Richard Fields - Philanthropy
Richard Fields established the The Fields Family Foundation in 2005. The Fields Family Foundation is a philanthropy institution that donates to nonprofits to help children in foster care, New York City police officers, farming families, families with missing or kidnapped children,and university research into medicine for muscular dystrophy.
Richard Fields contributes specifically to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), Good Shepherd Services, The New York Police Foundation, Farm Aid, and The American Quarter Horse Foundation.
Richard Fields is a secretary of the NCMEC Board of Directors. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a worldwide network that educates the community on the realities of child abduction and sexual exploitation and helps families locate missing children. The NCMEC also provides assistance for impacted families and trauma victims.
The NCMEC assists law enforcement and concerned families through a clearinghouse of information about missing and exploited children. The NCMEC also staffs a CyberTipline for the public to report child exploitation through the Internet for the prevention, recovery, investigation, prosecution, and treatment of missing or exploited children. When child abduction involves international arenas, the NCMEC works directly with the US Department of State.
Richard Fields has supported the NCMEC for a number of years. The NCMEC noted Richard Fields as a contributor in their 2006 newsletter.
Richard Fields donated $7.1 million to the University of Rochester Medical Center for research on FSHD (facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy) in 2007.
FSHD is a degenerative disease that affects voluntary muscle movement, physical appearance, and general mobility. The disease is genetically inherited from birth, but doesn’t emerge until the early twenties. Over time, FSHD causes the skeletal muscles around the eyes, mouth, shoulders, and upper arms to weaken and/or waste away, a process that can take decades, with periods of sudden and debilitating deterioration. After the initial stages, FSHS spreads to affect the abdominal and hip muscles. FSHD is not fatal, but up to 15% of affected individuals become severely disabled.
The $7.1 million $">Richard Fields donated to the University of Rochester Medical Center will go to the establishment The Fields Center, the internationally-collaborative institution center focused on Neuromuscular research for greater understanding and the development of aggressive treatment for FSHD. The Fields Center combines the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Neuromuscular Disease Center in the United States with the Leiden University Medical Center’s Department of Human Genetics in the Netherlands.
The Fields Family Foundation has been a sponsor to Good Shepherd Services for many years.
Good Shepherd Services is a New York City-based nonprofit organization that helps vulnerable youth and families make a safe passage to self-sufficiency. Good Shepherd Services provides youth-centered programs and opportunities to help at-risk youth stay connected to family, school and society and forge a pathway to a promising future. Good Shepherd Services also assists foster children through superior quality foster care and residential programs.
In 2007, Richard Fields and the Fields Family Foundation sponsored 200 underprivileged children to attend a Manhattan Christmas event in conjunction with toy company FAO Schwartz. Richard Fields and FAO Schwartz provided kindergarten and first grade students from New York City schools with a Holiday party the Saturday after Thanksgiving, including breakfast, a puppet show, face painting, and a chance to sit on Santa’s lap and receive a personalized gift. The gifts were provided by The Fields Family Foundation and FAO Schwartz in accordance with letters previously written by each child.
Richard Fields established the College Loan Reimbursement Program (CLRP) for new police officers through the New York City Police Foundation.
The New York Police Foundation raises money for the New York Police Department. Created in 1971, the Foundation traditionally assists the NYPD with technology and training beyond the means of the city budget. The NYPD has need of benefactors such as Richard Fields to provide incentives for new officers due to accelerated costs of living and the rising expense of college tuition outstripping the law enforcement salaries provided by the state. In recent years, the NYPD has been several officers below its budgeted human resource allotment.
Richard Fields is the primary donor for the college loan reimbursement program, which aids new police officers who finish Academy training and remain employed with the NYPD for five years. Richard Fields contributed $1.5 million to the NYPD to create and fund the program in 2007. Richard Fields’ reimbursement fund will provide recruits with $15,000 a piece in five annual installments. According to a survey of recruit classes, the average college debt for a new recruit is $16,000.
The NYPD awards Richard Fields and The Fields Family Foundation Four Stars as a donor to the NYPD.
Richard Fields is on the Board for Farm Aid.
For 22 years, Farm Aid has raised public awareness for family farms by organizing concerts to raise money for farming families. Farm Aid raises money for family farmers by promoting food grown on family farms, growing the Good Food Movement, and establishing an extensive resource network of family farm organizations across the country. This resource network supports farmers seeking to make economical transitions in farming practices and provides support services and equipment for farm families in crisis. Farm Aid also works with and provides grants to organizations that promote fair farm policies as well as grassroots organizations promoting family-centered agriculture.
In 2007, Richard Fields and The Fields Family Foundation funded the Youth Assistance Program for The American Quarter Horse Foundation, which provides scholarships for youth needing financial assistance to compete in the AQHYA World Championship Show.
The American Quarter Horse Foundation is a scholarship program through the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). American Quarter Horses are "cow horses" bred for speed and agility. American Quarter Horses compete in cowboy sporting events such as roping or cutting.
The American Quarter Horse Foundation is an educational institution that trains youth hoping to become professionals in the American Quarter Horse industry. Over the years, The American Quarter Horse Foundation has awarded over $4.7 million in scholarships to youth on the basis on financial need, academic merit, civic involvement and horse interest and enthusiasm.
Richard Fields is an owner and breeder of the American Quarter Horse and a competitor in American Quarter Horse sporting events.