The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is an American

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

charitable foundation, established in 1944 by

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

entrepreneur

Conrad Hilton Conrad Nicholson Hilton (December 25, 1887 – January 3, 1979) was an American hotel magnate and politician who founded the Hilton Hotels chain. From 1912 to 1916, Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature ...

. It remained relatively small until his death on January 3, 1979, when it was named the principal beneficiary of his estate. In 2007, Conrad's son, Barron Hilton announced that he would leave about 97% of his fortune to a charitable remainder unitrust which names the foundation as the remainder beneficiary.

Financial information

The foundation's assets, as of September 2019, were approximately $2.9 billion and had increased to $6.3 billion due to Barron Hilton's passing. Since inception, the foundation has awarded more than $1.7 billion in grants. Currently more than 50% supports international charitable projects. According to the

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

, the foundation's financing for 2019 development decreased by 11% to US$42.3 million.

Program areas

The foundation's mission is derived from the last will and testament of

that directs the organization to "relieve the suffering, the distressed, and the destitute."Excerpt from the Last Will and Testament of Conrad N. Hilton
The foundation invests in seven program areas: Catholic sisters,

disaster relief Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actu ...

and recovery, foster youth,

homelessness Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

hospitality Hospitality is the relationship of a host towards a guest, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill and welcome. This includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, ...

workforce development, safe water, and young

children A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

affected by HIV and

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. The foundation also supports organizations in four transitioning program areas: avoidable

blindness Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...

, Catholic education,

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

and substance use prevention.

Catholic Sisters

The Hilton Foundation Catholic Sisters program is focused on recognizing Catholic sisters as leaders in the human development field by supporting organizations and congregations in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Disaster Relief and Recovery

The Disaster Relief and Recovery program supports communities to prepare for disasters and provide long-lasting solution towards long-term recovery.

Foster Youth

This program works with

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organizations in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and New York to provide assistance to transition age

youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

ages 16–24 as they age out of the

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family mem ...

system.

Homelessness

The foundation partners with organizations in Los Angeles County to build permanent supportive

housing Housing refers to a property containing one or more Shelter (building), shelter as a living space. Housing spaces are inhabited either by individuals or a collective group of people. Housing is also referred to as a human need and right to ...

for individuals experiencing chronic

Hospitality Workforce Development

This program area works with organizations in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

to provide pathways for young people towards a career in the

industry.

Safe Water

Working with international nonprofits and

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

agencies in

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

and

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

to build water systems.

Young Children Affected by HIV and AIDS

The program focuses on early childhood development globally and partners with international and local

NGOs A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

working in HIV prevalent communities in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

and

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

Transitioning Programs

In 2018, the Hilton Foundatio
announced
it would transition out of four program areas (Avoidable Blindness, Catholic Education, Multiple Sclerosis, and Substance Use Prevention) over two to five years. The foundation committed to "leave the field with minimal disruption" and "capture knowledge from our time in these areas to propel future innovations and solutions."

Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize

The Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize is awarded annually by the foundation. It was inaugurated in 1996 and is the largest humanitarian award in the world. Its annual award of

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

1.5 million was increased in 2015 to 2 million to commemorate its 20th Hilton Humanitarian Prize laureate, Landesa.

Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize Laureates

*1996 – Operation Smile *1997 –

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 1 ...

*1998 – Médecins Sans Frontières *1999 – African Medical and Research Foundation *2000 – Casa Alianza *2001 – St Christopher's Hospice *2002 – SOS Children's Villages *2003 – International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims *2004 – Heifer International *2005 – Partners in Health *2006 – Women for Women International *2007 – Tostan Organization *2008 – BRAC *2009 – Program for Appropriate Technology in Health *2010 – Aravind Eye Care System *2011 – Handicap International *2012 – HelpAge International *2013 – ECPAT *2014 – Fountain House & Clubhouse International. *2015 – Landesa *2016 – The Task Force for Global Health *2017 – International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh *2018 – Shining Hope for Communities *2019 – METAdrasi * 2020 – Homeboy Industries * 2021 – Camfed * 2022 – Norwegian Refugee Council * 2023 – One Acre Fund

Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize Jury

* Gro Harlem Brundtland, former director general,

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

; former prime minister of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

* Leymah Gbowee, founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa *Hawley Hilton McAuliffe, board of directors, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation *Mark Rosenberg, MD, MPP, board of directors, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation * Zainab Salbi, founder, Women for Women International; TV host; author * Ann M. Veneman, former executive director, United Nations Children's Fund (

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

; former

Secretary of Agriculture

Leadership

Conrad Hilton's granddaughter, Hawley Hilton McAuliffe, became chair of the board January 2021, superseding Steven M. Hilton, who was the chairman of the organization for most of its existence. He started working at the foundation in 1983 and served as its CEO from 2005 to 2015. Hilton retired as president and CEO, and was succeeded by Peter Laugharn. In his retirement announcement, Hilton said, “When I joined the Hilton Foundation in 1983, I couldn’t imagine the path that lay ahead. At that time, a handful of staff guided about $6 million in grants annually. Fast forward to today, and we have grown to a staff of over 50 and have awarded over a billion dollars in grants to improve the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people around the world.” Peter Laugharn began his tenure as president and CEO on January 1, 2016.

Board of directors

As of May 22, 2021 * Steven M. Hilton (chairman emeritus) *Donald H. Hubbs (director emeritus) *Kofi Appenteng, 2019– *James R. Galbraith, 1989– *Conrad N. Hilton III, 2001– *Linda Hilton (vice chair) 2014– *Michael O. Hilton, 2017– *Hawley Hilton McAuliffe (chair) 2006– * Justin McAuliffe, 2019– *Sister Joyce Meyer, PBVM, 2009– * John L. Notter. 2005– *Mark Rosenberg, MD, MPP, 2016–

References

External links

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation official website
* List of wealthiest charitable foundations * Hilton family {{Authority control American humanitarian and service awards Foundations based in the United States Organizations established in 1944 Hilton family