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Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation

Annual Giving
$9.6M
Grant Range
$65K - $3.9M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $9,625,576 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed (employee-nominated/invitation-only)
  • Decision Time: Varies by program
  • Grant Range: $65,000 - $3,900,000
  • Geographic Focus: Global (with emphasis on HPE office locations)

Contact Details

Address: Washington, DC
EIN: 47-5011215
Website: https://www.hpe.com/us/en/living-progress/hpe-foundation.html

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Grants are made through employee nomination programs and strategic partnerships.

Overview

The Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation was established in 2015 following the split of Hewlett-Packard Company. With approximately $97 million in assets and annual giving of $9.6 million (2024), the foundation is led by President and Executive Director Monica Batchelder. The foundation's mission is to deploy skills, resources, and technology to address social challenges and advance the way people live and work. The foundation operates primarily through three mechanisms: employee-nominated Community Impact Grants, the HPE Accelerating Impact campaign (in partnership with Fast Forward), and an employee matching gift program. The foundation focuses its impact in three main areas: healthcare and life sciences, community resilience, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) and human rights.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

HPE Accelerating Impact (partnership with Fast Forward)

  • Annual employee-driven campaign supporting tech nonprofits
  • $1.2M - $1.3M raised annually (recent years)
  • Since 2019, has infused $7.4M into 80 tech nonprofits
  • HPE employees receive $25 donation credits to allocate to curated tech nonprofits
  • Fast Forward curates the list of participating tech nonprofits

Community Impact Grants

  • Employee-nominated grants to local nonprofits
  • Awards vary (recent examples include grants of $200,000 total distributed among multiple organizations)
  • Funded through HPE Gives employee engagement platform
  • Each HPE employee can direct up to $5,000 annually in matching funds

Employee Matching Program

  • Administered through American Online Giving Foundation and Silicon Valley Community Foundation
  • $2.4M allocated for employee matching program (2023)
  • $3.9M to American Online Giving Foundation for employee matching and community impact grants (2023)
  • Up to $5,000 per employee annually

Strategic Partnership Grants

  • Large grants to strategic partners like Fast Forward ($1.5M in 2023)
  • Major disaster relief contributions (e.g., American Red Cross - $250,000)

Priority Areas

STEM Education & Digital Inclusion

  • Founding funder of Curated Pathways to Innovation (CPI), an AI-powered learning platform to help girls and underrepresented minorities pursue STEM careers
  • Support for CareerVillage (received $65,000 in 2023) - democratizing access to career advice for youth in 185+ countries
  • Focus on enhancing access to STEM education to promote equity and innovation

Healthcare and Life Sciences

  • Supporting tech nonprofits building solutions for health inequities
  • Organizations addressing healthcare access and innovation

Community Resilience

  • Organizations working on climate change solutions
  • Disaster relief and community recovery efforts
  • Local community development initiatives

DEI and Human Rights

  • Supporting organizations that address threats to human rights
  • Programs creating more inclusive local communities
  • Support for underrepresented groups in technology and STEM fields

Tech for Social Good

  • Tech nonprofits building original hardware or software for social impact missions
  • Organizations using technology to address social and environmental challenges

What They Don't Fund

The foundation explicitly states it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds." This means:

  • Organizations without an HPE employee champion/nominator
  • Organizations outside their strategic partnership network
  • Projects not aligned with their three focus areas
  • Individual requests or scholarships (outside of formal programs)

Governance and Leadership

President and Executive Director: Monica Batchelder

Board Members: The foundation is governed by several HPE executives who serve without compensation, including:

  • John Schultz
  • Jennifer Temple
  • Vishal Lall

The foundation operates with minimal overhead, dedicating 93-97% of expenses directly to charitable disbursements. Leadership emphasizes employee engagement as central to their philanthropic strategy. According to program materials, the foundation believes in "empowering HPE's team members who are in close proximity to the unique challenges of their communities and engaging directly with local nonprofits that are innovating solutions to urgent societal challenges."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Important: The HPE Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Grants are awarded through three primary channels:

  1. Employee Nomination (Community Impact Grants): HPE employees nominate local nonprofit organizations they are engaged with through the internal HPE Gives platform. Selection considers how HPE employee teams have meaningfully engaged with the nominated organization and the resulting impact of the funding.

  2. HPE Accelerating Impact Campaign: Tech nonprofits are curated by Fast Forward for inclusion in the annual campaign. This is not a direct application to HPE Foundation but rather through Fast Forward's existing network and accelerator programs.

  3. Strategic Partnerships: The foundation maintains ongoing relationships with strategic partners like Fast Forward, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and American Online Giving Foundation.

Getting on Their Radar

Build Relationships with HPE Employees: Since Community Impact Grants are employee-nominated, the most viable path is to develop authentic relationships with HPE employees who are passionate about your cause. The foundation specifically looks for organizations where "HPE employee teams have meaningfully engaged with the nominated organization."

Fast Forward Network: For tech nonprofits using technology to solve social problems, getting into Fast Forward's portfolio or accelerator network provides access to the HPE Accelerating Impact campaign. Fast Forward curates the list of tech nonprofits that HPE employees can support.

Volunteer Time Off (VTO) Engagement: HPE offers employees 60 hours of volunteer time off annually. Organizations that engage HPE volunteers may have stronger cases for employee nomination when grant cycles open.

Employee Matching: While not a direct grant, organizations can benefit from HPE's generous matching gift program where employees can direct up to $5,000 in matched donations annually.

Decision Timeline

Community Impact Grants: Timing varies based on internal HPE cycles. The foundation has run campaigns where they select a cohort of organizations (e.g., 14 nonprofits receiving funding in one cycle).

HPE Accelerating Impact: Annual campaign, typically running once per year. The 2024 campaign raised nearly $1.2M.

Employee Matching: Rolling basis throughout the year as employees make donations and volunteer.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed as this is not an open application process. Selection depends on:

  • Strength of employee engagement and advocacy
  • Alignment with foundation's three focus areas
  • Geographic presence in HPE communities
  • Demonstrated community impact

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the employee-nominated and invitation-only structure. However, organizations can maintain relationships with HPE employee advocates for consideration in future nomination cycles.

Application Success Factors

While there is no formal application process, organizations that receive funding share these characteristics:

Strong Employee Champion: The foundation prioritizes organizations where "HPE employee teams have meaningfully engaged with the nominated organization." Organizations should focus on building authentic relationships with HPE employees through volunteer engagement, board service, or other meaningful partnerships.

Technology-Driven Solutions: Given HPE's business focus, the foundation shows strong preference for organizations leveraging technology for social impact. The Accelerating Impact program specifically targets "tech non-profits who are building original hardware or software to achieve social impact missions."

Alignment with Focus Areas: Successful organizations address one or more of the foundation's three priority areas:

  • Healthcare and life sciences
  • Community resilience
  • DEI and human rights

Measurable Community Impact: The foundation emphasizes "community-wide impact" and looks for organizations "innovating solutions to urgent societal challenges."

Local Community Presence: The foundation values organizations working in communities where HPE has office locations, including Alexandria, Dallas, Houston, Irvine, Mountain View, New York, Oakland, Palo Alto, Safety Harbor, San Francisco, San Jose, Spring, and Washington, DC.

STEM and Digital Inclusion Focus: Organizations working on STEM education, particularly those serving girls and underrepresented minorities, align well with foundation priorities. The foundation is the founding funder of Curated Pathways to Innovation (CPI) and supports platforms like CareerVillage.

Fast Forward Partnership Model: For tech nonprofits, being part of Fast Forward's network provides the clearest path to funding. Fast Forward curates the nonprofits for the annual Accelerating Impact campaign.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No traditional grant application exists - focus efforts on employee engagement rather than formal proposals
  • Employee advocacy is essential - cultivate relationships with HPE employees through volunteer programs, board service, or community partnerships
  • Tech-enabled solutions preferred - organizations using technology to drive social impact have an advantage, particularly through the Fast Forward partnership
  • Think local - the foundation emphasizes supporting nonprofits in communities where HPE has a presence and where employees are engaged
  • Three focus areas - ensure your work clearly addresses healthcare/life sciences, community resilience, or DEI/human rights
  • Consider the Fast Forward route - tech nonprofits should explore Fast Forward's accelerator programs as a pathway to HPE funding
  • Employee matching is accessible - while not a grant, the generous $5,000 annual matching program per employee is available for organizations cultivating HPE donor relationships

References

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