FAQ - HearstFDN
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my organization is qualified for funding from the Hearst Foundations?
Please thoroughly review the Funding Limitations, Funding Areas (Culture, Education, Health and Social Service) and Grant Recipients Database to evaluate eligibility.
How do I apply?
All applications must be submitted via the Hearst Foundations Grants Portal. Please use these links to access the instructions and online application.
What are the application deadlines?
The Hearst Foundations have a year-round, rolling application; there are no deadlines.
What is the process after I submit an application?
Once submitted, every request goes through an evaluation process by the staff that generally spans four to six weeks. The process includes proposal review, financial analysis and team discussions.
For those organizations being considered for approval by the Board of Directors, a site visit and further due diligence will be conducted. The Board meets to approve grants quarterly. The average time from proposal submission to grant award is six months. For further information, please see Grant Request Evaluation Process.
How will I be notified of a decision?
Applicants should receive an email confirmation upon application submission. Due to the email security settings of organizations, in some cases, the emails may not be received or will lose formating. You can track your proposal’s progress using the Grants Portal Application Dashboard.
How do I determine whether to apply for program or endowment funding?
The Foundations predominantly fund non-endowment grants. The Foundations consider endowment grants in cases where organizations have existing endowments with the Hearst Foundations and a track record of strong performance and consistent stewardship.
Do the Foundations make site visits?
The Foundations view a site visit as an integral part of the due diligence process. All requests brought to the consideration of the Board of Directors will have a site visit by a program officer.
What are the sizes of grants (i.e., how much should we request)?
Please refer to the Grant Recipients Database to see the types and amounts of grants the Foundations have awarded in the recent past to comparable organizations. The minimum grant size is $100,000.
If I have received a grant, when can I reapply?
Organizations must wait a minimum of three years from their grant award date before the Foundations will consider another request.
If I have been declined for a grant, when can I reapply?
Declined organizations must wait one year from the date of their notice of decline before the Foundations will consider another request.
How many applications can I submit?
Please submit only one application to the Hearst Foundations. If you are uncertain of the optimal focus after reviewing the priority areas of funding, please email the Hearst Foundations for further guidance.
If I am part of a large institution, how do I apply?
Proposals from institutions with multiple departments (e.g., universities, medical centers, etc.) should be coordinated through the central development offices such that only one proposal will be submitted to the Hearst Foundations.
What is the relationship of the Hearst Foundations to the Hearst Corporation?
The Hearst Foundations are independent private philanthropies operating separately from the Hearst Corporation.
Can the Foundations suggest other resources that may be useful to nonprofit organizations?
Please visit the websites for these organizations:
