William Randolph Hearst Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The foundation's stated areas are culture, education, health and social service, so a request should sit clearly within one of them.
- Its grants have mainly gone to New York, California, Texas, Massachusetts and the United States, but that is a pattern in its grants, not a stated rule about who may apply.
- Its grant range starts at $100,000, and half of its 879 grants to organisations across its recent filings were $100,000 or less, so a request should be sized at or above that level.
- Applications go through the Hearst Foundations Grants Portal and are accepted on a rolling basis, so timing is open, though the material does not set out further eligibility criteria, so check the portal instructions before applying.
- Repeat funding is a real part of its giving, since 28% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded earlier, but staff review proposals through financial analysis and team discussions, and requests considered by the Board include a site visit as part of due diligence.
Overview
William Randolph Hearst Foundation is a US private foundation based in New York, NY.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Hearst Foundations identify culture, education, health and social service as their funding areas. Their grant record includes educational institutions and scholarship initiatives, museums and performing arts organisations, hospitals and healthcare programmes, and social-service charities. Recorded purposes range from education and research to patient services, scholarships and capital projects. The Foundations accept organisational applications through an online grants portal. The material reviewed does not set out further eligibility criteria or a geographic focus, so no narrower applicant group or grant area is stated here.
Themes
- Culture
- Education
- Health
- Social service
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New York, California, Texas, Massachusetts and the United States.
How to apply
Organisations submit applications through the Hearst Foundations Grants Portal and use the linked instructions and online application.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 28% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 879 grants to organisations were $100,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Staff evaluate requests through proposal review, financial analysis and team discussions.
- A site visit is part of due diligence for requests considered by the Board of Directors.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 11%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 18%
- The largest single recipient received 4% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 28% of grant dollars went to organisations William Randolph Hearst Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 2% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 264 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $100k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital · To support new Cancer Building with a capital investment$2,000,0002024 tax year
- Norton Museum of Art · To support the expansion and renovation of facility$1,000,0002024 tax year
- Covenant House · To support Anti-Human trafficking program$500,0002024 tax year
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art · To support the Building LACMA capital campaign$500,0002024 tax year
- Paley Center for Media · To establish the Hearst HS Media Internship$500,0002024 tax year
- Alamo Trust · To support a capital campaign for the Vistors Ctr and 4D Theater Lobby$500,0002024 tax year
- Columbia University in the City of NY · To establish the WRH Journalism scholarship$500,0002024 tax year
- Harvard University · To support undergraduate financial aid through the Phobe Apperson Hearst Scholarship$500,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Donna Kalajian Lagani — Vice President Eastern Dirrector
- Mary Fisher — Treasurer Controller
- Karen Alsup — Deputy Investment Officer
- Roger P Paschke — Assistant Treasurer CIO
- Mitchell I Scherzer — Vice President Assistant Treasurer
- Steven R Swartz — Vice President Director
- George R Hearst III — Vice President Director
- Lisa H Hagerman — Vice President Director
- Carlton J Charles — Assistant Treasurer
- Eve B Burton — Assistant Secretary
- Catherine A Bostron — Assistant Secretary
- James M Asher — Vice President Secretary Director
- Mark F Miller — Vice President Director
- Gilbert C MaurerDeceased 2025 — Vice President Director
- Anissa B Balson — Vice President Director
- David J Barrett — Vice President Director
- John G Conomikes — Vice President Director
- Frank J Bennack Jr — Vice President Director
- Virginia H Randt — Vice President Director
- William R Hearst III — President Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $42,769,518 | $39,942,056 | $755,108,483 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $61,774,279 | $36,856,583 | $863,516,672 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $44,887,894 | $34,926,150 | $942,659,590 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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Applying to William Randolph Hearst Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required