Billionaire Robert F. Smith has donated a cool $1.5 million to the preservation and programs of the beloved Morehouse College, a fixture in the HBCU community located in Atlanta, Georgia.
Smith, a philanthropist and founder, chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. A noted investor in tech companies, Smith founded Vista in 2000. According to Morehouse, “the company currently manages equity capital commitments of over $46 billion and monitors over 50 software companies, employing 60,000 people around the world.”
“Robert F. Smith’s donation of $1 million for student scholarships will have a profound impact on the lives of deserving young men who have the desire to attend Morehouse College, but lack the resources,” said Morehouse president Dr. David A. Thomas. “We appreciate his generosity and his investment in a generation of students who will follow in his footsteps as global leaders and entrepreneurs.”
In 2017, Forbes magazine named Smith one of the 100 greatest living business minds for his outstanding leadership. According to an online post, Smith was also the first African-American business leader to sign “The Giving Pledge” initiative, created by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
A 2018 recipient of Morehouse’s most distinguished community service award, Smith also received a Candle Award in Business and Philanthropy at Morehouse’s 2018 “A Candle in the Dark” Gala that benefits student scholarships.
