The William Randolph Hearst Foundations

The Hearst Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1945 by philanthropist William Randolph Hearst. In 1948, Mr. Hearst established the California Charities Foundation. That name was changed to the William Randolph Hearst Foundation soon after Mr. Hearst's death in 1951. Both Foundations are independent private philanthropies operating separately from The Hearst Corporation.

The two Foundations are administered out of the headquarters in New York City, which reviews all proposals from organizations located east of the Mississippi River. Requests from organizations located west of the Mississippi are reviewed by our office in San Francisco. The charitable goals of the two Foundations are essentially the same, and reflect the philanthropic interests of William Randolph Hearst -- Education, Health, Social Service and Culture. Within these four areas, the Foundations assist institutions in providing opportunities to underserved and underrepresented populations. Specific guidelines for each of these funding categories have been established by the Directors of the Hearst Foundations, and are described in each section.

We hope that these guidelines are helpful in determining whether your funding needs fall within the Hearst Foundations' philanthropic priorities. Because the charitable goals of the two Foundations are the same, only one proposal needs be submitted for review.

Announcement: Former Hearst-Argyle Television Executive Mason Granger Named Program Director, Grants, The Hearst Foundations (Click here for the announcement)

The annual United States Senate Youth Program, established in 1962 by U.S. Senate Resolution, will be held in Washington, D. C., from March 3 - 10, 2007. Two student leaders from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity will spend a week in Washington experiencing their national government in action. Delegates will hear major policy addresses by senators, cabinet members, officials for the Departments of State and Defense and directors of federal agencies, as well as participate in a meeting with a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Each delegate will be awarded a $5,000 College Scholarship for undergraduate studies.

This national program is designed to encourage excellence in journalism and journalism education. The program consists of school year competitions in which prizes are awarded in writing, photography, television and radio news to undergraduates at accredited schools of journalism.