Syracuse, NY (January 14, 2026) | Robert S. “Rob” Morris is returning to his roots, philanthropically speaking. The chairman and chief executive of the Stamford, CT-based private equity firm Olympus Partners, Morris and his wife Mary Helen have established the Morris Family Advised Fund to support nonprofit organizations throughout Central New York. The Fund will focus on benefiting community health and well-being, scientific research, and education.
Disbursements from the Morris Family Advised Fund will be made following an annual grant application process. Annual awards may vary, depending on scope and impact.
The first grantees include Erin’s Angels of Central New York, The Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, and PGA Reach Central New York. Erin’s Angels addresses food insecurity in area school children. The Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation enriches the lives of kids in need and provides support for eliminating cancer through research and advocacy. PGA Reach launched a program to give inner city boys and girls an opportunity to learn the game of golf.
Morris, the son of Irma M. and Robert D. Morris, graduated from Jamesville-DeWitt High School in 1972. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in economics from Hamilton College in 1976, he earned a master’s degree from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College. He held various management positions in General Electric (GE) manufacturing and financial services businesses, before being named senior vice president and general manager-private placements at GE Investment Corp. in 1983. In 1988, he founded Olympus Partners, which has raised a total of more than $12 billion since its founding.
Morris has a long history of giving back. He is among Hamilton College’s largest donors, giving money to fund faculty endowments, academic initiatives, student financial aid, internships and the renovation of existing structure into a new residence hall. His giving history with the Upstate Foundation spans 25 years, supporting post-polio syndrome research conducted at Upstate Medical University.
Mary Helen Morris, too, has had a successful and distinguished career in both the private sector and non-profit realms. An Albany native, she graduated from The Academy of the Holy Names and is the daughter of John and Helen Garrett. Graduating summa cum laude from Boston College’s School of Management in finance and computer science, she is a former GE executive and is dedicated to child and adolescent development, including 10+ years of service on the board of YMCA Camp Coniston (Grantham, NH) where she is currently serving as Board Chair.
“We have been fortunate and are grateful for the opportunities, formative experiences, people, and organizations that allowed us to achieve what we set out to do,” said Morris. “Now we’re at the point where we can broaden our areas of interest and support other organizations in strengthening community health and well-being throughout the region.”
“Rob and Mary Helen are true philanthropists in that they not only give generously back to entities significant to them, they also encourage those around them to be altruistic as well,” said Eileen Pezzi, vice president for development at Upstate Medical University. “Upstate, Hamilton, and all of the organizations they chose to support in the future through the Morris Family Advised Fund will now be the fortunate ones.”