Robert and Michele O'Shea
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Goldman Sachs; Silver Point Capital
FUNDING AREAS: New Jersey Community, Education, Health
OVERVIEW: Robert and Michele O'Shea conduct their philanthropy through the O'Shea Family Foundation, which tends to prioritize the New Jersey community in which they live. The foundation supports human services, youth, and other outfits. Available tax filings reveal that the foundation awarded $2.2 million in grants in 2018.
The O'Sheas have also strongly supported their alma mater, Fordham University. Michele, a life coach and yoga instructor, also motivates the couple's interest in yoga and integrative medicine.
BACKGROUND: Robert J. O'Shea graduated from Fordham University's College of Business Administration in 1987. He also served in senior positions with Bear Stearns and Security Pacific Merchant Bank before joining Goldman Sachs, where he made partner in 1994. In 2002, O'Shea co-founded the Greenwich, Connecticut-headquartered Silver Point Capital with fellow Goldman alum Edward A. Mule.
ISSUES:
NEW JERSEY COMMUNITY: Based in New Jersey, the couple’s foundation directs money to a number of New Jersey organizations. Past grantees in the New Jersey area include the Breezy Point Disaster Relief Fund, an organization established after Superstorm Sandy; Two Towns Charity, a nonprofit "founded with the hopes of healing children in the North Rockland Community"; Oasis, which works "to change the lives of women and children by breaking the cycle of poverty through compassionate programs designed to feed, clothe, educate and empower women and children in need"; Wyckoff Parks and Recreation Foundation; Community Food Bank of New Jersey; Friends of Wyckoff Library; Wyckoff Volunteer Ambulance Corps; and Flow Follies, the "largest Scholarship Fundraiser for the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District."
EDUCATION: O’Shea’s educations grants tend to prioritize institutions with which the family has personal ties; however, the couple funds education work beyond them. Both O'Shea and his wife Michele are Fordham University graduates, as is at least one of their children. O'Shea has also served on the board of trustees at Fordham. In a recent fiscal year, Fordham University received a $1.1 million grant from the O'Sheas through their foundation. The couple has also supported Fordham Preparatory School, Montclair Kimberly Academy, and Bergen Catholic High School, among other schools.
HEALTH: In the past, Michele O'Shea has identified health, children, and animal welfare as areas of grantmaking interest. As a life coach and yoga teacher committed to health and wellness, Michele values projects that support holistic health. For instance, the couple created a program for nurses at Valley Hospital to educate them on "holistic practices for enhancing their own well-being." The O’Sheas have also collaborated with a yoga organization called Kula for Karma to integrate therapeutic yoga and meditation programs for cardiac and cancer patients at Valley Hospital. Integrative medicine appears key for this funder. Past health grantees also includes the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, American Cancer Society, Christian Healthcare Center, American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey, and St. Jude's Hospital.
OTHER: Byond New Jersey, the couple recently funded youth organizations such as Save the Children and Right to Play. The couple has given steady support to Heifer International, an organization "working to end hunger and poverty around the world by providing livestock and training to struggling communities."
LOOKING FORWARD: Only in his 50s, Robert O'Shea is still very much engaged in business, but he and his wife Michele should be watched for greater giving down the line. One area to keep an eye on in particular is integrative medicine.
CONTACT:
The O'Shea Family Foundation does not provide a clear method of contact, but below is an address:
The O'Shea Family Foundation
210 Heights Road
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
LINK:
