Stephen Robert is a distinguished American financier and humanitarian whose five-decade career spans leadership of Oppenheimer & Co., founding Renaissance Institutional Management, and guiding high-impact global philanthropy. A former Chancellor of Brown University and current director at NEXAR Capital Group, he combines deep financial expertise with a lifelong commitment to service. Together with his wife, Pilar Crespi Robert, he co-founded the Source of Hope Foundation, which channels resources toward clean water, health care, education, and rapid emergency relief on five continents—experience that underpins every initiative described below.
Mr. Stephen Robert and his wife, Mrs. Pilar Crespi Robert, founded the Source of Hope in 2009 to “help those in desperate need.” Working independently and in partnership with other not-for-profit organizations, the Foundation has touched many lives domestically and internationally. In addition to providing water and food during emergencies, it pursues sustainable solutions in education and healthcare.
Before the Source of Hope, women and children in the Derashe and Konso communities in Ethiopia would walk several miles to fetch water. The Source of Hope partnered with MercyCorps to set up an aquifer to collect clean water from nearby hills and supply the villages. The aquifer is low-maintenance and guarantees villagers all-year-round access to clean water, which has helped reduce waterborne diseases.
When a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, the Source of Hope Foundation donated to Partners in Health, helping alleviate the suffering. The Foundation then funded the construction of a modern hospital in Mirebalais. In addition to equipping the children’s ward with armchair beds, it installed a state-of-the-art CT scanner, the first one of its kind at a public hospital.
Additionally, the Foundation built the Stephen Robert and Pilar Crespi Robert Regional Reference Laboratory to aid the hospital in diagnosing and treating various communicable diseases. The facility boasts Biosafety Level 2 and Level 3 labs.
When Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas in 2019, rendering thousands of households homeless and without food, the Source of Hope Foundation again partnered with MercyCorps to offer relief. The Foundation provided lanterns, medical equipment, and other essential items. Also, thanks to the Source of Hope Foundation’s funding, MercyCorps built aquifers, giving thousands of households access to clean water.
The Foundation has also been a source of hope for displaced children in Syria. In the wake of the Syrian conflict, Jordan received thousands of refugees, many of them children. The Source of Hope Foundation offered humanitarian assistance by funding education, arts, and counseling services for children. The Foundation also provided money to coaches, teachers, and other professionals involved in various refugee educational programs.
The Source of Hope Foundation has also left a mark in de Indias, Colombia. It partnered with the Juan Felipe Gomez Escobar Foundation (JUANFE) to improve the quality of life of teenage mothers and their kids. The Foundation’s assistance has been instrumental in reducing infant mortality through free comprehensive mother and child care. In the spirit of sustainability, the Foundation, through JUANFE, also offers vocational training.
Locally, the Source of Hope Foundation is involved in various charitable acts. For example, its partnership with Columbia Presbyterian Hospital paved the way for the construction of the Stephen Robert and Pilar Crespi Robert Rapid Medical Evaluation Center. The 8000-square-foot facility provides rapid patient diagnosis, which has helped cut the average patient wait time to less than three hours from nine hours.
The Source of Hope Foundation is also behind New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Community Health Project. This facility helps households from economically disadvantaged backgrounds access emergency care. The program’s volunteers act as patient navigators, helping patients navigate otherwise off-putting encounters like booking, medication refilling, and insurance claims.
Mr. Robert and his wife, Pilar Crespi Robert, have touched the lives of many vulnerable children, mothers, and youth. Although the Foundation aims to ease the immediate pain of various social and environmental ills, it also aims for self-sufficiency through vocational training and financial assistance.