Expanding Training for Opportunity Youth in High-Demand Healthcare and Building Trades
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s board of directors approved 14 grants totaling more than $42 million in the first quarter of 2025. The grants span the Hilton Foundation’s initiatives and programs working in the U.S. and internationally.
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Opportunity Youth initiative believes in the power and potential of all young people and offers young people in our focus geographies access to education, skills training and comprehensive support, helping them build promising careers that support them and their families to thrive. Our grantmaking this quarter expanded education and training programs for opportunity youth in Mexico City and New Orleans, LA.
The following is an overview of the board-approved grants awarded in the first quarter of 2025:
Safe Water – UDUMA was awarded $5,000,000 over five years to support the Uganda Ministry of Water and Environment in implementing the policy for rural safe water in Northern Uganda and improve safe water services. lnstiglio received $4,500,000 over five years to provide technical assistance to the Government of Uganda to launch and manage a financing mechanism (referred to as the Water Fund) to accelerate reliable and sustainable water services in rural areas.
Early Childhood Development – United States – Children Now received $1,600,000 over four years to support home visitation, health, and mental health for infants and toddlers and their families in California. Abriendo Puertas, a project of Tides Center, was awarded $1,600,000 over four years to support an evidenced-based parent strengthening curriculum in Los Angeles and New Mexico with a focus on families with young children.
Foster Youth – United Way of Greater Atlanta Inc. was awarded $2,300,000 over two years to support small organizations in the Atlanta metro area serving transition-aged foster youth, provide technical assistance for organizations’ capacity, and support career pathways of transition-aged foster youth through the CareerReady ATL initiative.
Opportunity Youth – YouthBuild Mexico, A.C. received $2,500,000 over three years to support the Global Opportunity Youth Network and a high school equivalency and job training program for opportunity youth in Mexico City. New Orleans Career Center was awarded $1,600,000 over three years for an expansion of training for opportunity youth in high-demand healthcare and building trades careers in New Orleans and an evaluation of employer-aligned programming and private sector partnerships
Catholic Sisters – African Sisters Education Collaborative received $6,500,000 over three years to implement Phase VII of the Sisters Leadership Development Initiative in Africa and sustain an investment fund for sisters’ education. Leadership Conference of Women Religious was awarded $2,500,000 over four years to support religious life in the United States and promote its vitality, sustainability and prophetic mission. U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking received $1,800,000 over four years to work toward eradication of human trafficking through education, survivor support, advocacy, and network development.
Homelessness – St. Joseph Center received $1,750,000 over three years to expand support services for unhoused people In interim housing by increasing workforce capacity, and to increase collaboration in data analysis to improve transparency and decision-making in the homeless service system.
Refugees – Kiva Microfunds was awarded $3,000,000 over four years to support refugees’ financial inclusion through lending, capacity building, and measuring impact. Fundación de las Américas para el Desarrollo-Partners of the Americas received $2,500,000 over three years to strengthen the integral development of migrant and host community families through early childhood development and livelihood opportunities across nine provinces in Ecuador.
To learn more about the Foundation’s program areas and philanthropic approach, please visit hiltonfoundation.org/work/our-initiatives. For more detailed information on grantmaking, please visit hiltonfoundation.org/grants.