Endowment / Foundation

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The Hearst Foundations

The Hearst Foundations trace to 1946 when William Randolph Hearst established the first entity, followed by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation in 1949.

The Hearst Foundations

The Hearst Foundations trace to 1946 when William Randolph Hearst established the first entity, followed by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation in 1949. Both operate from the 26th floor of Hearst Tower in New York under a single administrative umbrella. Grantmaking targets organizations that expand opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds. Capital deployment mixes public equities, fixed income and alternatives. The portfolio includes commitments to private equity vehicles such as Partners Group Hearst Opportunities Fund and Centerbridge Partners. Geographic reach covers the full United States with no single-state concentration. Confirmed positions also include limited partnership interests in Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers through family ties. Real-asset holdings encompass Hearst Ranch in California and timberlands managed under Hearst Forests. The foundations maintain an investment staff led by Chief Investment Officer Roger P. Paschke since 2008. External advisors Dodge & Cox, T. Rowe Price and Loomis Sayles & Co. manage portions of the roughly $841 million endowment. Additional offices are not maintained. A March 2024 sponsorship of the United States Senate Youth Program in Washington, DC continued a decades-long education initiative. Governance rests with family directors and long-serving trustees including Frank A. Bennack Jr. and Steven R. Swartz of Hearst Corporation. This arrangement keeps investment policy and grant decisions inside the same family-controlled structure that owns the underlying media operating company.

General information

Firm type

Endowment / Foundation

Year founded

1946

Location

Region

North America

Country

United States

City

New York

Corporate office

300 West 57th Street 26th Floor, New York, NY 10019, United States

Principals

William Randolph Hearst III

President of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and Director of The Hearst Foundation Inc.

Virginia Hearst Randt

President of The Hearst Foundation Inc.

Anissa Boudjakdji Balson

Vice President and Director

Paul Dinovitz

Executive Director

Roger P. Paschke

Chief Investment Officer

Sector focus

PhilanthropyEducationHealthcareCulture

Frequently asked questions

Who runs investment decisions at The Hearst Foundations?

Chief Investment Officer Roger P. Paschke oversees the endowment alongside external managers Dodge & Cox and T. Rowe Price. The role has been held since 2008.

How does The Hearst Foundations source grant recipients?

Staff identify organizations through direct outreach and long-standing relationships in culture, education, health and social services. No open application portal exists.

Does The Hearst Foundations commit to external funds or make direct grants only?

The endowment participates in private equity funds including Partners Group Hearst Opportunities Fund and Centerbridge Partners while the grant program issues direct awards to nonprofits.

What asset classes appear in the endowment portfolio?

Holdings include public equities, government obligations, corporate bonds and private equity commitments. Real assets such as timberlands and ranch land are held separately.

Where does the underlying wealth originate?

The fortune stems from William Randolph Hearst's publishing and media businesses now held through Hearst Corporation under a testamentary trust.

How are the two Hearst Foundations related?

The William Randolph Hearst Foundation and The Hearst Foundation Inc. function as a unified grantmaking entity with shared staff and overlapping family directors.

Does The Hearst Foundations maintain relationships with Hearst Corporation?

Yes. Several directors including Steven R. Swartz and Frank A. Bennack Jr. serve on both the foundations and the Hearst Corporation board.

Profile maintained by using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.

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