From Small Businesses to COVID-19 Antibody Testing: Hearst Foundations Announce 72 Spring Grants Totaling $8,460,000

The Hearst Foundations awarded 72 grants totaling $8,460,000 to nonprofits around the country in its most recent round of grants in March 2021. Grants ranged from assistance for small businesses and theaters to research on COVID-19 antibody testing to support for local food banks. On March 1, in addition to the spring grants, the Foundations provided $2,475,000 in emergency response to Texas nonprofits in the wake of the Texas winter storm.

The Hearst Foundations serve as a national philanthropic resource for organizations and institutions operating in the fields of culture, education, health and social service. Millions of dollars are awarded quarterly to help people of all backgrounds lead healthy, productive and inspiring lives. 

Since their inception, the Hearst Foundations have distributed more than 21,800 grants to 6,000 organizations, totaling over $1.35 billion. In 2020, more than 425 grants were awarded, totaling $104 million, including a $55 million COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund in April to meet the urgent needs of Americans confronting the pandemic.

Grant proposals are submitted by organizations across the country and reviewed by staff based in New York City and San Francisco. Grant requests are then brought to the Foundations’ Board of Directors for approval each quarter. The Hearst Foundations are independent private philanthropies operating separately from Hearst.

Details on the March 2021 grants are listed below.

CULTURE

Alley Theatre, Houston, TX: To support the implementation of comprehensive health and safety protocols.

Anchorage Museum, Anchorage, AK: To support the Resoundings program to provide an interactive in-gallery sound experience and an open-access digital library.

Arena Stage, Washington, DC: To support the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship and Internship Program.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn, NY: General support.

Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati, OH: General support.

Community Foundation of Greenville, Greenville, SC: To support the construction of Greenville’s Unity Park.

Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT: General support.

Levine Music, Washington, DC: General support.

Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York, NY: To support the development and installation of the 1869 home of Joseph Moore, a Black New Yorker.

National Aquarium Institute, Baltimore, MD: General support.

National Guild for Community Arts Education, New York, NY: General support.

Oklahoma City Ballet, Oklahoma City, OK: General support.

Opera Carolina, Charlotte, NC: To support the new Martin Luther King Jr.-themed musical drama, “I DREAM.”

Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New York, NY: General support.

San Francisco Botanical Garden, San Francisco, CA: To support the Heart of the Garden capital campaign to build a new plant nursery complex.

Theatre for a New Audience, New York, NY: General support.

The Commonwealth Club of California, San Francisco, CA: To support the expansion of outreach and engagement efforts.

The National Black Theatre, New York, NY: General support to be leveraged through a 1:1 match.

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Dickinson, ND: To support the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

EDUCATION

America Needs You, New York, NY: To support the national Fellows Program for low-income, first-generation college students.

Bank Street College of Education, New York, NY: To support the Early Childhood Advanced Standing program for teachers pursuing a master’s degree.

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA: To support the Hearst Teacher and Student Scholars program in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

Common Sense Media, San Francisco, CA: To support an evaluation of the K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum.

Guadalupe Center, Immokalee, FL: To support the Early Childhood Education program.

Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans, LA: To support the construction of a new simulation lab in the College of Nursing and Health.

Marshall University Research Corporation, Huntington, WV: To provide scholarships for workforce training students to prepare for industry careers.

Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA: To provide science and environmental learning opportunities for young people.

National Center for Women & Information Technology, Boulder, CO: To provide STEM education and support programs for women and girls.

NJ LEEP, Newark, NJ: General support.

Partnership Schools, New York, NY: To support urban Catholic education in Cleveland.

Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA: To provide COVID-19 relief.

Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY: To provide undergraduate scholarships and support for K-12 programs.

Rodale Institute, Kutztown, PA: To support the launch of a national, accredited educational program for organic and regenerative farming to expand acreage under certified organic management.

Safe Passages, Oakland, CA: To support the Early Childhood and School Readiness Program.

Student Leadership Network, New York, NY: To provide college access programming to New York City public school students.

The Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA: To support the California Statewide Science Leader Network.

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL: To provide current-use scholarships in the School of Public Health.

HEALTH

Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis, MN: To support the Home Hospital Care program to provide specialized home care for low-income individuals.

Adventist Health Ukiah Valley, Ukiah, CA: To provide enhanced faculty development within the Family Medicine Residency program.

American Printing House for the Blind, Louisville, KY: To support the Virtual Excel Academy, offering virtual learning for students who are blind or visually impaired.

American Red Cross, Washington, DC: To support antibody testing to identify convalescent plasma donors.

Banner Health, Phoenix, AZ: To support the Advanced Cancer Therapeutics Unit at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Cerebral Palsy Foundation, New York, NY: To support the Early Detection and Intervention Network.

Children’s Aid and Family Services, Inc., Paramus, NJ: To support the expansion and enhancement of services for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Birmingham, AL: To support the implementation of a Unified Cardiac Database.

Codman Square Health Center, Dorchester, MA: To support the Nurse Practitioner Residency program.

Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA: To provide scholarships to medical students who plan to become primary care physicians.

Epilepsy Foundation, Landover, MD: To support the Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System.

Erie Family Health Centers, Chicago, IL: To provide comprehensive maternal health care for low-income women.

Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME: To support the Maine Obstetric Medical Simulation program in rural hospitals.

National League for Nursing, Washington, DC: To support nursing education on LGBTQ health.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL: To support junior scientists in the Biologics Lab.

The New York Foundling, New York, NY: To support the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

Translational Genomics Research Institute Foundation, Phoenix, AZ: To support the pancreatic cancer research program.

UnidosUS, Washington, DC: To support the Esperanza/Hope Fund offering emergency COVID-19 relief for Hispanic communities nationwide.

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO: To support the Marcus Institute for Brain Health.

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT: To support innovative quality improvement initiatives for neonatal and pediatric patients.

SOCIAL SERVICE

Bright Beginnings, Washington, DC: General support.

Exceptional Children’s Foundation, Culver City, CA: To support Exceptional Works programs.

Family Gateway, Dallas, TX: General support.

Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, Berea, KY: To support Appalachian communities responding to COVID-19.

First Nations Development Institute, Longmont, CO: To support native agricultural producers to create, implement and sustain water quality improvement and conservation strategies.

Inner City Advisors, Oakland, CA: To support the development of small businesses in underserved communities.

Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT), Brooklyn, NY: General support.

Maryland Food Bank, Baltimore, MD: General support.

Mercy Center-Bronx, Bronx, NY: To support Youth Programs.

Morgan’s Wonderland, San Antonio, TX: To support the construction of the Multi-Assistance Center at Morgan’s Wonderland.

Mountain Association, Berea, KY: General support.

Playworks, Oakland, CA: General support.

The Knowledge House, Bronx, NY: General support. 

Vermont Foodbank, Barre, VT: General support.

Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation, Bronx, NY: To provide training, technical assistance and coaching to home-based childcare providers.

For more information on the Hearst Foundations, visit their website.