Sidney Hillman Foundation Banners

The Sidney Hillman Foundation was named for the labor leader, Sidney Hillman (1887-1946), who was the first president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA). Immediately after his death, his union wished to honor him with a memorial that would carry on his commitments to the lives of working people. On November 17, 1946, the General Executive Board of the ACWA voted to establish the Sidney Hillman Foundation. ACWA contributed the first $100,000 and then raised one million dollars from other organizations. In 1947, the Board of Directors issued the first grants for scholarships, research and lectures on college campuses, and for medical research at the Sidney Hillman Health Centers.

In 1950, the Foundation launched the Hillman Prize in order to promote socially-responsible journalism. Starting with awards in Book, Magazine, Newspaper, and Broadcast, the prize is now also offered in the categories of Photojournalism, Web, and Opinion and Analysis. One important note is that the Hillman Foundation changed its dating system for prizes in 1999/ 2000. The Foundation decided to name the prize for the year it was given rather than the year the work was produced, changing the pattern of the previous fifty years. This new system continues to the present. This means that in effect there are no prizes for the year 1999, but a year was not skipped in the granting of awards.