Grant FAQs

The Hilton Foundation is a strategic grantmaking organization. We initiate and develop long-term projects and partnerships to help us deliver maximum impact. We do not accept unsolicited proposals, with the exception of our  Good Neighbor Program, which accepts proposals for small-scale grants to nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status doing important work in our local Conejo Valley community.

We do not make grants to individuals.

The majority of our funding is devoted to our seven key initiatives: Foster Youth, Refugees, Catholic Sisters, Safe Water, Global Early Childhood Development, Homelessness, and Opportunity Youth. Through the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize and Good Neighbour Program we also extend our support to pioneering nonprofits and local organizations dedicated to alleviating human suffering.

To date, we have awarded grants totaling more than $3.2 billion.

You can look back over several years’ worth of our grantmaking starting with our most recently completed year here, as well as our current year-to-date awarding of grants. Additionally, the Foundation annually awards the $2.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to an organization doing extraordinary work to alleviate human suffering.

All of our grantee partner organizations are working to improve the human condition around the globe, however the Hilton Humanitarian Prize is operated separately from the rest of our program activities. Prize nominees are submitted through open nominations and are not required to be connected to or aligned with our program areas. Following a rigorous vetting process, an independent international jury makes the final selection of the Prize recipient. There have been some instances where recipients of the Prize are also grantee partners working alongside our program initiatives. Learn more about Prize nominations or see our dedicated FAQs for more information.

We may choose to work with any congregation to advance the work of Catholic sisters globally.

The Catholic Sisters Initiative Seeks to bolster sisters’ formation and education while strengthening their partnerships with the Church, key networks, and other entities. The initiative supports the sisters’ efforts to foster human development and support children, youth, and families living in disadvantaged conditions on their pathways to self-sufficiency. 

Established in 1986 with funding from the Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters is a separate entity with its own staff, governance structure, and funding guidelines. The Fund for Sisters provides small grants (typically $10,000) to women religious throughout the world to support their direct-service ministries and to build the capacity of leadership conferences of women religious in the developing world.

While the Foundation supports many Catholic organizations and institutions, our giving is not restricted to specific denominations or faith groups.

Yes, our Good Neighbor Program offers grants to local nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status or Title 1 schools providing direct services near and around our offices in Westlake Village, California. The program’s geographic focus area comprises the Conejo Valley, extending northwest to Camarillo, Oxnard and Ventura—specifically, the communities of Agoura Hills, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village. The majority of grants are allocated for general operating support with a fixed award amount of $10,000, with funding for schools limited to $5,000 for a project or program

Rooted in the life interests and last will of our founder, Conrad N. Hilton, the Foundation pursues approaches and partnerships that touch a diversity of people, places, and needs. To ensure each of our initiatives continues to give voice to pressing issues and achieves measurable impact, the board of directors reviews and updates the Foundation’s program areas periodically. Our current program strategies will guide our work through 2025.