Deadline: Ongoing Opportunity
The Hearst Foundation has announced its grant program.
Funding Areas
- Culture
- The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.
- Funding Priorities in Culture
- In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.
- The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.
- Types of Support:
- Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support.
- 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 programs that focus on developing skills in science, technology, engineering, environment and math.
- 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.
- 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.
- Funding Priorities in Education
- The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted for new grantees.
- In the recent past, 30% of total funding has been allocated to Education. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 80% of the funding in Education.
- Types of Support:
- Program, scholarship, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support.
- Preference Will Be Given To:
- Higher education programs and scholarships and, on a limited basis, scholarships for post-graduate education.
- College access and college success programming.
- Professional development for educators.
- Science education programs that focus on developing career pathways in science, technology, engineering, environment and math.
- Health
- The Hearst Foundations assist leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions providing access to healthcare for high-need populations. In response to the shortage of healthcare professionals necessary to meet the country’s evolving healthcare demands, the Foundations also fund programs designed to enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators across roles in healthcare. The Foundations also support medical research and the development of young investigators to help create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health.
- Funding Priorities in Health
- In the recent past, 30% of total funding has been allocated to Health. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 80% of the funding in Health.
- The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted for new grantees.
- Types of Support:
- Program, capital and, on a limited basis, endowment support.
- Preference Will Be Given To:
- Professional development.
- Programs improving access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations, rural populations and/or veterans.
- Programs developing and providing specialized care for the complex needs of elderly populations.
- Programs providing intensive behavioral healthcare.
- 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
- 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.
- Funding Priorities in Social Service
- In the recent past, 15% of total funding has been allocated to Social Service. Organizations with budgets over $5 million have received 60% of funding in Social Service.
- The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted for new grantees.
- Types of Support:
- Program, capital and general support.
- Preference Will Be Given To:
- Affordable housing.
- Food banks and food delivery, provided services are program-related.
- Job creation and job training.
- Legal services for those in need of legal representation.
- Prison education and reentry programs.
- Two-generation family programs.
- Youth development.
- An organization’s national headquarters for wider initiatives instead of local chapters.
Funding Information
- The most common first grant size is $75,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- Proposals from institutions with multiple departments (e.g., universities, medical centers, etc.) should be coordinated through the institutions’ central development offices such that only one proposal will be submitted to the Hearst Foundations.
- 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.
- The Hearst Foundations DO NOT FUND organizations that are:
- Based outside of the United States.
- Operating with audited expenses less than $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.
- Producing film or television.
For more information, visit Hearst Foundations.