Linda Hilton is the granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the late billionaire founder of Hilton Hotels and the Conrad Hilton Foundation. She sits as the vice chair for the board of directors for the foundation and works as the senior director of intermediary group sales for Hilton Hotels. ¹

Since the 1990s, Linda Hilton has held a variety of executive roles for multiple nonprofit organizations, including those working in disabilities, rare diseases, education, and homelessness. ²

Background

Linda Hilton is the granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels. She has worked for the company since 1987, starting under its professional development program. She currently works as senior director of intermediary group sales. ³

Inside Philanthropy put Linda Hilton on its list of most influential heirs in philanthropy for 2022. It listed her as a steward of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, where she is the vice chair of the board of directors. ⁴

Linda Hilton began engaging in activism in her twenties and has served in executive roles for various nonprofit organizations. Hilton was a board member of National Catholics for People with Disabilities from 2015 to 2020, the sole funder of art and music for the James J. McBride Special Education Center from 2001 to 2013, sat on the executive committee for the Muscular Dystrophy Association from 1998 to 1999, and was the Los Angeles Ball Chairperson for the American Heart Association in 1993 and 2000. ⁵

Conrad Hilton Foundation

On December 31, 2020, the Conrad Hilton Foundation’s CEO and board chair announced his retirement. Linda Hilton was elected the new vice chair of the board. ⁶

The Conrad Hilton Foundation was founded in 1944 by Conrad Hilton as his primary philanthropic vehicle. When Hilton died in 1979, it was reported that he left nearly all his fortune to the foundation. ⁷

In 2007, it was announced that Conrad Hilton’s son, Barron, would donate 97 percent of his $2.3 billion inheritance to the Conrad Hilton Foundation, coming from a $20 billion sale of Hilton Hotels to private equity firm The Blackstone Group. Upon the announcement, Hilton gave $1.2 billion to a charitable trust to be directed to the foundation; the remaining amount would be donated after his death. ⁸

The Conrad Hilton Foundation reported that in 2021 it paid $339 million in grants both domestically and internationally. Its largest grantmaking categories for 2021 included $56 million through its Catholic Sisters program, $46 million through its homelessness programs, and $31 million through its foster programs. ⁹

The Conrad Hilton Foundation reported on its 2019 tax returns that it received $754 million in contributions and $181 million in profits through the sale of assets. ^{10 11} It also reported having $2.8 billion in non-charitable use assets and $3.9 billion in total net assets. ^{12 13}

1. “Linda Hilton.” Hilton Foundation. February 28, 2022. https://www.hiltonfoundation.org/people/linda-hilton.
2. “Linda Hilton.” Hilton Foundation. February 28, 2022. https://www.hiltonfoundation.org/people/linda-hilton.
3. “Linda Hilton.” Hilton Foundation. February 28, 2022. https://www.hiltonfoundation.org/people/linda-hilton.
4. Callahan, David. “The Most Powerful Heirs in Philanthropy.” Inside Philanthropy. January 31, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2022/1/19/the-most-powerful-heirs-in-philanthropy#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20Inside%20Philanthropy%20put,active%20and%20influential%20in%20philanthropy.
5. “Linda Hilton.” Hilton Foundation. February 28, 2022. https://www.hiltonfoundation.org/people/linda-hilton.
6. “Steven M. Hilton Retires as Board Chair of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.” Hilton Foundation. October 28, 2020. https://www.hiltonfoundation.org/news/press-release/steven-m-hilton-retires-as-board-chair.
7. ^[1] “Barron Hilton to Donate 97% of Estate to Hilton Foundation.” Planned Giving Design Center. Accessed February 28, 2022. https://www.pgdc.com/pgdc/barron-hilton-donate-97-estate-hilton-foundation.
8. “Hilton Fortune to Go to Charity.” BBC News. December 27, 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7161358.stm.
9. “Grants.” Hilton Foundation. May 25, 2021. https://www.hiltonfoundation.org/grants.
10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Conrad Hilton Foundation. 2019. Part I, line 1.
11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Conrad Hilton Foundation. 2019. Part I, line 6a.
12. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Conrad Hilton Foundation. 2019. Part X, line 5.
13. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Conrad Hilton Foundation. 2019. Part III, line 6.