Hawthornden Foundation is a U.S. private charitable foundation established in 1985 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by Drue Heinz, a patron and benefactor of the arts, the Foundation supports contemporary writers and literary arts through grantmaking, residential fellowship programs, and literary awards. The organization operates three international properties that serve as retreat centers and cultural venues for writers.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$225.5M
+4.8% YoY
Annual Giving
$2.5M
-56.2% YoY
Grant Count
43
-10.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$57K
-51.1% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Hawthornden Foundation takes a focused approach to grantmaking in the literary arts, supporting organizations and programming including:
- Culturally-specific poetry organizations
- 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
- Youth literary and creative writing programs
The Foundation's grantmaking is guided by two overall goals:
To support literary arts organizations throughout the world that support creative writing in all languages and creative writers of all kinds—poets, novelists, short-story writers, playwrights, scriptwriters, creative nonfiction writers, essayists, and translators
To fund organizations that serve literary arts communities, including in parts of the world with weak support for literary infrastructures and underserved by philanthropic resources
Grantmaking
Invitation Only
** Grants are by invitation only. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or letters of inquiry. The Foundation identifies and contacts selected organizations to explore mutual interests, priorities, and needs, then may invite full proposals for consideration. While an invitation does not guarantee funding, all invited proposals receive careful review and consideration.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Hawthornden Foundation funds programs in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as throughout the regions of Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Southwest Asia.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $215 million
- Revenue: $7.62 million
- Expenses: $11.5 million
- Total Liabilities: $32.5 thousand
Tax Status: 501(c)(3) organization; tax-exempt since July 1985; EIN: 52-1324746
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $225,517,104 | $215,258,550 | $206,848,311 |
| Revenue | $44,098,458 | $7,617,794 | $-1,441,175 |
| Expenses | $9,440,229 | $11,466,960 | $5,229,591 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $16,716,156 | $10,912,632 | $7,737,055 |
| Net Investment Income | $42,829,554 | $4,767,545 | $1,710,194 |
| Distributable Amount | $8,530,068 | $8,737,867 | $11,977,144 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
99 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Board of Trustees:
- Sir Jonathan Bate, CBE, FBA, FRSL – Chair
- David Campbell, FRSL – Vice-Chair
- Victoria Gray, FRSL – Secretary
- Joe Versace – Treasurer
- Alexandra Jacobus – Trustee
- Merve Emre – Trustee
Staff:
- Ellyn Toscano, Executive Director
- Tara Mia Paone, Director of Finance & Operations
- Billy Hamilton, Director of Facilities & Risk Management
- Nina Stemwedel, Chief of Staff
- Nunyala Sogbo, Manager of Residencies & Programs
- Camille Lannan, Head Librarian
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELLYN TOSCANO | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $435,390 |
| JUDY MAKANDA | DIRECTOR OF FINANCE/OPERATIONS | 40 | $253,867 |
| MR DAVID CAMPBELL | TRUSTEE | 1 | $39,668 |
| ALEXANDRA JACOBUS | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| SIR JONATHAN BATE | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| VICTORIA GRAY | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| JOSPEH VERSACE | TREASURER | 1 | — |
| MERVE EMRE | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
Contact Information
- Website: https://www.hawthornden.org
- Phone: 347-234-5232
- Address: 27 Union Square West, Suite 302, New York City, NY 10003-3305
- General Inquiry: inquiry@hawthornden.org
- Grants Inquiry: grants@hawthornden.org
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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