The board of directors of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation announced today that grants totaling more than $84 million were approved in the first and second quarters of 2021. These grants were awarded to 42 organizations across the Hilton Foundation’s program areas, in the U.S. and internationally.
“In our grantmaking, we support bold, transformative change by strengthening communities and dismantling systemic barriers,” said Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. “In this spirit, we are proud to partner with these organizations in alignment with our evolving strategies, centering equity, and collaborating with communities to develop solutions.”
Following is an overview of all grants awarded in the first half of 2021:
Catholic Sisters – Catholic Church Extension Society of USA was awarded $3.6 million to enable 114 Latina sisters to obtain graduate degrees while serving vulnerable migrant communities in mission dioceses in the U.S. through the US-Latin America Sisters Exchange Program. Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate was granted $685,000 to conduct research on aging sisters in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and Mexico and propose practical and innovative activities and programs that will support religious institutes in these countries to care for their elderly sisters. Congregation of Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word received $1.8 million to create, coordinate, reinforce and expand the Catholic Sisters Inter-Congregational Network for Migrants and Economic Empowerment across the U.S. and Mexico. International Union of Superiors General was awarded $4.5 million to continue support for the education and training of sisters in interculturality, anti-human trafficking, canon law and theology and to provide ongoing pandemic support for Catholic sisters. Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar received $1.6 million to improve access to and completion of education for girls in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. Medicines for Humanity, Inc. was granted $1.8 million to support Catholic sisters providing life-saving healthcare services in Haiti. University of Kisubi was awarded $575,000 to establish and operationalize a data center for Catholic sisters in Uganda.
Foster Youth – Center for the Study of Social Policy was granted $2.7 million to support the Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare in a youth leadership approach to child welfare reform and systems change. First Place for Youth received $2.1 million to improve intensive case management around employment, education and parenting outcomes for foster youth in Los Angeles. Fostering Media Connections was awarded $800,000 to support the Child Welfare Reporting Project in New York City and State with a national impact. Mount Sinai Hospital was granted $1 million to provide integrated medical, sexual and reproductive health, and behavioral and mental health services to young people with a history of foster care involvement, including LGBTQ youth, CSEC youth and pregnant and parenting young people. Regents University of California Los Angeles received $350,000 to support the California Policy Lab in helping Los Angeles County target resources for foster transition-age youth experiencing or at highest risk of homelessness by building predictive models, designing a prevention strategy and evaluating program effectiveness. Southern California Grantmakers was awarded $312,500 to support the Center for Strategic Partnerships in enhancing the ability of child welfare involved youth to access quality permanent housing by building a collaboration between the homelessness services system and the LA County child welfare system. The Door – A Center of Alternatives, Inc. was granted $2 million to support the Academy program, which provides high school education, robust college access and employment pathways for foster youth in New York City. The grant will also focus on housing and mental health services and elevating youth voice.
Global Early Childhood Development – California Community Foundation was awarded $1.6 million to enable the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment to strengthen systems of support for vulnerable families in LA County and to reduce African-American maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. Mothers2Mothers International Inc. was granted $750,000 to support women living with HIV and their young children in Malawi. PATH received $2.3 million. Of that total, $1 million will support scale-up of early childhood development services as part of the health system in Mozambique and Kenya, and $1.3 million will support the Early Childhood Development Action Network. The Aspen Institute, Inc. was awarded $4.1 million for Ascend at The Aspen Institute to advance two-generation policies and programs that address the needs of both young children and young parents.
Homelessness – Brilliant Corners was awarded $3 million for capacity building to strengthen its intermediary role in LA County’s efforts to end homelessness, and to help launch a countywide prevention pilot program for single adults at highest risk of experiencing homelessness. Genesis LA Economic Growth Corporation was granted $3 million. Of that total, $1.5 million is for a program-related investment to support the PSH Flex Loan fund, and $1.5 million is for program-related investment to support the RETHINK housing initiative. Jemmott Rollins Group, Inc. received $800,000 to support primarily Black-led community-based organizations in South LA and plan a collective sustainability model that will strengthen the network and region. LA Voice was awarded $800,000 to align and mobilize faith-based leadership across LA County to leverage congregations’ unique resources to decrease homelessness, displacement and housing insecurity. Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority was granted $5.8 million. Of the total, $750,000 is to establish a revolving fund for LAHSA to provide cash advances to contracted agencies in LA County to help with cash flow and $5 million will provide a Program Related Investment (PRI) to establish the fund. Regents University of California Los Angeles was awarded $350,000 to support the California Policy Lab in helping LA County target resources for foster transition-age youth experiencing or at highest risk of homelessness by building predictive models, designing a prevention strategy and evaluating program effectiveness. Southern California Grantmakers received $312,500 to support the Center for Strategic Partnerships in enhancing the ability of child welfare involved youth to access high-quality permanent housing by building a collaboration between the homelessness services system and the LA County child welfare system. United Way Inc. was awarded $2 million to identify, support and coordinate community-based organizations around shared goals focused on housing affordability and equity through the Our Future LA coalition. University of Southern California was granted $1 million for continued support of the Homeless Policy Research Institute to coordinate and amplify local research to inform policy and program decisions aimed at ending chronic homelessness in LA County.
Opportunity Youth – AHLA Foundation, Inc. was awarded $1 million to support previously employed hospitality workers who were formerly disconnected to upskill and advance to higher positions in the hospitality industry upon reopening and prepare current opportunity youth for jobs upon industry reopening. Cafe Hope, Inc. was granted $550,000 to support Cafe Hope to provide hospitality training and wraparound supports for opportunity youth in the New Orleans area. Center for Law and Social Policy received $1.8 million to support CLASP and its youth advocacy team in advancing federal policy to end youth disconnection, including its New Deal for Youth campaign, a large-scale movement to center youth voice and lived experience in policy. Emerald Cities Collaborative Inc. was awarded $1 million to develop learn-and-earn model career pathway programs for 160 opportunity youth in Los Angeles. Jobs for the Future Inc. was granted $1.3 million to support policy research and technical assistance that will improve workforce outcomes for opportunity youth. Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade – Black United Fund Inc. received $800,000 to train, place and advance opportunity youth in South Los Angeles in middle-wage employment. Los Angeles LGBT Center was awarded $2.1 million to create a model customer service and workforce training program for formerly homeless LGBTQ+ youth and those experiencing high barriers to employment. The Global Development Incubator Inc. was granted $1.2 million to advance career pathways and data strategy to strengthen GOYN Mombasa.
Refugees – Asylum Access was awarded $2 million to unlock capital and enhance advocacy for, and direct funding to, refugee-led organizations through a coalition. Mercy Corps was granted $2 million to support refugee and host community livelihoods programming in Colombia, Ethiopia and Uganda, as well as funding for organizational management transition efforts. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc. received $900,000 to the Mayors Migration Council to support mayors and city leadership in Addis Ababa, Kampala, Medellín and Quito to provide COVID-19 support for refugees and migrants and to elevate their work in global fora. Sesame Workshop was awarded $2.2 million to increase inclusion and appreciation for diversity among young children, caregivers and early education practitioners in contexts affected by migration and displacement.
Safe Water – IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre was granted $2 million to support a responsible transition from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger for safe water services.
Additionally, Public Health Institute was awarded $3.75 million to support accelerating the equitable vaccine rollout in California, a coordinated response by Together through Health. Africa Public Health Foundation received $2.75 million to support accelerating the Africa CDC COVID-19 equitable vaccine rollout, a coordinated response by the Africa Donor Collective. The Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc. was granted $7 million for general operating support. Alzheimer’s Greater Los Angeles was awarded $3 million for general operating support.
To learn more about our program areas and how we approach our work, please visit hiltonfoundation.org/program-areas. For more detailed information on our grantmaking, please visit hiltonfoundation.org/grants.