Hawthornden Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Hawthornden Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and instead identifies and contacts selected organisations, so a cold application is unlikely to get a hearing; the practical step is to make your work known in your field and be ready to explain it if the Foundation gets in touch.
- Your work fits best if it falls within its literary arts themes, such as youth literary programmes, literary magazines or independent translation publishing, and you are a US charity or a non-US charity equivalent to a US public charity; it does not fund capital campaigns or endowments.
- Most of its grants are modest, with a median of $40,000 and about 8 in 10 falling between $15,000 and $150,000, so a request of that order suits it, though that band is typical rather than a ceiling.
- Relationships count for a great deal, since 79% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in an earlier filing.
- Organisations that are neither US charities nor equivalent to one should not approach it.
Overview
Hawthornden 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
Hawthornden Foundation supports contemporary writers and the literary arts through grants to organisations and programmes. It supports culturally specific poetry organisations, international literary festivals and presenters, playwright residencies, fiction literary prizes, independent translation publishing, literary magazines, creative writing and professional development workshops for emerging writers, institutional support for authors and writers, and youth literary and creative writing programmes. Its aim is to support literary arts organisations throughout the world that support creative writing in all languages and creative writers of all kinds, and organisations serving literary arts communities, including in parts of the world with weak support for literary infrastructures and underserved by philanthropic resources. Eligible applicants are US charities or non-US charities that are equivalent to a US public charity. It funds programmes in the United States, the United Kingdom and named regions across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Southwest Asia. It identifies and contacts selected organisations, exploring mutual interests, priorities and needs, and may invite full proposals.
Themes
- Culturally-specific poetry organizations
- International literary festivals
- Playwright residencies
- Fiction literary prizes
- Independent translation publishing
- Literary magazines
- Youth literary programs
Geographic Focus
Priority: United States; United Kingdom; Africa; Asia; Europe; Latin America; the Caribbean; Southwest Asia.
What They Don't Fund
- Capital campaigns and endowments
- Organisations other than US charities or non-US charities that are the equivalent of a U.S. public charity
How to apply
The Foundation identifies and contacts selected organisations to explore mutual interests, priorities and needs, and may then invite full proposals for consideration.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 79% 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 83 grants to organisations were $40,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The Foundation aims to fund organisations serving literary arts communities, including in places with weak literary infrastructure and underserved by philanthropic resources.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 4%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 5%
- The largest single recipient received 42% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 79% of grant dollars went to organisations Hawthornden Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- <1% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Lebanon, United Kingdom).
- 46% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 32 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $50,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Charities Aid Foundation America · Literary arts support.$927,0002024 tax year
- Moleskine Foundation · Literary arts support.$150,0002024 tax year
- Markaz Review · Literary arts support.$150,0002024 tax year
- Cave Canem Foundation · Literary arts support.$100,0002024 tax year
- Community of Literary Magazines and Presses · Literary arts support.$75,0002024 tax year
- Words Without Borders · Literary arts support.$75,0002024 tax year
- International Friends of the London Library · Literary arts support.$60,0002024 tax year
- Copper Canyon Press · Literary arts support.$50,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Merve Emre — Trustee
- Jospeh Versace — Treasurer
- Victoria Gray — Trustee
- Sir Jonathan Bate — Trustee
- Alexandra Jacobus — Trustee
- Mr David Campbell — Trustee
- Judy Makanda — Director of Finance / Operations
- Ellyn Toscano — Executive Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $5,229,591 | $2,142,785 | $206,848,311 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $11,466,960 | $5,632,000 | $215,258,550 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $9,440,229 | $2,469,150 | $225,517,104 | 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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At a glance
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Applying to Hawthornden Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required