Hearst Foundations Grants

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

Deadline: Rolling

Grant amount: US $30,000 - US $200,000

Funding uses: Education / Outreach, General Operating Expense, Project / Program, Capital Project, Biomedical, Behavioral

Location of project: United States

Location of residency: United States

Overview:

Hearst Foundations' Mission

The Hearst Foundations identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives.

Hearst Foundations' Goals

The Foundations seek to achieve their mission by funding approaches that result in:

• Improved health and quality of life
• Access to high quality educational options to promote increased academic achievement
• Arts and sciences serving as a cornerstone of society
• Sustainable employment and productive career paths for adults
• Stabilizing and supporting families

Funding Priorities

The Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of interests – culture, education, health and social service – and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Culture

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those which enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Education

The Hearst Foundations fund educational institutions demonstrating uncommon success in preparing students to thrive in a global society. The Foundations’ focus is largely on higher education, but they also fund innovative models of early childhood and K-12 education, as well as professional development.

Types of Support: Program, scholarship, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Health

The Hearst Foundations assist leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions providing access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations. In response to the shortage of healthcare professionals necessary to meet the country’s evolving needs, the Foundations also fund programs designed to enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators across roles in healthcare. Because the Foundations seek to use their funds to create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health, support for medical research and the development of young investigators is also considered.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, endowment support

Social Service

The Hearst Foundations fund direct-service organizations that tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems. The Foundations prioritize supporting programs that have proven successful in facilitating economic independence and in strengthening families. Preference is also given to programs with the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people in need.

Types of Support: Program, capital and general support

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be 501(c)(3) organizations and classified as a 509(a)(1), 509(a)(2) or a functionally integrated 509(a)(3).
• We require that all grantees have an annual budget greater than $1,000,000. 
• In limited cases, the Foundations fund:
• Endowment grants, provided the organization has an existing endowment with the Hearst Foundations and a track record of strong performance and consistent stewardship.
• Faith-based organizations, provided that the services they offer are inclusive and fit within the Foundations’ guidelines
• Grantee organizations must wait a minimum of three years from their grant award date before the Foundations will consider another request.

Preferences:

• While the Foundations aim to create fulfilling lives for all Americans, they have a particular sense of urgency in addressing the needs of low-income populations.
• Culture Priority Area:
• Preference will be given to:
• Artist development and training
• Arts education programs that effectively fill the void of arts programming in K-12 curricula
• Science education programs that focus on developing academic pathways in science, technology, engineering and math
• Education Priority Area:
• Preference will be given to:
• Higher education programs and scholarships and, on a limited basis, scholarships for post-graduate education
• Professional development for teachers
• Health Priority Area:
• Preference will be given to:
• Professional development
• Programs improving access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations
• Programs developing and providing specialized care for the complex needs of elderly populations
• Programs scaling innovative healthcare delivery systems to provide efficient, coordinated care
• Research, particularly related to finding new cures and treatments for prevalent diseases, such as cancer
• Social Service Priority Area:
• Preference will be given to:
• Affordable housing
• Job creation and job training
• Literacy
• Youth development
• An organization’s national headquarters for wider initiatives instead of local chapters
• In limited cases the Foundations fund organizations focusing on:
• Domestic abuse
• Food delivery and food banks
• Sexual abuse
• Substance abuse

Ineligibility:

• The Hearst Foundations DO NOT FUND organizations that are:
  • based outside of the United States.
  • operating with audited expenses less than $2$1 million.
  • undergoing leadership transitions or with new leadership in place for less than one year.
  • not registered as 501(c)(3) organizations. An IRS determination letter is required to receive funding.
  • Endowment grants, provided the organization has an existing endowment with the Hearst Foundations and a track record of strong performance and consistent stewardship.
  • Faith-based organizations, provided that the services they offer are inclusive and fit within the Foundations' guidelines.
  • Organizations lacking regional and national support. 
• The Hearst Foundations DO NOT FUND proposals for:
  • festivals, tours, conferences, workshops or seminars.
  • https://www.hearstfdn.org/funding-limitations
  • advocacy or public policy research.
  • special events, tickets, tables or advertising for fundraising events.
  • seed money or pilot programs.
  • established programs lacking demonstrable long-term impact on populations served.
  • program-related investments (PRI).
  • local chapters of national organizations (the Foundations typically fund initiatives at the national/headquarters level).
  • scholarship or fellowship recipients studying or residing outside of the United States