Hearst Foundation gives $525K to Houston nonprofits

The Hearst Foundation announced Thursday it will give $525,000 in grants to Houston nonprofits, plus hundreds of thousands of dollars to organizations in Dallas and Austin.

Executive Director Paul Dinovitz announced the donations at the foundation’s quarterly board meeting last month, according to a statement released this week.

Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston was awarded $200,000 to support the Life Flight Simulation Training Room, a critical care air medical transport service.

The foundation will give $150,000 to Houston’s Healthcare for the Homeless to fund services for people experiencing homelessness in the city.

The Houston Ballet will be awarded $100,000 to support its Student Matinees program, which provides full-length performances by Houston Ballet with a live orchestra during school hours.

And the Asia Society Texas Center of Houston will receive $75,000 to support arts and culture programs and educational initiatives.

In Dallas, the nonprofit Big Thought is to get $150,000 for its Learning Partners initiative, which provides educators with access to thousands of arts and cultural programs.

Austin’s Humanities Texas will be granted $75,000 to support professional development programs for Texas middle and high school history and government teachers.

The William Randolph Hearst Foundation and the Hearst Foundation are independent private philanthropies operating separately from the Hearst Corp., which owns the Houston Chronicle.

In 2018, the Hearst Foundations made 324 grants totaling more than $45 million. Since being created in the 1940s, the Hearst Foundations have awarded more than 20,000 grants.