going to Hazelden Foundation, which operates addiction treatment centers for alcohol and drug rehabilitation, and the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

NYC COMMUNITY: Carson has a history of community development and anti-poverty philanthropy. Cecily Carson sits on the board of the Robin Hood Foundation, which received$4.75 million in 2017 over multiple grants. Other work in this area has included helping children and youth, with support going to the Harlem Children's Zone and to the Red Hook Initiative in Brooklyn, which runs programs in areas such as education and health for youth. Apart from this work, Carson has been a funder of New York arts and culture, with support for the Philharmonic-Symphony Society, the Met, the Museum of Art and Design, New York Public Library, and the American Museum of Natural History.

OTHER: Carson has given to conservative policy groups such as the Manhattan Institute and the American Enterprise Institute. He has also recently given to the International Rescue Committee.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Carson Family Charitable Trust gives to tens of organizations a year. With nearly $80 million in grants from 2016 to 2017, Carson is a strong New York-based philanthropist. It is unclear how much the family is worth but with Cecily's heavy involvement in the family's philanthropy, she is one to watch down the line, too.

CONTACT:

The Carson Family Charitable Trust provides no clear avenue to get in touch with the Carson Family, but address, as well as Cecily's linkedin profile, is listed below

The Carson Family Charitable Trust

114 W. 47th Street

New York, NY 10036

 LINK:

Cecily Carson Linkedin Profile

Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe Website