What Conrad N. Hilton Foundation does

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1944 by hotel magnate Conrad N. Hilton and headquartered in Westlake Village, California. Following Conrad Hilton's death in 1979, he bequeathed nearly all his wealth (initially $160 million in Hilton stock) to the foundation, and his son Barron Hilton committed 97% of his own estate in 2007, bringing the endowment to approximately $7.3 billion by 2024. The foundation operates as a strategic grantmaker across seven primary initiatives: Foster Youth, Refugees, Catholic Sisters, Safe Water, Global Early Childhood Development, Homelessness, and Opportunity Youth. It does not accept unsolicited proposals, instead proactively seeking nonprofit partners aligned with its mission, and complements traditional grants with Program-Related Investments (PRIs) totaling approximately $100 million across 40 deals since 1994. The foundation is governed by a board majority-composed of Hilton family descendants, with Linda Hilton serving as Board Chair since 2024 and Peter Laugharn as President and CEO since 2016.

The foundation awarded nearly $300 million in grants worldwide in 2024, bringing cumulative grantmaking to over $3.6 billion since inception. It operates across multiple geographies including the United States (Los Angeles County, New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, New Mexico), sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Mombasa), and Latin America (Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico City). Key grantees and implementation partners include Village Enterprise, Mercy Corps, IDinsight, World Resources Institute, WaterAid Ethiopia, The Lundquist Institute, and the Mayors Migration Council. The foundation co-funds initiatives with peer foundations including IKEA Foundation ($7.4 million for DREAMS) and The Coca-Cola Foundation (ProTana water security project), and operates the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize—now $3 million annually and the world's largest annual humanitarian award—in its 30th anniversary year (2025). Quantifiable outcomes to date include 1.95 million people gaining access to safe water, 4,322 permanent housing units in Los Angeles County, 4,496 youth employed through Opportunity Youth programs, and a 17% increase in monthly household consumption for refugee participants in Uganda.

Name

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Legal name

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Website

https://hiltonfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1944 with approximately $7.3 billion in assets, awarding nearly $300 million annually across seven humanitarian initiatives including Foster Youth, Refugees, Catholic Sisters, Safe Water, Early Childhood Development, Homelessness, and Opportunity Youth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Foundation / Strategic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF)

Keywords

• Strategic grantmaking
• Humanitarian foundation
• Program-related investments
• Humanitarian prize
• Philanthropic endowment

Headquarters

HQ city

Westlake Village

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Endowment Investment Returns: The Foundation's primary revenue source is investment returns from its endowment, which was built through bequests from Conrad N. Hilton (1979) and Barron Hilton (2007, 2019), growing from $160 million to over $6 billion and currently approximately $7.3 billion in assets.
2. Strategic Grantmaking: The Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations aligned with its seven initiatives, with nearly $300 million awarded in 2024 and over $3.6 billion in total grants since inception.
3. Program-Related Investments (PRIs): Mission-driven investment strategy involving loans and equity investments in charitable and commercial organizations that strategically align with foundation initiatives, totaling approximately $100 million since 1994.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is a family humanitarian foundation that operates through strategic grantmaking across seven primary initiatives (Catholic Sisters, Global Early Childhood Development, Foster Youth, Homelessness, Opportunity Youth, Refugees, and Safe Water). It awards grants to nonprofit organizations, supplements them with Program-Related Investments (approximately $100 million in 40 PRIs since 1994), and presents the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the world's largest annual humanitarian award currently valued at $3 million.

Product overview

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is a family humanitarian foundation established in 1944 that operates as a unified grantmaking organization rather than a product company. The foundation manages seven primary strategic initiatives (Catholic Sisters, Global Early Childhood Development, Foster Youth, Homelessness, Opportunity Youth, Refugees, and Safe Water) along with supporting programs including the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, Program-Related Investments, Locally Led Development, and Partnerships/Sector Strengthening. These initiatives work through strategic grantmaking, collaboration with partners, and learning and measurement to improve lives of individuals experiencing disadvantage globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize: The world's largest annual humanitarian award presented to a nonprofit organization, currently $3 million, recognizing organizations working to alleviate human suffering.
• Medical-Financial Partnership (MFP)

Products and services

• Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize The world's largest annual humanitarian award presented to a nonprofit organization, currently $3 million, recognizing organizations for extraordinary work to alleviate human suffering. 2025 recipient: Mines Advisory Group.
• Program-Related Investments (PRIs) Mission-driven investment strategy providing loans and equity investments to charitable and commercial organizations aligned with foundation initiatives, complementing grantmaking with approximately $100 million in 40 PRIs since 1994.
• Locally Led Development Program A commitment to allocate at least 25% of international grantmaking directly to local organizations in the Global South, fostering community-led solutions and building local capacity.
• Partnerships Fund and Sector Strengthening Fund Grantmaking portfolios supporting locally-led development collaboration with peer foundations, and supporting philanthropic infrastructure organizations that strengthen the nonprofit sector.
• Refugees Initiative Two-generation initiative supporting refugee children and their families with early childhood development and livelihood programs in Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, and Uganda, prioritizing funding for refugee-led organizations.
• Foster Youth Initiative Initiative supporting transition-age foster youth (14-26 years) in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York City with resources for education, employment, health, and stable housing to achieve economic independence.
• Homelessness Initiative Initiative providing permanent housing and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County, focusing on evidence-based interventions and data-driven solutions.
• Opportunity Youth Initiative Initiative empowering young people aged 16-24 who are disconnected from education and work, providing skills training and employment support in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Mombasa.
• Catholic Sisters Initiative Strategic initiative supporting Catholic sisters' education, leadership, and well-being globally, with a network of 700,000+ members worldwide operating 250,000 schools, 50,000 social service organizations, 20,000 healthcare facilities, and 16,000 elderly care facilities.
• Global Early Childhood Development Initiative Two-generation approach initiative investing in integrated early childhood development for children prenatal to age three and their caregivers, focusing on Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and the U.S. (Los Angeles County and New Mexico).
• Safe Water Initiative Initiative enhancing safe water service delivery in rural sub-Saharan Africa, supporting communities in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Uganda with system-strengthening and sustainable infrastructure development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17% increase in monthly household consumption for refugee participants in Uganda (DREAMS program)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Village EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Implementing partner for DREAMS program providing entrepreneurial training, seed capital, and mentorship to refugee households in Uganda and Ethiopia. Part of evidence-based poverty graduation approach reaching over 22,000 households.
• Mercy CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Implementing partner for DREAMS program combining poverty graduation with market systems development for refugee communities. Two randomized controlled trials demonstrated 17% consumption increase in Uganda and 9% in Ethiopia.
• IDinsightcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Independent evaluator conducting randomized controlled trials for DREAMS program in Uganda and Ethiopia. Evidence showed program generates returns double its implementation costs over five years.
• World Resources Institute (WRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Lead organization for ProTana project to strengthen water security in Ethiopia's Tana Subbasin, protecting water supplies for over 3 million people including Lake Tana holding 50% of Ethiopia's freshwater.
• WaterAid EthiopiamajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 7 April 2026Implementing partner for ProTana project restoring degraded micro-watersheds across three woredas in Amhara Region, Ethiopia.
• ORDA EthiopiamajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 7 April 2026Implementing partner for ProTana water security project in Ethiopia's Tana Subbasin, working on community-led interventions.
• Millennium Water AlliancemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 7 April 2026Implementing partner for ProTana project contributing to water security and governance in Ethiopia.
• Abbay Basin Administration OfficemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 7 April 2026Government partner for ProTana project institutionalizing water governance in Ethiopia's Tana Subbasin.
• The Lundquist InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2025Medical-Financial Partnership recipient awarded $3.44 million to expand innovative health and financial care model integrating financial coaching into healthcare settings in Los Angeles County.
• Early Childhood Development Action NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting global ECD initiatives and nurturing care framework implementation.
• African Sisters Education CollaborativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting Catholic sisters' education and leadership development in Africa.
• US Catholic Sisters Against Human TraffickingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner addressing human trafficking through Catholic sisters' network and initiatives.
• Conrad N. Hilton Fund for SisterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished in 1986 to support apostolic works of Catholic sisters serving underserved populations worldwide, initially under Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
• Nurturing Care Framework PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative effort supporting implementation of WHO/Nurturing Care Framework for early childhood development.
• Global Lead-Free Water InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership addressing lead contamination in water and supporting safe water access globally.
• Mayors Migration CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration supporting cities in managing migrant inclusion and accessing international financing for refugee and migrant support programs.
• Jobtech AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year partnership with 14 jobtech platforms across Uganda and Ethiopia focusing on refugee inclusion into labor markets, resulting in over 6,000 people earning income.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ford Foundation: Large US-based private foundation (~$16B endowment) focused on reducing poverty and injustice globally. Directly comparable as a strategic grantmaker with international programs, evidence-based approaches, and institutional PRI-style investments through Mission Investments.
• MacArthur Foundation: Large private foundation (~$8B endowment) supporting creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks globally. Comparable for its grantmaking scale, evidence-based approach, focus on global development issues, and PRIs through impact investments.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The world's largest private foundation by endowment (~$70B), pursuing global humanitarian and development goals across health, poverty, and education. Directly comparable as a large-scale, evidence-based grantmaking foundation with global initiatives, PRI-style investments, and measurement-driven programming.
• Open Society Foundations: Large private grantmaking foundation (~$25B) operating globally on justice, education, and rights issues. Directly comparable as a strategic grantmaker with international programs across refugees, early childhood, and governance — overlapping heavily with Hilton's portfolio.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Major private foundation pursuing global public health, education, environment, and urban innovation initiatives. Comparable as a similarly-sized strategic grantmaker with measurable outcomes focus, multi-initiative structure, and globally distributed programs including refugee and homelessness work.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Major US health-focused foundation (~$13B endowment) pursuing health equity and systems change. Comparable for grantmaking scale, evidence-based approach, multi-initiative structure, and PRI-like impact investments through its impact capital strategy.
• Rockefeller Foundation: Major US philanthropic foundation (~$6B endowment) tackling global health, climate, and equity issues. Comparable as a similarly-sized historic family-origin foundation with globally distributed grantmaking, strategic initiatives, and a major annual humanitarian commitment.
• Lilly Endowment: Large private foundation (~$20B endowment) supporting religion, education, and community development, especially in Indiana. Comparable as a large, family-origin US foundation with major strategic initiatives and substantial annual grantmaking at scale similar to Hilton.
• Carnegie Corporation of New York: Historic US foundation (~$4B endowment) advancing education, democracy, and international peace. Comparable as a similarly-sized traditional grantmaking foundation with global programs, evidence-based approaches, and a major international footprint aligned with several Hilton initiatives.
• Walton Family Foundation: Large family foundation (~$8B endowment) created by the Walmart heirs, focused on education and environment. Comparable as a similarly-sized, multi-generational family-controlled foundation with strategic initiatives and evidence-based grantmaking.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hiltonfound
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/hiltonfound
• Facebookfacebook.com/hiltonfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conrad-n--hilton-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/hiltonfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments34 records

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Frequently asked questions about Conrad N. Hilton Foundation