Hemera was founded in 2007 with the intention of spending its endowment within 25 years. Seeking to increase the proportion of the funds going to beneficiaries, the Board elected to complete the spend up in 2028. As a spend-up foundation, Hemera has developed partnerships with the knowledge that our relationships will end while the work of the grantees will continue.
Hemera has awarded $48m since its inception in 2007, allocated as shown in the chart below. There is approximately $14m left in the endowment, much of it already committed. Although Hemera does not have any specific annual spending targets, we have tended to average commitments totaling between $2.0m and $4.0m a year.
Hemera’s largest grantee has been Harvard University’s Center for the Developing Child, accounting for over 7% of total granted funds to date, followed by the Renee Crown Wellness Institute at the University of Colorado. Hemera has awarded grants to almost 450 organizations and individuals.
