Hemingway Foundation

The Richard K. and Shirley S. Hemingway Foundation is a relationship-first family trust that requires patience, geographic specificity, and deep program alignment before a first grant can be secured. Established in 1987 by Richard K. Hemingway — a banking executive who rose to chair Commercial Security Bank in Salt Lake City — and Shirley Hemingway, a University of Utah and Columbia University graduate who served as president of the Ogden Symphony Guild, the foundation reflects its founders' dual commitment to arts stewardship and community strengthening. That founding DNA shows up clearly in both the three program pillars and the grantees the foundation publicly highlights: Pioneer Theatre Company (arts access), Holy Cross Ministries (social services), Volunteers of America Homeless Youth Program (self-sufficiency), and The Children's Center (youth services).

Governance is tight and family-controlled. Hank Hemingway serves as unpaid President. A Grants Committee comprising five individuals — Kathleen Hemingway, Richard Hemingway, Olivia Mason, Charles Cardon, and George Cardon — holds review and decision authority. Northern Trust Company (Chicago) serves as institutional trustee and receives $87K–$194K annually for administrative management. This structure means grant decisions are made by people with generational ties to Utah and Idaho communities, not professional program officers reviewing hundreds of proposals.

The most critical thing first-time applicants must understand in 2026 is that the foundation is currently closed to new organizations. Only those funded between 2022 and 2024 may submit this year. For organizations not yet in the portfolio, the right move is to treat 2026 as preparation time: research the foundation's funded grantees, build presence in the Wasatch Front and Southern Idaho civic communities where this foundation is embedded, and position your organization for the next open cycle. Attending events hosted by Pioneer Theatre Company, Holy Cross Ministries, or similar current grantees can surface informal pathways.

When applications do reopen, successful first-time applicants will demonstrate hyperlocal geographic ties (Northern Utah or Southern/Central Idaho), a clear fit with one of three program pillars, and measurable community outcomes. The foundation does not publish grant ranges on its website, favoring relationships over public RFP processes. First impressions matter disproportionately here — there is no LOI to test fit before submitting a full application.

The Hemingway Foundation operates as a pure endowment vehicle with $17.0M in total assets as of FY2024 and no external contributions received in any year on record. All giving derives from investment returns, making annual payout directly correlated with portfolio performance.

Annual giving by fiscal year: - FY2024: ~$957K in charitable disbursements (grants paid not separately disclosed in 990-PF) - FY2023: $1,180,995 total giving; $820,098 grants paid to grantees - FY2022: $1,633,756 total giving; $1,203,371 grants paid - FY2021: $1,637,838 total giving; $1,289,142 grants paid (exceptional year: $4.3M net investment income) - FY2020: $1,295,086 total giving; $1,012,431 grants paid - FY2019: $1,379,502 total giving; $1,019,333 grants paid - FY2015: $1,227,631 total giving; $887,534 grants paid - FY2012: $1,053,111 total giving; $751,562 grants paid

The long-run trend shows steady growth from $751K (FY2012) to a peak of $1.64M (FY2021–2022), followed by a retreat to $957K–$1.18M as investment income normalized. The divergence between "total giving" and "grants paid" in 990-PF filings reflects required distribution calculations that include Northern Trust's trustee fees ($87K–$194K annually) and other administrative expenses — actual grant checks to nonprofits are the lower "grants paid" figure.

Because grantees are filed as "See Attached Schedule" in IRS public records, individual grant amounts are not publicly visible. Based on total grants paid ($820K–$1.3M annually) and the foundation's three focus areas and two geographies, individual grants likely fall in the $25,000–$200,000 range, with flagship multi-year grantees potentially receiving $150K–$300K per year. The Grantable platform, which parses 990-PF schedules, records approximately 1 principal disbursement of $733K in FY2024 — though this may reflect a rollup of multiple grantees rather than a single grant. No geography breakdown is published; both Northern Utah and Southern/Central Idaho programs compete within the same annual pool, with the two-window system (February for Arts/Environment, August for Social Services) providing the only structural allocation signal.

The foundation database contains no recorded peer comparisons for this funder. The table below uses similar Utah-region private foundations identified from public IRS 990 filings and grant databases. Asset and giving figures for peer foundations are approximate estimates from most recent available 990-PF records and should be verified independently.

The Hemingway Foundation occupies the mid-tier of Utah's private family foundation landscape — substantially smaller than the prominent Eccles family foundations, which command $90M–$700M in assets and multimillion-dollar annual giving, but meaningfully larger than small family trusts distributing under $500K annually. Its three-pillar structure (arts, environment, self-sufficiency) is broader than most peer foundations of similar size, which tend to concentrate on one or two areas. Its geography — Northern Utah and Southern/Central Idaho simultaneously — is also distinctive; most comparably sized Utah foundations focus exclusively within state lines. This breadth-within-a-modest-budget dynamic means the foundation tends to make targeted project grants rather than large general operating support awards.

The most significant development in the foundation's recent history is the 2026 transition to invited-only applications. The foundation's website, updated for the current cycle, explicitly states that organizations not funded between 2022 and 2024 are ineligible to apply in 2026 — a shift from prior years when some form of open inquiry was available. This consolidation aligns with a broader trend in family philanthropy toward sustained relationships with a smaller, trusted grantee cohort.

Financially, FY2024 total assets rose to $17.02M (up from $15.75M in FY2023), reflecting portfolio recovery after a negative revenue year in FY2023 (-$396,059 total revenue). The FY2021 peak — driven by $4.3M in net investment income and $19.7M in assets — remains the high-water mark; giving has since moderated.

Governance has remained stable with no publicly reported leadership transitions. Hank Hemingway continues as unpaid President; Northern Trust Company (Chicago) remains institutional trustee. The Grants Committee family composition — Hemingway, Mason, and Cardon family members — has been consistent across multiple 990-PF filing years.

No press releases, new program launches, or public announcements were found in 2025–2026 web research beyond the application eligibility update. The foundation maintains an intentionally low public profile with no social media presence and minimal third-party grant database coverage, consistent with a private trust operating outside public sector funding ecosystems.

Because the foundation is currently closed to new applicants in 2026, the most valuable tips fall into two categories: preparation steps for the next open cycle, and execution guidance for current grantees submitting this year.

For current grantees (2022–2024 recipients): - Submit Arts/Environmental/Other applications February 1–28 (watch for extensions to early March as occurred in 2026). Submit Human/Social Services applications August 1–31. Missing the window disqualifies your submission for that cycle. - Log into your existing GrantInterface account rather than creating a new one. The portal tracks your prior grants and reporting history, which reviewers can see. - Attach updated financials and a fresh U.S. Treasury 501(c)(3) determination letter even if nothing has changed — the foundation's stated policy is automatic rejection without it. - Expect summer notifications for arts/environment grants and year-end notifications for social services grants. Do not follow up before those windows close.

For new organizations preparing for future cycles: - Mirror the foundation's own language precisely. Use terms like "broadening access to the arts," "moving toward stabilization and self-sufficiency," "protecting and restoring natural habitats" — these appear verbatim on the foundation's website and signal a reviewer-friendly application. - Commit to one program pillar per application. Cross-pillar proposals (arts therapy for low-income youth, eco-therapy for self-sufficiency) dilute focus. Pick your strongest pillar and thread secondary impacts naturally. - Document hyperlocal geographic reach. "Serving Utah" is insufficient — name specific Wasatch Front communities, Weber County programs, or Twin Falls / Burley-area Idaho projects. - Avoid generic grant-writing language about organizational sustainability or theory of change. The foundation's founder background in banking suggests preference for organizations with sound financial management and evidence-based outcomes. - Build relationships now: volunteer events hosted by Holy Cross Ministries, Pioneer Theatre Company productions, or environmental convenings in northern Utah are indirect pathways to community visibility before a formal application cycle opens.