William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a nonpartisan, private charitable foundation that advances ideas and supports institutions to promote a better world.

For more than 50 years, we have supported efforts to advance education for all, preserve the environment, improve lives and livelihoods in developing countries, promote the health and economic well-being of women, support vibrant performing arts, strengthen Bay Area communities and make the philanthropy sector more effective.

The foundation was established in 1966 by engineer and entrepreneur William R. Hewlett and his wife, Flora Lamson Hewlett, with their eldest son, Walter Hewlett. Today, it is one of the largest philanthropic institutions in the United States, awarding roughly $400 million in grants in 2017 to organizations across the globe to help people build better lives. Our philanthropic approach, and our core areas of grantmaking, remain connected to the ethos and values of our founders.

Established through the personal generosity of the Hewlett family, the foundation is wholly independent of the Hewlett Packard Company and the Hewlett Packard Company Foundation.

Our Grants

We make grants to a broad range of institutions – from research universities contributing to public knowledge and performing arts centers engaging local diverse communities, to grassroots organizations representing millions of individuals and multilateral groups working on international development.

At any one time, more than 1,550 of our grants are active. In 2017, the foundation awarded $407,525,000 in grants and disbursed roughly $430,000,000 in grant payments. As of December 31, 2017, the foundation’s assets were approximately $9.7 billion. View our financial statements and public disclosures, as well as grantmaking FAQ.

Our People

The Hewlett Foundation depends on a cooperative working relationship between our president, board and staff. Our board of directors always includes four members of the Hewlett family and between five and 11 other leaders drawn from philanthropy, government, business, education and civil society. Our president, Larry Kramer, is a constitutional law scholar and the former dean of Stanford Law School. We have approximately 120 employees, all located in the Bay Area, working together to advance the foundation’s mission and support our grantees. View our demographics and open positions.