The Sidney Hillman Foundation
The Sidney Hillman Foundation is a New York-based nonprofit founded in 1950 that awards journalism prizes (Hillman Prizes, Sidney Awards, Barrett, Stetin, SEIU awards) to investigative journalists across the U.S. and Canada, funded by donations and endowment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1950
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Sidney Hillman Foundation does
The Sidney Hillman Foundation is a private nonprofit organization founded in 1950 and headquartered in New York City that honors excellence in journalism in service of the common good. It operates a portfolio of award programs, including the annual U.S. Hillman Prizes across Book, Newspaper, Magazine, Broadcast, and Opinion & Analysis categories; the Canadian Hillman Prize (since 2011, restructured into Print/Digital, Broadcast, and Small Market/Local categories in 2024); the monthly Sidney Awards; the George Barrett Award for Public Interest Law; the Sol Stetin Award for Labor History; and the SEIU Award for Reporting on Racial and Economic Justice. The foundation also runs the recurring 'Reporting the U.S. Workplace' educational program with CUNY's Newmark J-School and publishes the 'Sidney's Picks' blog curating investigative journalism.
The foundation is governed by a Board composed of labor leaders and representatives from Workers United, SEIU — the successor union to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America that Sidney Hillman founded — and is led by Executive Director Alexandra Lescaze. It does not sell products or services; awards are free to nominate for, and the organization is funded through donations and an endowment. Distribution is handled through an online nominations portal, an email newsletter, active social channels (Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), and annual award ceremonies in New York City and Toronto. Geographic reach spans the United States and Canada, and prior winners include journalists from ProPublica, The New York Times, WIRED, The Dallas Morning News, and The Alabama Film Project.
The Sidney Hillman Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Sidney Hillman Foundation
- Legal name
- The Sidney Hillman Foundation
- Website
- https://hillmanfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1950
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Sidney Hillman Foundation is a New York-based nonprofit founded in 1950 that awards journalism prizes (Hillman Prizes, Sidney Awards, Barrett, Stetin, SEIU awards) to investigative journalists across the U.S. and Canada, funded by donations and endowment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Sidney Hillman Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Journalism Awards
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)
Keywords
Where The Sidney Hillman Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Sidney Hillman Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Sidney Hillman Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Sidney Hillman Foundation administers journalism award programs that recognize investigative reporting and storytelling in service of the common good. It grants annual U.S. Hillman Prizes across multiple categories, the Canadian Hillman Prize, monthly Sidney Awards, the George Barrett Award for Public Interest Law, the Sol Stetin Award for Labor History, and the SEIU Award for Reporting on Racial and Economic Justice. Award recipients receive honoraria, certificates, and recognition at ceremonies held in New York and Toronto.
Product overview
The Sidney Hillman Foundation operates a portfolio of journalism award programs honoring excellence in investigative reporting and storytelling in service of the common good. The core offerings include the U.S. Hillman Prizes (in Book, Newspaper, Magazine, Broadcast, and Opinion categories), the Canadian Hillman Prize, the monthly Sidney Awards, the George Barrett Award for Public Interest Law, and the Sol Stetin Award for Labor History. The foundation also runs the SEIU Award for Reporting on Racial and Economic Justice and maintains a blog called 'Sidney's Picks' featuring curated journalism. Additionally, the foundation supports the 'Reporting the U.S Workplace' educational program at CUNY's Newmark J-School.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hillman Prizes: Awards for excellence in journalism including U.S. Hillman Prizes (Book, Newspaper, Magazine, Broadcast, Opinion & Analysis categories) and Canadian Hillman Prize
- Sidney Awards
- George Barrett Award
- Sol Stetin Award
- SEIU Award
Products and services
- Hillman Prizes (U.S.)
- Canadian Hillman Prize
- Sidney Awards
- George Barrett Award for Public Interest Law
- Sol Stetin Award for Labor History
- SEIU Award for Reporting on Racial and Economic Justice
- Reporting the U.S. Workplace Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Grassy Narrows mercury contamination reporting led to $85 million river clean-up announcement
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Sidney Hillman Foundation
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Sidney Hillman Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Sidney Hillman Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SEIU (Service Employees International Union)coreSEIU co-sponsors the Award for Reporting on Racial and Economic Justice as part of the Hillman Prize program, demonstrating strategic alignment around labor and social justice journalism.
- CUNY Newmark J-SchoolcoreThe foundation partners with CUNY's Newmark J-School to run the 'Reporting the U.S. Workplace' program, an educational initiative for journalists.
- Workers United, SEIUcoreThe Sidney Hillman Foundation is connected to Workers United, SEIU, which is a successor union to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA) that Sidney Hillman founded. The foundation honors his legacy through journalism awards.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Sidney Hillman Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): Professional association that administers the IRE Awards for investigative journalism. Operates the same niche (honoring investigative reporting) as Hillman Prizes, with similar category structures and a nonprofit membership-and-grantmaking model.
- Alicia Patterson Foundation: Independent nonprofit foundation funding journalist fellowships and awards for investigative and enterprise reporting. Directly comparable as a small grantmaking foundation focused on supporting journalism with public-interest missions.
- Pulitzer Prizes: Administered by Columbia University, the Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious U.S. journalism awards, recognizing excellence across categories like investigative reporting, public service, and feature writing — directly comparable to Hillman's mission of honoring investigative journalism in service of the common good.
- Livingston Award: University of Michigan-administered awards for journalists under 35, recognizing excellence in reporting. Comparable niche foundation model focused on journalism awards and supporting early-career reporting.
- George Polk Awards: Long-running U.S. journalism awards administered by Long Island University honoring investigative reporting and enterprise journalism. Operates a similar grantmaking/recognition model to Hillman, selecting winners from news, magazine, broadcast, and book categories.
- Scripps Howard Foundation: Foundation behind the Scripps Howard Award and other journalism recognition programs, including awards for investigative, public service, and collegiate journalism. Operates a comparable grantmaking and prize-giving model to Hillman across multiple journalism categories.
- National Press Foundation: Nonprofit foundation providing journalism fellowships, training programs, and recognition. Operates a similar combination of educational programming (like Hillman's CUNY partnership) and grantmaking for U.S. journalism.
- Peabody Awards: Administered by the University of Georgia, Peabody Awards honor excellence in stories told across radio, TV/podcast, and digital media. Overlaps with Hillman's Broadcast and Podcast journalism categories and operates as another high-prestige nonprofit journalism recognition body.
- Nieman Foundation for Journalism: Harvard-based foundation that funds Nieman Fellowships and the Nieman Awards for Journalism Excellence. Comparable as a journalism-focused grantmaking foundation that combines recognition programs with educational/fellowship programming like Hillman's CUNY partnership.
Emerging players
- Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ): Professional association administering the Sigma Delta Chi Awards for journalism excellence. While broader in scope (covering all of journalism practice and ethics), SPJ represents an adjacent nonprofit membership body in the journalism recognition space.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Sidney Hillman Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceThe Sidney Hillman Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Sidney Hillman Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Sidney Hillman Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Sidney Hillman Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Sidney Hillman Foundation
What does The Sidney Hillman Foundation do?
The Sidney Hillman Foundation administers journalism award programs that recognize investigative reporting and storytelling in service of the common good. It grants annual U.S. Hillman Prizes across multiple categories, the Canadian Hillman Prize, monthly Sidney Awards, the George Barrett Award for Public Interest Law, the Sol Stetin Award for Labor History, and the SEIU Award for Reporting on Racial and Economic Justice. Award recipients receive honoraria, certificates, and recognition at ceremonies held in New York and Toronto.
Is The Sidney Hillman Foundation a public or private company?
The Sidney Hillman Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Sidney Hillman Foundation founded?
The Sidney Hillman Foundation was founded in 1950. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Sidney Hillman Foundation based?
The Sidney Hillman Foundation is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are The Sidney Hillman Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Alicia Patterson Foundation, Pulitzer Prizes, Livingston Award, George Polk Awards, Scripps Howard Foundation, National Press Foundation, Peabody Awards and Nieman Foundation for Journalism. Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Sidney Hillman Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Sidney Hillman Foundation.
What industry is The Sidney Hillman Foundation in?
The Sidney Hillman Foundation's product category is Journalism Awards. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAJ, Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211.