First time grants of $75,000 for general operating support are available from The Hearst Foundations.
Nonprofits with audited expenses more than $1 million are eligible to seek grants in the fields of culture, education, health and social services. There are no deadlines and proposals are accepted year-round.
The Foundations have a preference for program grants. Endowment grants are considered in cases where organizations have existing endowments with the Hearst Foundations and a track record of strong performance and consistent stewardship.
Requests go through an evaluation process that generally spans four to six weeks. The process includes proposal review, financial analysis and team discussions. For those organizations being considered for board approval, a site visit (virtual or in-person) and further due diligence will be conducted. The board meets to approve grants in March, June, September and December. The average time from proposal submission to grant award is six months.
Funding limitations include seeking support for festivals, tours, conferences, workshops or seminars, as well as seeking support for advocacy or public policy research. The Foundations do not fund special events or seed money for startup projects.
All applications must be submitted via the Hearst Foundations’ online application portal.
