David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation

David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation is a US private foundation based in Baltimore, MD.

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 Foundation makes grants to improve the lives of families and children through expanding educational opportunity and addressing human needs. It funds primarily in the Baltimore metropolitan area, supporting Jewish and secular initiatives in education and literacy, summer camping and learning, human services, and intergroup relations. Its education work builds academic and literacy skills for children and adults, supports intergenerational literacy and promotes access to public libraries. It backs exceptional summer camp and learning experiences for disadvantaged children, including programmes addressing summer learning loss. Human services support direct service and advocacy for people across the age spectrum, with particular attention to children and seniors; intergroup relations promotes tolerance and cooperation among faiths, races and ethnicities. Eligible grantees are nonprofit organisations with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3), including organisations with fiscal sponsors or agents.

Themes

• Education and literacy
• Summer camping and learning
• Human services
• Intergroup relations

Geographic Focus

United States. Priority: Baltimore metropolitan area.

What They Don't Fund

• Grants or scholarships to individuals
• Unsolicited proposals for academic, scientific or medical research
• Direct mail, annual giving and membership campaigns, special events and fundraising events
• Education and Literacy only: individual public, parochial or independent schools

Applicants typically contact a Program Officer via the Contact form to assess fit; the officer responds with an email address for the proposal, which grant seekers generally submit electronically.

• Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 87% 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 426 grants to organisations were $15,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

• The Foundation prioritises education programme models that demonstrate evidence of improving learning outcomes for participants.
• It prioritises summer camps with a unique theme or focus and/or that serve special populations; learning programmes should show evidence of stemming summer learning loss and follow best practices.
• It seeks human-services models that combine direct service provision and public policy approaches.
• It favours intergroup programmes connected with Baltimore and that foster cooperation through engagement and joint learning, particularly for young adults.
• Applicants are encouraged to contact a Program Officer before submitting a proposal to discuss potential fit.
• Capital grants are limited and generally considered only where an established relationship exists with the applicant organisation.