What Hertog Foundation does

Hertog Foundation is a privately funded, Washington, DC-based nonprofit educational foundation that runs selective fellowship programs for top undergraduate students and recent graduates. It operates five core programs: the Political Studies Program (six-week summer residential fellowship for up to 32 fellows), the Constitutional Studies Program, the War Studies Program (run operationally by the Institute for the Study of War), and the Security Studies Program — all residential in Washington, DC — alongside Humanities at Hertog, an online seminar series offered across multiple terms per year. All programs are tuition-free and provide stipends; revenue comes entirely from philanthropic donations rather than fees.

The foundation's "core technology" is a seminar-based liberal-arts pedagogy built around primary-source readings in classical political philosophy, constitutional law, and military/security studies, delivered in small Socratic groups. Faculty are drawn from a curated institutional ecosystem: AEI scholars (Yuval Levin, Diana Schaub, Matthew Continetti, Gary Schmitt, Adam White), Yale Law faculty (Justin Driver, Keith Whittington), Notre Dame, St. John's College tutors, serving federal judges (Amul Thapar), former DOJ and Senate officials, and military strategists via ISW. The Hertog Online resource platform — syllabi, videos, essays — extends the curriculum as an asynchronous content channel.

Go-to-market is community-led and academic-network-driven: university professors nominate candidates, alumni refer, and competitive admission screens on credentials (GPA > 3.7 for most programs). Marketing channels are organic — university nominations, alumni referrals, website, and social media. With 19 staff and intentionally boutique cohort sizes, scale is deliberately constrained. Leadership comprises Cheryl Miller (Executive Director), Dorothea Israel Wolfson (Managing Director), and Mary Elizabeth Halper (Dean of Humanities at Hertog). The alumni network — placed at The Wall Street Journal, Senate offices, the Pentagon, State Department, top law schools, and think tanks — functions as the foundation's durable output metric and reputational moat.

Name

Hertog Foundation

Legal name

Hertog Foundation

Website

https://hertogfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hertog Foundation is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit educational foundation that runs tuition-free residential and online fellowship programs in political philosophy, constitutional studies, war studies, security studies, and the humanities for top undergraduate students and recent graduates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education Fellowships

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Merit-Based Scholarships (Academic Excellence) (EDAIAOAA)

Keywords

• Civic education fellowships
• Political philosophy seminars
• Constitutional studies programs
• National security education
• Humanities online seminars

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic/Fundraised Revenue: As a private foundation, Hertog Foundation operates entirely on donated funds. No revenue is generated from program fees. All programs are provided free of charge to selected fellows, who also receive living stipends.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Hertog Foundation runs selective, fully subsidized educational fellowships and seminars for top US college students and recent graduates. Its core offerings include the Political Studies Program (a six-week summer residential fellowship in Washington, DC for up to 32 fellows), the Constitutional Studies Program, the War Studies Program (run with the Institute for the Study of War), the Security Studies Program, and the Humanities at Hertog online seminar program. Fellows study classical political philosophy, constitutional questions, military strategy, national security, and humanities texts through small Socratic seminars led by leading scholars and practitioners; all programs are provided free of charge with stipends, accommodations, and (for online seminars) a book voucher.

Product overview

The Hertog Foundation operates as a fellowship and educational program provider offering a portfolio of summer residential fellowships and online seminars. The core programs include the Political Studies Program, Constitutional Studies Program, War Studies Program, Security Studies Program, and Humanities at Hertog online seminars. These programs are supplemented by Hertog Online, a resource platform offering model syllabi and educational materials, and Advanced Programs for War Studies alumni. The foundation connects students with leading scholars and practitioners through intensive seminars held primarily in Washington, DC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Political Studies Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Alumni have gone on to positions at The Wall Street Journal, Senator offices, Pentagon, State Department, and top law schools

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Institute for the Study of War (ISW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISW runs the Hertog War Studies Program, providing curriculum, instructors, and administrative support. ISW's senior instructors including Frederick Kagan, Kimberly Kagan, and Brian Babcock-Lumish serve as primary faculty. Alumni are eligible for fellowships and employment at ISW.
• St. John's CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. John's College tutors serve as faculty and program directors; Dean Mary Elizabeth Halper serves as Dean of Humanities at Hertog; shared educational philosophy around Great Books and liberal education.
• American Enterprise Institute (AEI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple AEI scholars serve as faculty including Yuval Levin (Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies), Diana Schaub, Matthew Continetti, Jenna and Benjamin Storey, and Dan Blumenthal.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Claremont Institute: Claremont operates educational programs (including summer institutes for students) emphasizing the American Founding and classical political theory. Shares Hertog's emphasis on Great Books and constitutional thought with faculty drawn from similar intellectual traditions.
• Young America's Foundation: YAF runs conservative student education programs including conferences, seminars, and training for young conservatives on college campuses. Mirrors Hertog's selective fellowship model and ideological positioning in the conservative student education market.
• Ashbrook Center at Ashland University: Ashbrook provides teacher training, student programs, and public programming on American political thought and history—closely paralleling Hertog's mission of deepening civic literacy and constitutional understanding among emerging leaders.
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI): ISI provides collegiate civic education programs, conferences, and publications targeting college students with intellectual content on American political philosophy—closely matching Hertog's content library and target audience of high-achieving undergraduates.
• The Fund for American Studies (TFAS): TFAS runs DC-based summer institute programs for college students covering political journalism, economics, and public policy with similar selective admissions and high practitioner access. Operates a near-identical model to Hertog with multiple discipline-specific tracks taught by policy professionals.

Broad incumbents

• National Review Institute: NRI is the educational arm of National Review focused on civic education and conservatism through seminars, lectures, and youth programs. Overlaps Hertog's content niche and faculty network, but operates at a broader media scale anchored to the National Review brand.
• American Enterprise Institute (AEI): AEI is a major think tank that provides both policy research and educational programming for students and scholars, including summer programs and fellowships. AEI directly supplies Hertog faculty across multiple programs and shares the policy-conservative intellectual orientation.

Others

• Social Science Research Council: SSRC is a nonprofit that funds social science research and education across disciplines globally. Comparable as a similarly sized grantmaking and educational organization in the academic space, though with a much broader social-science scope than Hertog's policy focus.

Emerging players

• Institute for the Study of War (ISW): ISW is Hertog's strategic partner and operates the Hertog War Studies Program; ISW also runs its own educational and analytical work on national security. Closely aligned with Hertog's War Studies curriculum but narrower in scope, focused on military/security topics.
• James Madison Program in American Ideals at Princeton: Princeton's James Madison Program offers undergraduate courses and seminars on American political thought, the Constitution, and statesmanship. Operates within a single university rather than as a cross-institutional foundation, but offers a similar Great-Books-meets-American-politics curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HertogFDN
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HertogFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/hertogfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hertog-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/hertogfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hertog Foundation