Foundation to give away record $254.32 Million in 2003
MENLO PARK, Calif. – At a time when the non-profit sector has been struggling to meet its funding needs, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced that it is authorizing $73.59 million in new grants to a total of 179 different organizations in the fourth quarter of 2003.
“Times are extremely difficult for some very worthy organizations, and the Hewlett Foundation is happy to be able to provide much-needed funding,” said the Hewlett Foundation’s president Paul Brest.
The Hewlett Foundation makes grants to solve some of the most difficult social and environmental problems facing society. The Foundation focuses its grantmaking on seven program areas, including education, environment, performing arts and population.
The Hewlett Foundation will make a total of 529 grants and give away $254.32 million in 2003, an increase of more than $30 million from 2002, and a record for the 37 year-old charitable organization.
Some highlighted new grants awarded in the fourth quarter of 2003 include:
Education Program – Reforming California’s School System
In the face of severe budget cuts across the country, the Foundation announced a total of $15,190,000 in grants to education programs nationwide, including a $6,000,000 grant that is helping the San Diego City School system institute far-reaching education reforms. This project is being undertaken in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and The Broad Foundation.
Environment Program – Transforming the Automobile
The Foundation announced $8,170,000 in grants from its Environment Program, including $4,960,000 million in grants as part of its Transforming the Automobile project, which is providing funds to accelerate the transition to clean, efficient transportation. A highlight of this work is a $1.2 million grant to the Northeast States Center for a Clean Air Future, which will investigate the economic impacts of reducing greenhouse gases from motor vehicles.
Performing Arts Program – Funding Affordable Performing Arts Space in the Bay Area
Funding for performing arts organizations in California has sharply declined within the last two years. Against this sobering backdrop, the Hewlett Foundation’s budget for the performing arts remains steady. The Foundation awarded $3,000,000 to the Northern California Community Loan Fund, which aims to increase permanent, affordable space for nonprofit community organizations in the Bay Area. This grant will be earmarked for its nonprofit capital space fund to support facility projects ofperforming arts organizations in eleven Bay Area counties. The Foundation also has awarded a total of $2,162,000 in new grants to 23 Bay Area performing arts organizations. Grants were awarded to a broad spectrum of primarily dance and media organizations including the Oakland Ballet, Gamelan Sekar Jaya and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.
Population Program – Supporting Quality Reproductive Health Services
The Hewlett Foundation will provide $12.34 million in new funding to organizations working to improve access to quality reproductive health services. It awarded an additional $1.7 million for support of population-related research, including a grant of $500,000 to Columbia University’s Earth Institute to highlight, through the United Nations Millennium Project, the role of reproductive health in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.