John and Amy Griffin

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Founder & President of Blue Ridge Capital

FUNDING AREAS: Education, Poverty, Health

OVERVIEW: John and Amy Griffin conduct their philanthropy through the John & Amy Griffin Foundation. According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded $4.7 million in grants in 2017. Combating poverty, particularly in New York City, is a high priority of Griffin's philanthropy. He sits on the board of directors at the Robin Hood Foundation, which he has supported through his own foundation. Griffin also heads up the Blue Ridge Foundation of New York, which aims to fight poverty through social innovation. Another priority of the couple is education, and the couple's alma mater, University of Virginia, has received millions. Griffin has also funded K-12 education reform efforts.

BACKGROUND: John Griffin received his B.S. in finance from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce and his M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Griffin was a "Tiger Cub" of Julian Robertson, and once served as president of Tiger Management, as well as a financial analyst for Morgan Stanley Merchant Banking Group. In 1996, Griffin founded Blue Ridge Capital, a hedge fund based in New York City that has held some $5 billion in assets under management in recent years. While Griffin's current net worth is unknown, he reportedly earned $625 million in 2007.

ISSUES:

EDUCATION: Both Griffin and Amy attended University of Virginia, and have given the school millions over the years. In 2011, the Griffins gave $5 million toward a state-of-the-art track and field facility and another $5 million to the university's McIntire School of Commerce. In 2014, he gave another $4 million to the University of Virginia. UVA is also the site of the Blue Ridge Leadership Fellows Program at the university's McIntire School of Commerce.

Griffin is also the founding chair and currently on the board of IMentor, which builds mentoring relationships that empower students in low-income communities. The couple have also given to outfits like Teach for All, Harlem RBI, Alliance for School Choice, Prep for Prep, and KIPP New York. They have also been supporters of the Buckley School and Spence School.

POVERTY: Griffin sits on the board of directors at the Robin Hood Foundation, which the family steadily supports, along with other outfits such as the Ronald McDonald House of New York and Harlem Children's Zone, a lot of Griffin's work in this area has been done through another philanthropic vehicle called the Blue Ridge Foundation of New York. Blue Ridge Foundation supports social change strategies in high poverty communities, and which connect people to the opportunities and resources. It is worth noting that Blue Ridge has stopped accepting unsolicited proposals, as its support shifts toward a new partnership with the Robin Hood Foundation called Blue Ridge Labs, which describes itself as "a Brooklyn-based social impact incubator." 

HEALTH: The Griffins' grantmaking in this area is more modest compared to education and poverty, but the couple appears to have a particular interest in cancer, funding outfits such as Mt. Sinai Dubin Breast Cancer Center, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

OTHER: In the arts, the couple tends to support New York City institutions like Signature Theatre, The Apollo Theater, and the New 42nd Street, a Times Square revitalization project.

LOOKING FORWARD: It is worth keeping an eye on Griffin's philanthropy through the Blue Ridge Foundation of New York and its recent partnership with the Robin Hood Foundation. While Griffin's interest in social impact ideas and poverty has so far centered on New York, there is clearly potential for something more far-reaching down the line.

CONTACT:

The John and Amy Griffin Foundation does not have a clear avenue for approaching the couple for support, but contact information is provided below:  

John & Amy Griffin Foundation
660 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10065

The Blue Ridge Foundation of New York no longer accepts unsolicited proposals, but recently launched Blue Ridge Labs, a partnership with Robin Hood Foundation, whose contact information is provided below:

Blue Ridge Labs
150 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY
blueridgelabs@robinhood.org 

LINKS:

Blue Ridge Foundation of New York