Hearst Foundations

OVERVIEW: The Hearst Foundations’ mission is to “build healthy, productive, and inspiring lives.” The foundations seek to achieve this by supporting well-established nonprofit organizations that operate in the areas of culture, education, health and social services.

IP TAKE: Operating out of offices in New York City and San Francisco, the Hearst Foundations support education, arts and culture, public health and mental health. Hearst only funds organizations with annual operating budgets of at least $1 million, with 80% of education and health grantees having budgets of $10 million or higher. In addition, 80% of its awards are directed toward past grantees, crowding out many first-time grantseekers.

The Hearst Foundations run an open online application system and accept grant applications at any time. Applicants should read the foundations’ guidelines and FAQ before submitting application materials. 

PROFILE: The Hearst Foundations, founded in 1945 and 1948, support nonprofits working “to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives,” particularly those serving low-income populations. Though the two foundations operate “as one entity, sharing the same funding guidelines, leadership and staff,” the offices based in New York City and San Francisco independently review proposals based East and West of the Mississippi River, respectively. Their grantmaking supports culture, education, health and social services. The foundations mainly support large, well established organizations with annual operating budgets of over $1 million. Funding is limited to the U.S.

Grants for Education

Hearst’s education grantmaking supports “ducational institutions demonstrating uncommon success in preparing students to thrive in a global society.” A majority of its grants go go to institutions of higher education, with only a few grants each year supporting early childhood and K-12 programs. The foundation’s current education priorities include college scholarships, “college access and success programming,” educator professional development programs and career-oriented STEM education. Most grants provide scholarship, program or capital support. Recent grants have gone to Amarillo College in Texas, Kentucky’s Berea College, Duke University and Moravian University in Pennsylvania, among others. Grantees working in K-12 and early childhood education include Literacy Lab, Boston’s Jumpstart for Young Children, Horizons National Student Enrichment Program and Estside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto, California.

Grants for Public Health

The Hearst Foundations’ health grantmaking funds public health-related grants to help hospitals and medical centers improve access to quality healthcare for low-income populations. It also supports programs to “enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators” in healthcare. Several recent grants have supported hospitals and healthcare systems in medium-sizes cities across the U.S., including Nevada’s Renown Health, Wisconsin’s Waukesha Memorial Hospital and Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, New York.

Grants for Work and Economic Opportunity, Housing, Homelessness and Urban Development

Hearst’s social services funding area aims to “tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems.” Grantmaking targets programs that “have proven successful in facilitating economic independence” and have “the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people.” The foundations prioritize organizations that provide job training and job creation, as well as those that promote affordable housing, youth development and “two-generation family programs.” Past grantees include Bridges USA, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, Greater Louisville Workforce Investment Board, CHN Housing Partners, the Safe at Home Project and the Supportive Housing Program at Haven of Hope of Bexar County.

Grants for Criminal Justice

The Hearst Foundation’s do not name criminal justice as an area of grantmaking interest, but their social services grantmaking program recently named prison education, reentry programs and “legal services for those in need of legal representation” as priorities, indicating an interest in this area.

Grants for Arts and Culture

The Hearst Foundations’ culture funding emphasizes projects and organizations that aim to support developing artists and expose underserved communities to the arts as both audiences and participants. The foundations prioritize events and programs that “enable engagement by young people and create a lasting impression.” Current priorities include artist development, arts education and programs in which the arts serve as a component of STEAM education.

Grants for Visual Art

Hearst’s grants for visual arts have supported a broad range of projects at landmark art museums and venues. One past grantee, New York City’s Whitney Museum of American Art, received funding to develop its Hearst Artspace, the site of the museum’s many participatory programs. Other recent grantees include Florida’s Norton Museum of Art, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which received a grant to support its Where Art Can Take You program for young visitors.

Grants for Theater and Music

The Hearst Foundations support music and theater performance and education programs broadly. In New York City, the foundations have supported Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Center for Traditional Music and Dance and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Other grantees include Charlotte’s Opera Carolina, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Children’s Chorus, Houston’s Midtown Arts and Theater Center and the Jazz Renaissance Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri, which used funding to support the development of its American Jazz Musician’s Walk of Fame. 

Important Grant Details:

The Hearst Foundations make over $50 million a year in grants. Most grants range from $50,000 to $500,000, but organizations with which the foundations maintain ongoing relationships often receive larger amounts. This funder generally supports organizations with annual operating budgets of at least $1 million, with 80% of education and health grantees having budgets of $10 million or higher. In addition, 80% of its awards are directed toward past grantees, crowding out many first-time grantseekers. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s grants database

The Hearst Foundations consist of two institutions with headquarters in New York City and San Francisco. The two offices share a single application process, however. Before beginning the open application process, be sure to review the relevant funding limitations and FAQ page. Hearst accepts applications year-round, though there is a mandatory waiting period for reapplying (one year if the application is declined, three years if approved).

PEOPLE:

Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).

LINKS: