The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust is a philanthropic organization, which mainly funds right-of-center think tanks, conservationist organizations, and projects focused on easing prison conditions.

Background

The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust was formed in March 2003 as a philanthropic organization in Brooklyn, New York by Robert W. Wilson, an American hedge fund manager and philanthropist. ¹ Roughly a decade following the formation of the Trust, Wilson died in December 2013. ²

Prior to Wilson’s death, the Trust’s total assets were in the low tens of millions, but in the years following it, the Trust’s assets shot up by over $100 million. ¹ According to the Trust’s 2014 filing, it received from the Robert W. Wilson 2002 Revocable Trust a contribution of $102,558,011 as well as 11,500 shares of Lockheed Martin, which at the time were estimated to be worth $2,176,892. ^{3 4} Since his death, a small group of trustees has managed the Trust. ⁵

Activities

The Majority of the Trust’s philanthropic activity is composed of regular annual contributions as well as grants to nonprofit institutions.

On June 6, 2009, the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute, announced that it received a major grant from the Trust to research the ethics of assisted suicide in relation to patients with advanced forms of dementia. ⁶

In 2015, the Trust sponsored the production of a report by the Vera Institute of Justice, a left-of-center organization based in New York City. The report, “Solitary Confinement: Common Misconceptions and Emerging Safe Alternatives,” argued that solitary confinement, also known as “segregated housing,” is less safe and humane than the public and policymakers often think and that there are preferable prison management alternatives. ⁷

On May 22, 2018, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden announced plans for the reconstruction and redesign of the Robert W. Wilson Overlook, a 12.5-acre area of the garden, funded by a $10 million total commitment from the Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust. Architecture and Design firms contracted by the Garden to carry out the project include Weiss/Manfredi LLP, SiteWorks LLC, and Wolf Landscape Architecture. ⁸

The Robert W. Wilson Trust contributes to a variety of right of right-of-center think tanks including the American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, Manhattan Institute, Federation for American Immigration Reform, and the Institute for Justice. The Trust also supports conservationist and environmentalist groups including the Adirondack Council, American Bird Conservancy, Conservation Fund, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Areas Conservancy, Rainforest Alliance, Wilderness Society, and the Wildlife Conservation Fund. ⁹

People

Richard Schneidman is the Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust’s foremost trustee: according to the Trust’s 2019 tax filing, while the Trust’s other two trustees work an average of one and a half hours per week and are each compensated $20,000 annually, Richard Schneidman works an average of 36 hours per weeks and receives over $875,000 in annual compensation from the Trust as of its 2019 tax year. ¹⁰ Prior to Wilson’s death, Schneidman was his accountant in the firm of Anchin, Block, and Anchin and was the designated executor of his will. ¹¹

Robert Feidelson is the COO of Mack Real Estate Credit Strategies LP, an investment firm based in New York City and a trustee of the Wilson Trust. ^{12 13}

Ronald Zimmerman is the executive managing director of ABS Partners Real Estate, a real estate firm based in New York City and a trustee of the Wilson Trust. ^{12 14}

Angela Riccardi is the Trust’s Controller. Prior to Wilson’s death, she was his executive assistant for over three decades. ^{12 11}

1. “ROBERT W WILSON CHARITABLE TR.” ProPublica. Accessed May 10, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/516536168
2.  Vitello, Paul. “Robert W. Wilson, Frugal Philanthropist, Dies at 87.” New York Times. December 27, 2013. Accessed May 10, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/28/nyregion/robert-w-wilson-hedge-fund-founder-and-philanthropist-dies-at-87.html
3. ROBERT W WILSON CHARITABLE TR. Form 990-PF, Schedule B, Part II. 2014. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/516536168/2015_11_PF%2F51-6536168_990PF_201412
4. ROBERT W WILSON CHARITABLE TR. Form 990-PF, Schedule B, Part I. 2014. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/516536168/2015_11_PF%2F51-6536168_990PF_201412
5. ROBERT W WILSON CHARITABLE TR. Form 990-PF, Part VIII, Attachment 12. 2014. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/516536168/2015_11_PF%2F51-6536168_990PF_201412
6. “Dementia and the Ethics of Choosing When to Die.” The Hastings Center. June 6, 2009. Accessed May 10, 2020. https://www.thehastingscenter.org/news/dementia-and-the-ethics-of-choosing-when-to-die/
7. Shames, Alison; Jessa Wilcox and Ram Subramanian.“Solitary Confinement: Common Misconceptions and Emerging Safe Alternatives.” National Institute of Corrections. 2015. Accessed May 11, 2020.  https://nicic.gov/solitary-confinement-common-misconceptions-and-emerging-safe-alternatives
8. “Brooklyn Botanic Garden Announces Robert W. Wilson Overlook.” Brooklyn Botanic Garden. May 22, 2018. Accessed May 10, 2020. https://www.bbg.org/press/brooklyn-botanic-garden-announces-robert-w.-wilson-overlook
9. ROBERT W WILSON CHARITABLE TR. Form 990-PF, Schedule 2. 2014. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/516536168/2015_11_PF%2F51-6536168_990PF_201412
10. ROBERT W WILSON CHARITABLE TR. Form 990-PF, Part VIII. 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/516536168/2015_11_PF%2F51-6536168_990PF_201412
11.  Marsh, Julia “Tycoon who jumped to his death after stroke leaves $2M to staffer.” New York Post. January 16, 2014. Accessed May 10, 2020. https://nypost.com/2014/01/16/philanthropist-who-leapt-to-death-leaves-2m-to-female-staffer/
12. ROBERT W WILSON CHARITABLE TR. Form 990-PF, Part VIII. 2018. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/516536168/2015_11_PF%2F51-6536168_990PF_201412
13. “Robert Solon Feidelson.” Bloomberg. Accessed May 10, 2020. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/19924716
14. “Ron Zimmerman.” The Real Deal. Accessed May 10, 2020. https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/people/ron-zimmerman/