William Randolph Hearst Foundation
The William Randolph Hearst Foundation is a private independent foundation established in 1948 by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Based in New York City, it operates as one of two Hearst Foundations (alongside The Hearst Foundation, Inc.) and is ranked among the nation's 100 largest foundations. The foundation identifies and funds outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive, and inspiring lives.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$942.7M
+9.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$34.9M
-5.2% YoY
Grant Count
264
-5.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$132K
-0.2% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Hearst Foundations serve as national philanthropic resources for organizations working in the following fields:
- Culture
- Education
- Health
- Social Services
The foundation is particularly committed to supporting well-established organizations that achieve differentiated results with evidence of impact.
Grantmaking
Provides scholarships for outstanding performance in college-level journalism. The program includes five monthly writing competitions, two photojournalism competitions, one audio competition, two television competitions, and four multimedia competitions with championship finals in all divisions.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation has a national focus, funding organizations throughout the United States. Primary geographic areas of grantmaking include New York, California, and North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $943 million
- Total Revenue: $69.1 million
- Total Expenses: $44.9 million
- Total Liabilities: $23.3 million
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $863.5 million
- Total Revenue: $78.5 million
- Total Expenses: $61.8 million
Combined Hearst Foundations (2023):
- Annual Giving: $68.075 million across 283 grants
- Cumulative Impact: Over $1.5 billion awarded across more than 22,730 grants to 6,400 organizations since inception
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $942,659,590 | $863,516,672 | $755,108,483 |
| Revenue | $69,138,944 | $78,532,237 | $-22,498,294 |
| Expenses | $44,887,894 | $61,774,279 | $42,769,518 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $41,668,725 | $43,048,273 | $44,855,872 |
| Net Investment Income | $80,754,125 | $43,552,430 | $23,613,949 |
| Distributable Amount | $43,357,614 | $37,741,399 | $40,857,566 |
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
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
15 open opportunities from William Randolph Hearst Foundation
Hearst Foundation: Culture Grant
William Randolph Hearst Foundation
Amount
More than US $100,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Hearst Foundation: Education Grant
William Randolph Hearst Foundation
Amount
More than US $100,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Hearst Foundation: Social Service Grant
William Randolph Hearst Foundation
Amount
More than US $100,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| William R Hearst III | President Director | — | — |
| Virginia H Randt | Vice President Director | — | — |
| Frank J Bennack Jr | Vice President Director | — | — |
| John G Conomikes | Vice President Director | — | — |
| David J Barrett | Vice President Director | — | — |
| Anissa B Balson | Vice President Director | — | — |
| Gilbert C MaurerDeceased 2025 | Vice President Director | — | — |
| Mark F Miller | Vice President Director | — | — |
| James M Asher | VP Secretary Director | — | — |
| Catherine A Bostron | Assistant Secretary | — | — |
| Eve B Burton | Assistant Secretary | — | — |
| Carlton J Charles | Assistant Treasurer | — | — |
| Lisa H Hagerman | Vice President Director | — | — |
| George R Hearst III | Vice President Director | — | — |
| Steven R Swartz | Vice President Director | — | — |
| Mitchell I Scherzer | Vice President Assist. Treas. | — | — |
| Roger P Paschke | Assistant Treasurer CIO | — | — |
| Karen Alsup | Deputy Inv. Officer | — | — |
| Mary Fisher | Treasurer Controller | 27 | $140,910 |
| Donna Kalajian Lagani | VP Eastern Dirrector | 27 | $318,523 |
Contact Information
Headquarters: 300 West 57th Street, Floor 26 New York, NY 10019
Regional Contacts:
- Organizations West of the Mississippi: support.sf@hearstfdn.org
- Organizations East of the Mississippi: support.ny@hearstfdn.org
Phone: 212-649-3748
Website: www.hearstfdn.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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