The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation
The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation is a private operating foundation based in New York City that advances the legacy of Helen Gurley Brown, the legendary Cosmopolitan magazine editor-in-chief. Originally established in 2010 as the Pussycat Foundation—named after Helen's favorite term of endearment—the foundation became fully active in its grantmaking following Helen's death in 2012. The foundation operates with a mission to transform the world by supporting the development of dreams, honoring Helen Gurley Brown's legacy as a champion of women's ambition and independence.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$95.9M
-2.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$9.8M
+31.5% YoY
Grant Count
31
+47.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$315K
-10.9% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation operates across three major program areas:
Empowering Youth — Supporting educational and extracurricular opportunities for low-income and underserved youth through grants in computer science, technology, academics, sports, health and wellness, and environmental initiatives. The foundation's youth programming includes the BridgeUP programs and BridgeUP GiddyUP.
Empowering Women — Developing leadership among women across a wide variety of industries and career phases through support of the Bold Women's Leadership Network, Bold Theater Women's Leadership Circle, and Glassbreaker Films. Programs may provide financial aid, educational opportunities, fellowships, and career development opportunities.
Empowering Innovation — Supporting extraordinary innovators and ideas through programs including Brown & Genius Grants.
The foundation's approach is guided by core values including Dreaming Big, Creating Magic, Disrupting Status Quo, and Building Community. Since 2012, the foundation has funded programming for more than 110,000 participants: 79,000 across youth programming, 32,000 across women's programming, and 440 across innovation programming.
Grantmaking
Grant Range
** $25,000 to $1,200,000+, with variation by program
Average Grant
of $686. In 2023, the foundation awarded $7.4 million in total grants.
Invitation Only
** The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications. It operates as a trustee-directed foundation with invitation-only grantmaking. Inquiries can be made through the foundation's website form.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation funds initiatives across the United States with emphasis on major urban centers including New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Geographic focus areas include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
- Total Assets: $98.1 million (2023), representing a 2.6% increase from the previous year
- Annual Grants: $7.4 million (2023)
- Total Revenue: $7.9 million (2023)
- Total Expenses: $8.6 million (2023)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $95,877,615 | $98,148,455 | $97,722,247 |
| Revenue | $7,882,480 | $7,956,936 | $2,893,682 |
| Expenses | $11,245,429 | $8,598,210 | $18,241,868 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $10,520,216 | $8,303,810 | $17,636,075 |
| Net Investment Income | $7,531,512 | $7,870,757 | $2,514,526 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
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
126 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
- President: Eve Burton
- Vice President/Secretary: Kim St Clair Bodden
- Vice President/Treasurer: Roger Paschke
All leadership team members serve without compensation. The foundation employs 3 staff members total.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| EVE BURTON | PRESIDENT | 1 | — |
| KIM ST CLAIR BODDEN | VICE PRESIDENT/SECRETARY | 0.25 | — |
| ROGER PASCHKE | VICE PRESIDENT/TREASURER | 0.25 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
Marshall University received a $1 million grant from the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation to launch the Bold Women's Leadership Experience program.
Marshall University awarded $1 million grant from Helen Gurley ...The New York Public Library received a $15 million "Magic Grant" to create the NYPL BridgeUP program for at-risk youth.
Helen Gurley Brown Trust Announces 15 Million Dollar "Magic Grant" To NewIn 2021, the foundation launched BridgeUP GiddyUP with the belief that young people deserve opportunities to develop skills and pursue their dreams.
Contact Information
Website: thehgbfoundation.org
Phone: 212-649-2045
Address: 300 W. 57th Street, Suite 42, New York, NY 10019
EIN: 27-3406311
Social Media: Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube (@TheHGBFoundation)
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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