H. PETER KAROFF

1937 - 2017

KAROFF, H. Peter H. Peter Karoff, a renowned contributor to the world of philanthropy and a business leader in Boston, died at his home in Santa Barbara on March 9th. He was 79. The cause of death was complications from pancreatic cancer. Beginning with his early work as a founding member of the Foundation for Urban Negro Development in Boston, Peter was a champion of civil rights and social justice. He discovered his true calling in strategic philanthropy in 1988 when he introduced a friend who was the CEO of a major corporation looking to initiate a corporate giving program to his friend the film-maker Henry Hampton, who was struggling to find funding for the second installment of his civil rights documentary Eyes on the Prize II. Inspired by the idea of matching wealth to need, in 1989 Peter founded The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), a pioneering non-profit consulting firm dedicated to increasing the impact of philanthropy in society. Over the next 25 years under Peter's guidance and direction, TPI became a leading influence in the world of philanthropy. The richness and depth of his commitment to progressive causes reflected his core belief in the ethical and moral purpose of philanthropy. The impact of Peter's humanism, generosity, compassion, lyricism and mentoring were deeply felt by people from all walks of life, and will be missed by all who knew him. Peter frequently spoke and wrote on philanthropic and social issues. His book on philanthropy, The World We Want, was published in 2007, and he was the editor of the 2004 collection Just Money–A Critique of Contemporary American Philanthropy. For 25 years prior to founding TPI, Peter was prominent in the real estate and insurance industries in Boston. Peter's love of poetry was legendary, and his need to poeticize was constant and inveterate. He practiced the art over many years, on his family (epically), friends and colleagues, in speeches around the country and abroad, in classrooms at Columbia where he earned an MFA in poetry at the age of 51, and at Tufts University, Boston University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he taught both philanthropy and poetry. Peter's poetry has been published and anthologized, and his first book of poems, Parable, was published in May. Over the years, Peter was on the board of more than 30 nonprofit organizations, including Roxbury Development Corporation, Business Executives for National Security, WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston University's Institute for Nonprofit Management and Leadership, the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University, and Blackside Productions. He was a Fellow of the MacDowell Colony and a 2006 Purpose Prize Fellow. Most recently, he was active in the GHR Foundation, Robina Foundation, and the Santa Barbara Foundation. H. Peter Karoff was born in Brockton, MA, on May 16, 1937, to George and Sadie Karoff. He graduated from Brandeis University in 1959, earned an MFA from Columbia University in 1988, and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Lesley University in 2002. It was at Brandeis that he met his wife and the love of his life, Martha Conant, who predeceased him in 2015. For Peter, family was everything, and gatherings over Christmas and Thanksgiving—often with 30 or more at the table—made for great joy and enduring memories. Peter was an avid sailor, whose passion for the water occasionally met with mishap, and he was affectionately referred to as Crash Karoff at the local boatyard. But his children never wavered in their belief and they fearlessly sailed with him in the waters of Buzzard's Bay and Martha's Vineyard, where the family spent many happy summers. His love of place—West Newton and Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts, and Santa Barbara—leaves his family with many memories, and many poems. Peter will be deeply missed by his daughters Deborah Karoff of Santa Barbara, CA, Lorinda Karoff of Brooklyn, NY, Rebecca Karoff of Austin, TX, and son Thomas Karoff of Armonk, NY, and their devoted spouses, Anna DiStefano, Jeffrey Younger, Brad Wolbert, and Pamela Furtsch. He leaves behind seven beloved grandchildren ranging in age from 25 to 8, Jacob, Sophie, Kaeli, Emma, Devon, Sarah and Lauren. Services are planned in Newton, Massachusetts on June 11 at 2:00 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Newton, 1326 Washington Street, Newton, Ma. Donations may be made to the Karoff Fund for Leadership in Philanthropy at The Boston Foundation and the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

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