Robert Soros is a philanthropist, investor, art collector, and the eldest son of billionaire financier George Soros. He is the founder and president of Soros Capital.

Robert Soros is media-averse and quiet about political affairs compared to his father and most of his family, though he contributes extensively to Democrats and Democratic political committees. ^{1 2} However, Soros entered the public eye in the mid-2010s during a messy divorce which was extensively covered by the New York Post. ³ As the founder of the Enterprise Foundation, Soros previously made substantial contributions to his father’s Open Society Foundations (OSF), which support left-of-center advocacy in the United States and abroad.

Career

In 1986, Robert Soros graduated from New York University with a degree in English literature. He worked at numerous banks and investment firms during his early career. ⁴

In 1994, Soros joined Soros Fund Management, which along with Quantum Group of Funds was his father George’s primary investment vehicle. In 2000, Robert Soros transitioned into a leadership role, with his father describing his son as “the power behind the throne.” In 2004, Soros became chief investment officer, sharing equal title with his younger brother Jonathan Soros. Robert stepped down from the role in 2006 but was appointed president and deputy chairman. In 2017, he stepped down from these roles to start his own firm, Soros Capital, but retained an equity stake in Soros Fund Management. ^{5 6 7}

Boards and Committees

Robert Soros sits on the cultural affairs advisory committee of New York City Cultural Affairs, ⁸ is a trustee of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) ⁹ and the Brooklyn Museum, ¹⁰ and is chairman emeritus of The Kitchen, a New York City arts space. ¹¹

Marriages and Divorce

In 1992, Robert Soros married freelance photographer Melissa Robin Schiff. In 2019, a series of Facebook posts falsely claimed that Melissa Robin Schiff was the sister of controversial U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) as supposed evidence of Rep. Schiff’s connections to George Soros. ¹²

In the mid-2010s, Robert Soros was embroiled in a messy public divorce from Schiff after 22 years of marriage. The divorce was caused by Soros’s affair with Jamie Singer, then a model. Schiff contested her prenuptial agreement and fought over $350 million in assets, most notably the couple’s art collection, which was valued at $22 million. Soros was criticized after allegedly kissing and “canoodling” with Singer a few seats away from Schiff on an eight-hour flight. ¹³ During the divorce proceedings, Soros was accused of previously funneling $21 million in joint tax returns into his personal bank accounts to hide the assets from Schiff, who at the time was in treatment for breast cancer. ¹⁴

In 2021, Soros married Singer (now Jamie Singer Soros), who is currently the CEO of tech company Ussie. ¹⁵

Enterprise Foundation

In 1995, Robert Soros founded the Enterprise Foundation, his personal grant making charitable fund. The Foundation is entirely financed by Soros. Most of its grants are given to philanthropic charities like the Foundation Fighting Blindness, but prior to 2016, the Foundation gave large annual grants to the Open Society Foundations (OSF), the private grantmaking foundation of George Soros that supports and engages in left-wing advocacy. In 2015, the Foundation gave $400,000. In 2014 and 2013, it gave $550,000. ^{16 17 18}

Political Donations

Compared to his father and siblings, Robert Soros has been relatively quiet in politics until recently. In the 2020 election cycle, Soros gave $348,198 to exclusively Democratic candidates and PACs. In previous cycles, he made few or no donations. ¹⁹ In 2009, Soros donated $50,000 to President Barack Obama’s inauguration. ²⁰

1. “George Soros alters his style.” Investment Executive. June 16, 2000. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.investmentexecutive.com/news/industry-news/george-soros-alters-his-style/.
2. “Who are the Biggest Donors?” Open Secrets. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/biggest-donors?cycle=2020&view=hi&t0-search=soros.
3. “Robert Soros.” New York Post. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://nypost.com/tag/robert-soros/.
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5. Levy, Rachel. “Robert Soros is stepping down from his father’s legendary fund to start his own venture.” Insider. June 26, 2017. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.businessinsider.com/robert-soros-steps-down-to-start-own-fund-2017-6.
6. “George Soros alters his style.” Investment Executive. June 16, 2000. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.investmentexecutive.com/news/industry-news/george-soros-alters-his-style/.
7. Atlas, Riva D. “2 Soros Sons Get More Control of the Business.” New York Times. October 6, 2004. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/06/business/2-soros-sons-get-more-control-of-the-business.html.
8. “Cultural Affairs Advisory Committee.” NYC Cultural Affairs. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www1.nyc.gov/site/dcla/about/advisory-commission.page.
9. ^[1] “Officers and Trustees.” MoMA. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.moma.org/about/trustees.
10. “Board of Trustees.” Brooklyn Museum. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/about/board_of_trustees.
11. “Board of Directors.” The Kitchen. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://thekitchen.org/about/our-people.
12. O’Rourke, Ciara. “Says George Soros’s son is married to Adam Schiff’s sister.” Politifact. October 7, 2019. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/oct/11/viral-image/no-george-soross-son-isnt-married-adam-schiffs-sis/.
13. “Robert Soros.” New York Post. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://nypost.com/tag/robert-soros/.
14. “Soros’ Son ‘Stashed’ $21 Million In Bank As Wife Battled Cancer.” Jewish Business News. January 16, 2016. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2016/01/16/soros-son-stashed-21-million-in-bank-as-wife-battled-cancer/.
15. Macon, Alexandra. “Jamie Singer Soros Married Robert Soros in a Field of Roses at The Glass House.” Vogue. June 11, 2021. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/jamie-singer-soros-robert-soros-wedding-the-glass-house.
16. Enterprise Foundation TR.” ProPublica. Accessed December 7, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/137029291/2015_05_PF%2F13-7029291_990PF_201411.
17. “Enterprise Foundation TR.” ProPublica. Accessed December 7, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/137029291/2014_07_PF%2F13-7029291_990PF_201311.
18. “Enterprise Foundation TR.” ProPublica. Accessed December 7, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/137029291.
19. “Who are the Biggest Donors?” Open Secrets. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/biggest-donors?cycle=2020&view=hi&t0-search=soros.
20. “Obama 2009 Inauguration Donor.” Open Secrets. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/obama/inaug_2009.php.