Hearst Foundation Inc. is a New York- and San Francisco-based nonprofit founded by publishing and journalism giant William Randolph Hearst that provides grants supporting youth political engagement and journalism, culture, education, health, and social services. ^{1 2 3}

Hearst Foundation Inc. was founded in 1946 and is managed jointly with The William Randolph Hearst Foundation, which was founded in 1949. Both organizations have the same funding guidelines, leadership, and staff, however the organizations are recognized by the IRS as two separate entities and have two separate tax filings. Together, Hearst Foundation Inc. and The William Randolph Heart Foundation are known as the Hearst Foundations. ⁴

History

Hearst Foundation Inc. was founded by William Randolph Hearst in 1946. ⁵

Hearst Foundation Inc. is managed jointly with The William Randolph Hearst Foundation, which was founded in 1949 as California Charities Foundations. Both organizations have the same funding guidelines, leadership, and staff; however, the organizations are recognized by the IRS as two separate entities and have two separate tax filings. Together, Hearst Foundation Inc. and The William Randolph Heart Foundation are known as the Hearst Foundations. ⁶

The Hearst Foundations have two headquarters. The headquarters in New York City reviews grant proposals from east of the Mississippi River and the headquarters in San Francisco reviews grant proposals from west of the Mississippi River. ⁷

Programs

The Hearst Foundations have two flagship programs, the United States Senate Youth Program and the Hearst Journalism Awards Program. ⁸

The Senate Youth Programs provides funds for two students from each state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity to spend a week in Washington, D.C. Students in the program hear addresses by senators, cabinet members, officials from the Department of State and the Department of Defense, and directors of federal agencies. Students selected also often get to meet with the President and justices of the Supreme Court. Participants have their transportation, lodgings, and meal expenses covered and receive a $10,000 college scholarship. To be selected, students must hold a leadership position in student government or a civic organization, be an officer in an academic club or competition program, and be a resident of the state or jurisdiction they wish to represent. In 2024, the Senate co-chairs of the Senate Youth Program were Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Senator John Barrasso (R-WY). ^{9 10}

The Hearst Journalism Award Program was founded in 1960 and awards scholarships to college journalists and matching grants to the journalists’ schools. In 2024, the Hearst Journalism Awards Program offered up to $700,000 in awards to be distributed to the winners of five writing competitions, two photojournalism competitions, one audio competition, two television competitions, and four multimedia competitions. Participants must be undergraduate journalism majors enrolled in an accredited university in America and be actively involved in student journalism. ¹¹

Grantmaking

The Hearst Foundations provide grants devoted to culture, education, health, and social services. ¹² The foundations report receiving over 1,000 grant requests each year and providing funding roughly 300 of these grant requests. ¹³

For culture, the Hearst Foundations support arts and science programs that focus on youth engagement. Supported organizations include theaters, symphonies, performing arts centers, operas, museums, ballets, and arts schools. ¹⁴

For education, the Hearst Foundations predominantly fund higher education and a smaller number of early childhood, K-12, and professional-development education institutions devoted to “preparing students to thrive in a global society.” ¹⁵

For health, the Hearst Foundations support regional hospitals, medical centers, and specialized medical institutions as well as programs to increase the number of healthcare practitioners and educators. ¹⁶ As part of its health funding, Hearst Foundations gave over $50 million in special grants devoted to COVID-10 pandemic relief. ¹⁷

For social services, the Hearst Foundations focus on alleviating chronic poverty, facilitating economic independence, and strengthening families. Preference for these grants is given to organizations devoted to affordable housing, domestic violence victims, economic development focused on environmental sustainability, food banks, job creation, prion reentry programs, legal services, and youth development. ¹⁸

According to tax filings, the Hearst Foundation Inc’s top grant recipients in 2022 included New York Public Library ($750,000), Hunter College Foundation ($750,000), Brooklyn Museum ($325,000), Johns Hopkins University ($300,000), and the Studio Museum in Harlem ($250,000). ¹⁹

As of March 2024, the Hearst Foundations report having made over 22,730 grants totaling over $1.5 billion to 6,400 organizations. ²⁰

People

The president director of Hearst Foundation Inc. is Virginia H. Randt, the daughter of Randolph Apperson Hearst and the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst. ²¹

Funding

Hearst Foundation Inc. and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation collectively received approximately $137 million from the Hearst Corporation in 1975. ²²

According to tax filings, in 2022 Hearst Foundation Inc. received most of its revenue ($11,504,703) from dividends and interest from securities. ²³

Collectively, the Hearst Foundations reported assets of $1.3 billion as of March 2024. ²⁴

1. “Hearst Foundations: Helping Nonprofits & Americans for Nearly 70 Years.” Hearst. July 1, 2013. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearst.com/-/hearst-foundations-helping-nonprofits-americans-for-nearly-70-years.
2. “William Randolph Hearst Foundations.” Philanthropy News Digest. April 16, 2002. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/features/on-the-web/william-randolph-hearst-foundations.
3. “Grant Request Evaluation Process.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearstfdn.org/grant-request-evaluation-process.
4. “About.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024.
5. “William Randolph Hearst Foundations.” Philanthropy News Digest. April 16, 2002. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/features/on-the-web/william-randolph-hearst-foundations.
6. “About.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024.
7. “William Randolph Hearst Foundations.” Philanthropy News Digest. April 16, 2002. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/features/on-the-web/william-randolph-hearst-foundations.
8. “Hearst Foundations: Helping Nonprofits & Americans for Nearly 70 Years.” Hearst. July 1, 2013. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearst.com/-/hearst-foundations-helping-nonprofits-americans-for-nearly-70-years.
9. “United States Senate Youth Program.” United States Senate Youth Program. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://ussenateyouth.org/.
10. “How to Apply.” United States Senate Youth Program. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://ussenateyouth.org/selection_process_qualify/.
11. “General Information.” Heart Journalism Awards Program. Accessed March 8, 2024. http://www.hearstawards.org/about/general-information/.
12. “General Overview.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearstfdn.org/general-overview.
13. “Grant Request Evaluation Process.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearstfdn.org/grant-request-evaluation-process.
14. “Funding Priorities in Culture.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearstfdn.org/culture/funding-priorities.
15. “Funding Priorities in Education.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearstfdn.org/education/funding-priorities.
16. “Funding Priorities in Health.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearstfdn.org/health/funding-priorities.
17. “Hearst Foundations Announce Over $50 Million in Special Grants to American Nonprofits Impacted by Pandemic.” Hearst Foundations. April 16, 2020. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearst.com/-/hearst-foundations-announce-over-50-million-in-special-grants-to-american-nonprofits-impacted-by-pandemic.
18. “Funding Priorities in Social Service.” Hearst Foundations. March 8, 2024. https://www.hearstfdn.org/social-service/funding-priorities.
19. The Hearst Foundation. Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-PF). 2022.
20. “About.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearstfdn.org/about
21.  The Hearst Foundation. Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-PF). 2022.
22. “About.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearstfdn.org/about
23. The Hearst Foundation. Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-PF). 2022.
24.  “About.” Hearst Foundations. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.hearstfdn.org/about