Agoura Hills' Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to Give $2 Million Humanitarian Prize

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation announced today it will increase its namesake prize to $2 million, and set aside a like amount to strengthen collaboration and professional development among its network of past award winners.

The $500,000 increase in the value of the Hilton Humanitarian Prize -- awarded to groups working to “alleviate human suffering” -- coincides with its 20th anniversary, chief executive Steven Hilton said.

Past winners of the world’s biggest humanitarian award include Operation Smile, the International Rescue Committee, Casa Alianza, and Women for Women International. This year’s recipient will be announced Oct. 14.

In addition to increasing the prize money, the Agoura Hills-based Hilton Foundation is making a $2 million grant to formalize and bolster working relationships among organizations that have won the humanitarian prize in past years.

The Hilton Prize Coalition launches with two projects: a fellowship program to inspire “a new generation of humanitarian leaders” and a three- year pilot program to help previous prize winners develop a collaborative disaster response, Hilton said.

“For 20 years, the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize has proudly helped fuel the success of some of the world’s most influential nonprofit organizations in their efforts to alleviate human suffering,” Hilton said.

“The foundation’s investment to formalize the Hilton Prize Coalition furthers our support for such important humanitarian work by engaging the next generation of humanitarian leaders, and developing an innovative model to respond to disasters.”

City News Service