Community and Connection

Our businesses and colleagues connect through our support of the communities where we live and work. Volunteering, fundraising, working together for good: Purpose is an integral part of who we are. We use our platforms to raise awareness for important causes and create opportunities for others. In myriad ways, Hearst gives back and pays it forward.

Three people sitting on a chair while doing a work on a table

Woman holding orange bag packing bottles.

Woman in white Hearst printed t-shirt holding a clear transparent plastic bag.

Across the company, colleagues gave back to our communities, supporting kids in foster care, individuals living with disease, those experiencing homelessness and so many other important causes.

Group photo in front of a wall with the RISE image

Hearst RISE Supplier Diversity Program

Hearst's Supplier Diversity program identifies, promotes and purchases goods and services from historically underrepresented groups. The program hosts events around the country to meet business owners and discuss opportunities. In February, Hearst executives from Texas, Charlotte, North Carolina and New York met with business owners at the Houston Chronicle.

Photo of a large pool surrounded by white pillar structures

2023 saw a resurgence of charitable events at the Hearst San Simeon property, benefiting a range of causes, including Wilshire Hospice, the Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation and the Hearst Cancer Resource Center, whose Share the Hope fundraiser raised over $450,000.

Fitch honored Earth Day with hands-on volunteering, donations and educational activities, including conducting tree inventories, monitoring pollinators, cleaning up rivers and learning about urban farming.

Picture of Frank Bennack and Michael Douglas

Hearst Executive Vice Chairman Frank Bennack is also the chair of the Paley Center for Media. In November, Paley hosted its International Council Summit, which brought together thought leaders and innovators for an engaging exchange of ideas. The event included conversations with former United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice; Apple Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue; actor, producer and United Nations Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas and many others on the theme of “Breaking Boundaries: How New Ideas Are Reshaping Media.”

Hearst Health Prize

Photo of man and woman beside each other while walking with Hearst Health and UCLA logos

Hearst Health, in partnership with the UCLA Center for SMART Health, awarded Stanford Medicine the 2023 Hearst Health Prize for its artificial intelligence solution that helps identify patients at risk for heart attacks.

“Volunteering is a great way to give back and also meet people outside of our office. It’s an hour in the day to do something nice, and it’s so much fun.”

—Grace Lee, Sustainable Fitch

Two women stood talking on stage at a Fitch Charity event

Fitch Ratings hosted an inaugural charity event in London to benefit the David Riddell Memorial CIO, which supports mental health awareness. The event was Fitch Ratings’ largest-ever charity event in Europe, raising over £500K!

Group photo of Fitch colleagues holding up backpacks packed for School in a Bag; packed backpacks lined up in hallway; photo of bags and items

Throughout the year, Fitch colleagues volunteered to promote access to education with activities such as packing 250 backpacks to aid children in Turkey and Syria affected by earthquakes. Fitch Group also committed to delivering 10,000 school bags by 2025 to support the education of children around the world.

Photo of a man in a yellow jacket addresses group of KOCO-TV volunteers

After devastating tornadoes hit Oklahoma, KOCO-TV pitched in to clean up in their Oklahoma City-area communities.

Group photo of WISN-TV colleagues at a Pride March holding a WISN-Tv banner

WISN-TV took part in vibrant Pride Month celebrations in Wisconsin, including marching in the Milwaukee Pride parade.

Group photo of people at NAB Foundation event

Hearst Television celebrated the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation Emerson Coleman Fellowship, named in honor of the former HTV senior vice president of programming, who is pictured here top left with, at front row center, Matter of Fact host Soledad O'Brien. The fellowship aims to increase representation in broadcasting by providing talented students from diverse communities with real-world experience.

GIF of three Women's History Month photos with "The Art of Moving Forward" quote on the left side.

In celebration of trailblazing women during Women’s History Month, Hearst Magazines and New York City’s Whitney Museum of American Art partnered to create “The Art of Moving Forward” — an initiative spanning 12 magazines, featuring female artists pushing boundaries, sharing stories of past and future, loss and triumph, identity and more through the lens of forward movement.

Colleagues recorded nearly 25,000 hours of service and volunteering on Hearst Gives Back and Fitch Community.

Photo of four women with an award sat on WCVB-TV set at NAACP conference

WCVB-TV was the exclusive local broadcast partner for the NAACP Convention in Boston, sharing compelling stories across its platforms for the community to reflect on and learn from.

Thumbnail photo of Morgan Freeman in black suit jacket and blue dress shirt.

During Heart Month, A+E Networks stars, including Morgan Freeman, filmed a PSA to raise awareness of the warning signs of cardiovascular disease.

Thank you for your generosity! Together, our donations on Hearst Gives Back and Fitch Community, plus the Hearst match, contributed $7.4 million to more than 10,000 organizations.

WCVB-TV teamed up with ESPN to broadcast the 127th Boston Marathon locally, including coverage in Spanish on ESPN Deportes for the first time.

KCCI-TV, Des Moines, Iowa, was recognized by the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation for its investigative series “Essential: Iowa’s EMS Emergency,” receiving the 2023 Celebration of Service to America Award for exceptional service to the community.

Photo of a woman being filmed cooking in front of a group of people

Hearst Magazines in Birmingham, Alabama, welcomed National Association of Black Journalists conference attendees to their offices to connect with recruiters and enjoy prepped-on-the-premises snacks from Country Living and The Pioneer Woman Magazine.

As part of 9/11 National Day of Service, ESPN colleagues joined the NFL to pack 600,000 nutritious meals to benefit families at risk of hunger across New York City. In total, more than 6.4 million meals were packed across 18 cities.

GIF of Hearst Bay Area's Diversity & Inclusion Committee packing supplies in bags to aid children in Turkey & Syria.

Hearst Bay Area’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee volunteered at Project Open Hand in San Francisco to sort and bag food items for those in need.

Photo of four MCG Health colleagues with MCG graphic layout

MCG colleagues volunteered at Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit that works with food distribution partners that have long-term connections to local communities.

Black Book volunteered with Helping Mamas, a nonprofit in metro Atlanta that collects supplies for babies and mothers, serving over 150 different agencies in the area.

Social good connects us: MCG and MOTOR colleagues in Seattle volunteered at Food Lifeline, sorting and repackaging more than 6,500 pounds of food for families in the area experiencing hunger.

Photo of Christmas tree and Hannukah menorah surrounded by toys at Hearst Tower

NYC colleagues donated 277 toys in the 2023 Toy Drive in partnership with United Way of NYC to spread holiday cheer to local students and help them have a bright holiday season.

Brooklyn Marshall, a Hearst colleague, filmed reading a children's book

Story time! On Giving Tuesday, colleagues volunteered to support their communities, including participating in recorded book readings for Children’s Aid, which shared them with early childhood centers to inspire learning.

The Hearst Foundations, philanthropies operating independently from Hearst, have been making grants to exceptional U.S. nonprofits in the areas of culture, health, education and social service since 1946 and in the last quarter of 2023, the Foundations marked $1.5 billion of giving.

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NYC Career Discovery Week

Hearst hosted a group of 10th graders from DeWitt Clinton High School at Hearst Tower as part of Partnership for New York City's Career Discovery Week. Students experienced a taste of #HearstLife with a tour of the Good Housekeeping Institute, lunch in CAFE57, cupcake decorating with Food Network Magazine and inspiring conversations with colleagues and senior executives, including President and CEO Steve Swartz.

Thumbnail photo of a person in a white Hearst gives back printed shirt tying shoe lace of a child.

WBAL-TV colleagues spent the afternoon helping to fit 340 students at a Baltimore elementary school with new pairs of socks and sneakers.

Photo of Hearst Magazines Italy colleagues stood in front of Porta Sempione arch in Milan

Run for Inclusion

Colleagues at Hearst Magazines Italy joined 6,000 others for the Run for Inclusion race in Milan in support of positivity and a more inclusive society.

Three Black Book colleagues dressed in golf gear standing around a banner

Canadian Black Book spent the day on the greens and helped raise $34K at the Kathy Ward Memorial Golf Tournament, presented by Tim Hortons Foundation Camps, to honor the memory of their former CEO Kathy Ward.

More than 550 nominations were received for the 2023 Hearst Gives Back Service Awards, which recognize the positive impact Hearst colleagues are making in communities around the world. This year’s honorees provided housing and food assistance; empowerment and support for individuals with disabilities; aid to Ukrainian refugees; research funding to help find a cure for childhood cancer, breast cancer, Alzheimer’s and lung disease; mentoring for children in underserved communities; and more.

Thumbnail photo of Hearst Gives Back Service Awards

Pitch HearstLab

A+E Networks partnered with HearstLab for a short film series on its $100K pitch competition, designed to find and fund women-led start-ups around the world. The pilot will debut in spring 2024!

Photo of Fitch London colleagues holding a volleyball on a beach volleyball court

Fitch colleagues in London served, set and spiked it at Canary Wharf’s annual Beach Volleyball tournament, battling through sun, sand and rain to raise money for education charity AFK.

COMMUNITY &CONNECTION

COMMUNITY &
CONNECTION