Hewlett Foundation

Hewlett Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a major American philanthropic foundation established in 1966 by William R. Hewlett and Flora Lamson Hewlett. It is headquartered in Menlo Park, California and is known for large-scale grantmaking across fields including environmental conservation, global development, education reform, and science policy. The foundation has been influential in shaping funding trends among other philanthropies such as the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Gates Foundation.

History

The foundation was created by William R. Hewlett, co‑founder of Hewlett-Packard and heir to the Hewlett family fortune, and Flora Lamson Hewlett, a philanthropist connected to Pacific Grove, California civic life. Early grants reflected regional concerns in Northern California and support for institutions like Stanford University, San Francisco Symphony, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In the 1980s and 1990s the foundation expanded national and international programming, funding initiatives at organizations such as the Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, and University of California campuses. Through the 2000s the foundation increased endowment allocations to global challenges, collaborating with donors including the Rockefeller Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation on cross‑sector partnerships and pooled funds like those supporting climate change research and public policy think tanks. Major milestones include programmatic shifts under presidents such as Paul Brest and Larry Kramer, each redirecting priorities toward systematic grant evaluation and advocacy for evidence‑based policy.

Mission and Programs

The foundation’s stated mission emphasizes enabling individuals to exercise informed choices and improving lives through effective philanthropy. Program areas have included long‑term investments in environmental conservation (notable grantees include World Resources Institute and Natural Resources Defense Council), global development (with grants to International Rescue Committee and Oxfam), and education reform (supporting organizations like KIPP and research at RAND Education and Labor). Other major programmatic commitments have involved the performing arts (grants to institutions such as the San Francisco Opera and Lincoln Center), and support for science policy centers including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory collaborations and funding for open access and digital information initiatives involving the Internet Archive and Public Knowledge. The foundation has also backed think tanks such as Center for American Progress, Cato Institute, and American Enterprise Institute through specific projects, while funding legal and civic organizations like the ACLU and Brennan Center for Justice.

Grantmaking and Funding Strategy

Grantmaking strategy blends large institutional endowments with targeted program grants, multi‑year grants, and challenge grants. The foundation operates grantmaking processes similar to peers such as the Gates Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York, using internal program officers and external advisory panels drawn from academia and the nonprofit sector, including individuals affiliated with Harvard University, Yale University, and University of Chicago. Funding vehicles have included direct grants to nonprofits, program‑related investments, and partnerships with global financing mechanisms like the Global Environment Facility and multilaterals including the World Bank. The foundation emphasizes measurable outcomes, supporting evaluation by research institutions such as Mathematica Policy Research and Pew Charitable Trusts‑funded studies, while also participating in donor collaboratives such as the Open Philanthropy Project network and coordinating with regional funders like the San Francisco Foundation.

Governance and Leadership

Governance is overseen by a board of directors and senior executives drawn from philanthropy, academia, and industry. Past presidents and leaders have included Paul Brest and Larry Kramer; later executives have come from backgrounds linked to Stanford University, Harvard Kennedy School, and nonprofit management networks such as Independent Sector. Trustees historically include members of the Hewlett family and independent philanthropists with ties to Silicon Valley firms like Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. The foundation employs program staff with expertise in areas connected to grantee organizations such as Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and Union of Concerned Scientists, and advisory relationships with scholars from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University inform strategic decisions.

Impact and Criticism

The foundation has had measurable impact across multiple sectors: influencing policy debates at institutions like the Brookings Institution and Center for Strategic and International Studies, accelerating conservation projects with World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International, and shaping education research agendas through grants to RAND Corporation and university research centers. Critics have questioned the disproportionate influence of major philanthropies, citing debates involving foundations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation about accountability, transparency, and priority setting. Specific critiques addressed the foundation’s funding of advocacy organizations and think tanks including Center for American Progress and American Enterprise Institute, raising issues similar to controversies that involved the Soros Open Society Foundations regarding ideological balance and public policy influence. Scholars from Columbia University and Harvard University have published analyses of philanthropic power dynamics that reference the foundation in discussions of elite networks and funding concentration. In response, the foundation has increased grant reporting, evaluation partnerships with entities like Independent Sector and Charity Navigator, and engagement with community stakeholders exemplified by collaborations with regional groups such as the San Mateo County nonprofits.

Category:Foundations based in the United States