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The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation (Pussycat Foundation)

Annual Giving
$7.4M
Grant Range
$25K - $1.2M

The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation (Pussycat Foundation)

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $7,432,059 (2023); $17,036,170 (2022)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation-only foundation)
  • Decision Time: Not applicable (trustee-directed grants)
  • Grant Range: $25,000 - $1,200,000+ (varies by program)
  • Geographic Focus: National (U.S.), with emphasis on New York and specific geographic regions for certain programs

Contact Details

Website: https://thehgbfoundation.org
Phone: 212-649-2045
Address: 300 W. 57th Street, Suite 42 Fl., New York, NY 10019
Social Media: Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube (@TheHGBFoundation)

Note: This foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Contact via website form for specific inquiries.

Overview

The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation was established in 2010 as The Pussycat Foundation—named after Helen's favorite term of endearment—made possible by the generous trust of David and Helen Gurley Brown. Following Helen's death in 2012, her estate has been responsible for donating substantial sums to journalism education, libraries, and founding programs that support women's leadership and youth development. The foundation operates as a private foundation with total annual giving ranging from $7.4 million to over $17 million. Its strategic approach centers on three core areas: Empowering Youth, Empowering Women, and Empowering Innovation. The foundation's mission is to transform the world by supporting the development of dreams, however big they may be, honoring Helen Gurley Brown's legacy as the legendary Cosmopolitan magazine editor-in-chief who championed women's ambition and independence.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

BOLD Women's Leadership Network - $1,200,000 per institution (multi-year)

  • Institutional grants to colleges and universities to establish comprehensive women's leadership programs
  • Each BOLD Scholar receives $25,000 per academic year
  • Post-graduation fellowships up to $40,000 for employment at nonprofit organizations
  • Current partner institutions include UConn, Ithaca College, Colby Sawyer College, Middlebury College, Rutgers-Newark, Marshall University, and others
  • Application method: Invitation-only institutional partnerships

BOLD Theater Women's Leadership Circle - $250,000 per theater

  • Multi-year grants to theaters committed to achieving gender parity
  • Supports leadership development, hiring of women directors and playwrights
  • BOLD Ventures mini-grants for woman+ artists' new and innovative theater works
  • Application method: Invitation-only

BridgeUP Programs - Variable amounts (multi-million dollar, multi-year grants)

  • BridgeUP at Menninger (Houston area): $8.9 million over seven years for youth mental health
  • BridgeUP+OUT: Supporting educational and extracurricular opportunities for NYC youth
  • BridgeUP GiddyUP (Memphis, TN): Youth development through equestrian programs
  • BridgeUP STEM: Computer science and technology education for underserved youth
  • BridgeUP Theater in the Schools: Arts education access
  • BridgeUP Environment: Environmental conservation education
  • Application method: Trustee-directed, no public application

Magic Genius Grants - Variable amounts

  • Individual grants to support transformative ideas and leadership
  • Recent recipients include journalists, nonprofit founders, researchers, filmmakers, and social entrepreneurs
  • Focus areas include affordable housing, climate journalism, women's health, criminal justice reform, education access, and conservation
  • Application method: Invitation-only or through affiliated programs

Brown Institute Magic Grants - Up to $150,000 ($300,000 for bi-coastal teams)

  • Annual grants for media and technology innovation
  • Collaboration between Columbia University and Stanford University
  • Approximately $1 million distributed annually across 12 grants
  • Application method: Competitive application through Brown Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Programs - Multi-year, multi-million dollar grants

  • Helen Trailblazer Awards: Funding for women assistant and associate professors in cancer research
  • Helen Gurley Brown Presidential Initiative: Pairs senior women faculty with women fellows for two-year mentorships
  • 2020 grant of $2,350,000 supporting 22 women faculty and fellows
  • Application method: Internal Dana-Farber institutional process

Priority Areas

Empowering Women:

  • Women's leadership development across industries and career phases
  • Financial aid, educational opportunities, fellowships, and career advancement
  • Gender parity in theater and the arts
  • Women in journalism and media
  • Women's health research and medical leadership

Empowering Youth:

  • Educational and extracurricular opportunities for low-income and underserved youth
  • Computer science and technology education
  • Sports, health and wellness programs
  • Environmental conservation education
  • Arts and theater education
  • Mental health services for students
  • Access to horseback riding and outdoor activities

Empowering Innovation:

  • Media and technology innovation
  • Climate journalism and Indigenous voices
  • Affordable housing solutions for low to middle-income families in the rural Northeast
  • Criminal justice reform
  • Conservation and human-wildlife coexistence
  • Documentary filmmaking focused on women's stories

What They Don't Fund

The foundation has indicated it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. While specific exclusions are not publicly listed, the foundation's focus areas are highly specific, suggesting grants outside these three verticals (women, youth, innovation) are unlikely.

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors:

  • Eve Burton, President - Also serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Hearst, Chairwoman of HearstLab, and board member of Intuit and AETN
  • Kim St. Clair Bodden, Vice President & Secretary
  • Roger Paschke, Vice President & Treasurer

Operations Team:

  • Christine Adams, Senior Director of Programs & Operations (also a 2023 Genius Grant recipient for her work on women's leadership programs)
  • Mollyhall Seeley, Senior Grants Manager
  • Deborah Eaddy, Digital Communications Specialist

Foundation Advisors:

  • Maureen Sheehan (Youth Empowerment)
  • Gail Evans (Women's Leadership Programs)
  • Trish Jones (Foundation Strategy)
  • Lisa Burton (Entrepreneurship & Innovation)
  • Mike Canencia (Contracts & Legal)

Program Directors: The foundation employs dedicated directors for each BOLD Women's Leadership Network site, each BridgeUP program, and the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, ensuring hands-on management and support for grantees.

The Board guides Foundation strategy and ensures that the organization is always pushing forward programming which honors Helen and David's legacy.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The Pussycat Foundation operates through trustee discretion and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Unsolicited requests for funds are not accepted.

Grants are awarded through several mechanisms:

  • Invitation-only institutional partnerships (e.g., BOLD Women's Leadership Network at selected colleges)
  • Trustee-directed initiatives (e.g., BridgeUP programs at selected organizations)
  • Affiliated competitive programs (e.g., Brown Institute Magic Grants for Columbia/Stanford affiliates)
  • Individual "Genius Grants" selected by foundation leadership

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation identifies potential grantees through specific channels:

For Institutional Partnerships (BOLD and BridgeUP):

  • The foundation appears to identify partner institutions through its board members' and advisors' networks, particularly those with established track records in women's education or youth development
  • College and university presidents and program directors have received Genius Grants before their institutions became BOLD sites (e.g., Susan Herbst at UConn, Carolyn Stefanco at College of Saint Rose, Shirley Collado at Ithaca College, Susan Stuebner at Colby Sawyer College), suggesting relationship-building at the leadership level precedes institutional grants

For Media Innovation Grants:

  • Columbia University and Stanford University affiliates can apply for Brown Institute Magic Grants through a competitive process
  • The Brown Institute hosts information sessions and publishes annual calls for proposals

For Individual Genius Grants:

  • Recipients are typically leaders who have demonstrated commitment to solving challenges in the foundation's priority areas
  • Many recipients work in journalism, documentary filmmaking, nonprofit leadership, medical research, or social entrepreneurship
  • The foundation appears to identify individuals through sector recognition, media coverage of their work, and connections to existing grantee organizations

Documented Approach: According to foundation materials, the organization "partners to identify, fund, and deliver innovative projects seeking new ways to change the world," suggesting they actively seek out potential grantees rather than waiting for applications.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable for public applications. For affiliated programs like Brown Institute Magic Grants, timeline information is available through the program-specific application process.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The foundation distributed 21 awards in 2023 and 27 awards in 2022, but does not publish data on how many organizations are considered or approached.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable due to invitation-only model.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, analyzing the foundation's funding patterns reveals what attracts their attention:

Alignment with Helen Gurley Brown's Legacy:

  • The foundation explicitly honors Helen Gurley Brown's commitment to women's empowerment, ambition, and independence
  • Projects that create pathways for women to achieve their dreams, particularly in male-dominated fields, align with her legacy
  • Helen's own career trajectory—from secretary to revolutionary magazine editor—suggests the foundation values programs that help people from modest backgrounds achieve extraordinary success

Focus on Systemic Change Through Leadership Development:

  • Rather than one-time grants, the foundation invests in multi-year, substantial partnerships (e.g., $1.2 million over multiple years for BOLD sites)
  • Programs that develop the next generation of leaders, rather than simply providing services, appear to be prioritized
  • The foundation's Genius Grants consistently support individuals who are creating new models or approaches, not just executing existing ones

Proven Track Record and Visionary Leadership:

  • Genius Grant recipients like Dr. Lucy King (Save the Elephants, featured in The New York Times), Lauren Williams & Akoto Ofori-Atta (Capital B News), and Dr. Freya Schnabel (NYU Langone breast cancer research) had established reputations before receiving grants
  • Institutional partners like UConn, Ithaca College, and Dana-Farber are well-established organizations with demonstrated capacity

Innovation in Underserved Areas:

  • BridgeUP programs focus on providing opportunities (computer science education, mental health services, equestrian sports) to youth who traditionally lack access
  • Magic Genius Grants have supported affordable housing in the rural Northeast and legal services to reduce poverty—areas that often receive less philanthropic attention
  • The foundation appears particularly interested in "financially-accessible" programs that remove barriers

Media, Journalism, and Storytelling:

  • Reflecting Helen's career in publishing, the foundation supports journalism projects, documentary filmmakers, and media innovation
  • Recent grants emphasize centering marginalized voices (Indigenous voices in climate journalism, Black voices in local-national journalism, women's stories in documentary film)
  • The Brown Institute specifically focuses on media and technology innovation

Specific Geographic and Demographic Focus:

  • While national in scope, many programs have specific geographic ties (NYC youth, Houston area mental health, rural Northeast housing, Memphis youth development)
  • Strong emphasis on serving low-income, underserved, and underrepresented populations
  • Women and girls are central to the mission

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • You cannot apply to this foundation directly. The Pussycat Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis and does not accept unsolicited applications. If you believe your organization aligns with their priorities, focus on building visibility and sector recognition rather than submitting proposals.

  • Build institutional credibility and visibility in their priority areas. Genius Grant recipients and institutional partners are typically well-established, recognized leaders in their fields. Media coverage, sector awards, and demonstrated impact increase the likelihood of being noticed.

  • Think multi-year, transformative partnerships, not one-time projects. The foundation's grants are substantial ($1.2 million for BOLD sites, $8.9 million for BridgeUP at Menninger) and designed to create lasting systemic change through leadership development and capacity building.

  • For Columbia/Stanford affiliates: Apply for Brown Institute Magic Grants. This is the one publicly accessible application pathway, with grants up to $150,000 for media and technology innovation projects. Annual calls for proposals are published on the Brown Institute website.

  • Honor Helen Gurley Brown's legacy of empowering women and supporting ambition. Programs that help women and girls achieve their full potential, particularly those from underserved backgrounds, align most closely with the foundation's core mission.

  • Leadership matters as much as programs. The foundation invests in visionary leaders (evidenced by Genius Grants to college presidents, nonprofit founders, researchers, and social entrepreneurs) who have the capacity to scale impact.

  • If you work in their priority areas, maintain relationships with existing grantees and program directors. The foundation's extensive network of program directors and advisors likely plays a role in identifying new opportunities. Partnerships or collaborations with existing BOLD sites, BridgeUP programs, or Genius Grant recipients could provide pathways to visibility.

References

Accessed: December 25, 2025

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