Nominations open for Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize

At $2.5 million, the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize is the world’s largest annual humanitarian award presented to nonprofit organizations judged to have made extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering.

The Prize is presented not to an individual, but to a nonprofit organization—to focus attention on the great need for humanitarian aid worldwide and to shine a light on those organizations providing solutions for impacted communities across the globe.

The Prize is not only intended to recognize and advance the efforts of the recipient organization, but also to call attention to the worldwide need for humanitarian aid and to encourage others to expand their support.

Eligibility Criteria

• Nominee Eligibility
  • Nominees must be organizations, not individuals.
  • Nominees must be established, nongovernmental, publicly supported charitable organizations. U.S. Internal Revenue Service tax-exempt status—or the equivalent for international organizations—will determine eligibility. (International nominees will be contacted by the Foundation for appropriate documentation.)
  • Nominees must be legally established for at least five years in order to be considered.
  • Nominees must have their own audited financial statements for at least five years.
  • Nominees must have expenditures greater than U.S. $750,000 in their most recent audited fiscal year of operation.
  • Nominees may not be a Hilton Humanitarian Prize Laureate or a local office or member organization of a Prize Laureate.
  • Nominees may not be local offices or member organizations of parent organizations or fiscally sponsored organizations.
  • Nominees may not be specific programs within organizations or university-based projects.
  • Nominees may not be academic institutions, such as colleges or universities that provide educational degrees, however, nominees may be an affiliate of academic institutions so long as they maintain an independent tax-exempt status, or equivalent for international organizations, and produce their own audited financials.
• Nominator Qualifications
  • The nominator should have direct knowledge of the nominated organization’s work.
  • The nominator may not be an officer or employee, or any individual receiving remuneration for his or her services from the nominated organization. Board members may nominate providing they receive no payment for their service.
  • The nominator may not be a family member of an officer or employee of the nominated organization.
  • The nominator may not be the founder of the nominated organization.
  • The nominator may not be a Conrad N. Hilton Foundation employee, board member, Prize juror or a family member of a Foundation employee, board member, or Prize juror.
  • The nominator may not be a Hilton family member.

Evaluation Considerations

• The nomination letter should emphasize the organization’s accomplishments rather than future goals. Both historic and recent performance should be addressed. Following are elements to consider in describing your nominee’s work:
  • Extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering.
  • Significance of the issue(s) the organization is addressing.
  • Established record of achievement in significantly contributing to solutions.
  • Demonstration of a compelling programmatic approach to make a lasting impact.
  • Organizational capacity and administrative efficiency to address the issue(s) at hand.
  • Prioritization of diversity, equity and inclusion in strategies, programs and operation.
  • Demonstration of effective partnerships to leverage further impact.
  • Prioritization of evaluating programmatic approach for continual improvement.
  • Impact the Prize would have on the organization and the issue(s) on which the organization focuses.

For more information, visit Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.