Austin and Gabriela Hearst
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Hearst Corp., TV and film producer
FUNDING AREAS: Arts & Culture, Health, Education & Youth, Global
OVERVIEW: Austin Hearst and his wife Gabriella do their grantmaking through the Austin & Gabriella Hearst Foundation, through which they support select institutions, many in New York City. Hearst sits on the board of Save the Children.
BACKGROUND: Austin Hearst graduated with a bachelor's degree from California Polytechnic State University. Hearst is a grandson of media baron William Randolph Hearst, founder of the Hearst Corp., which includes newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations, and cable networks. Hearst is also a television and film producer and the founder, chairman and CEO of Chestnut Holdings LLC, a private equity and agricultural development company.
ISSUES:
ARTS & CULTURE: Gabriela Hearst is a luxury accessories designer who studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse. The couple's foundation has supported New York Film Society at Lincoln Center, The Met, and Historic Districts Council.
HEALTH: Grantees include New York-Presbyterian Fund and Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center.
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Hearst supports early childhood development projects with Save the Children and the government of Bhutan, and community agricultural projects in South Sudan. He has been involved with Save the Children for more than 20 years and sits on the board. Other grantees include Weill Cornell Medical College, Rye Country Day School, and Blue School, where Hearst also sits on the board.
GLOBAL: Hearst is on the board of Karuna-Shechen, a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides education, healthcare, and social services in the greater Himalayan region. The couple has supported Aspen Institute and ReachingU, a "non-profit organization based in the United States which performs work for underprivileged children and teenagers in Uruguay." Gabriela is from Uruguay.
LOOKING FORWARD: The couple has made grants to a donor-advised fund at Rockefeller Philanthropy, obscuring the full scope of their grantmaking. Both grew up on ranches and rode horses and are interested in the environment. Land conservation may emerge as a strong interest; the family owns land in Uruguay. Hearst has been involved in the social impact film space and could conceivably back such films on a larger scale.
CONTACT:
The Austin & Gabriella Hearst Foundation
488 Madison Ave.
New York City, NY 10022
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