NET WORTH: Unknown
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Joho Capital, Tiger Management
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Human Services
OVERVIEW: Robert Karr and his wife Suzanne conduct their philanthropy through the Hollyhock Foundation, which focuses on educational access and teacher training. Available tax filings indicate that the foundation awarded $12.8 million in grants in 2017. The family has also been particularly supportive of the Robin Hood Foundation.
BACKGROUND: Raised on Bainbridge Island in Washington, Robert Karr graduated with a B.A. in economics from Stanford University in 1984 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1990. Karr ran Tiger Management in Tokyo and was principal of Joho Capital from 1996 to 2014.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Karr chairs the board of Generation Teach and Suzanne is on the board as well. The outfit focuses on “building the next generation of local, diverse teachers with a premier undergraduate teaching fellowship.” The Karrs strongly prioritize education with their Hollyhock Foundation; note that Suzanne’s mother was a teacher.
Hollyhock is a seed funder of the Stanford Hollyhock Fellows program, which supports early-career high school teachers, Zearn, a math program, Generation Teach, and Harvard Teaching Fellows.
The couple has also supported Suzanne’s alma mater, Williams College, where she is on the advisory council of the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
Suzanne was a trustee of three Uncommon Collegiate Schools and St. David’s School in Manhattan, which the couple has supported. Other grantees include Summit Public Schools, Charter School Growth Fund, and iMentor.
HUMAN SERVICES: The couple has steadily supported Robin Hood Foundation.
OTHER: The couple has recently transferred millions to a donor-advised fund at Schwab, making it difficult to discern the full scope of their philanthropy.
LOOKING FORWARD: Karr closed Joho Capital a few years ago with the intention of spending more time with family and focusing on philanthropy. In a client letter, Karr talks about inequalities in the K-12 public education system and how his foundation has "focused on giving every child access to high performing public schools and high quality teachers.” Expect the family to remain focused on this issue.
CONTACT:
The Hollyhock Foundation
55 E. 59th St., 15th Fl.
New York City, NY 10022