Project files of humanitarian projects worldwide comprise the bulk of the records. These include reports, correspondence, photographs, maps, and architectural drawings. Also included are Fund correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, and publications. Gift of the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters, 2000-[ongoing]. Processed by Mark G. Thiel, 2003-2021.

Historical Note

Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Sr. (1887-1979), an American hotelier and founder of the worldwide Hilton Hotels. He founded the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (Foundation) in 1944 and directed it to "relieve the suffering, the distressed, and the destitute" in his last will and testament. The Foundation remained relatively small until Hilton’s death, when it received the bulk of his estate. Hilton especially admired the charitable works of Roman Catholic religious sisters, which led the Foundation to establish the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters (Fund) in 1986, and in 1999, it also established the annual Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. The foundation and its entities have assets of $1.8 billion and have dispersed $250 million in grants since their inception.

The Hilton Fund for Sisters began to award grants in 1988. It operates under the auspices of the Archbishop of Los Angeles and is the principal beneficiary of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Most awards have been under $15,000 for project materials, essential equipment, and operating expenses. The proposals are intended to serve directly the economically disadvantaged and to enable congregations of women religious of the developing world to develop their educational and communication skills. Health care, education, clean water, and economic development are priority concerns and each project must have at least one full-time staff member who is a vowed member of a Roman Catholic woman’s religious congregation. The Fund director regularly visits projects worldwide and networks with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), the Foundations and Donors interested in Catholic Activities (FADICA), and the Assembly of Catholic Foundations.

Notable People

Year	Executive Director
1987-1990	Sister Barbara Garland, S.C.
1990-1995	Sister Mary Ewens, O.P.
1996-1999	Sister Marcia Sichol, S.H.C.J.
1999-2011	Sister Joyce Meyer, P.B.V.M.
2012-	Sister Marcia Sichol, S.H.C.J.

 

Notable Events

Year	Event
1986	The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (Foundation) established the Archbishop's Fund for Sisters (Fund) as part of the Foundation but with autonomous administration by a committee under the auspices of the Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles (Archbishop) with its offices located in the Chancery of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
1986-1990s	Lengthy litigation between Barron Hilton, the Foundation, and certain congregations of women religious, hampered the Fund's initial development.
1990	The Fund renamed itself the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters.
1992?	The Fund separated from the Foundation and incorporated as an independent non-profit organization with a separate board of directors under the Archbishop's auspices.
	Sr. Joeann Daley accompanied the director to the Fund's meetings with East Central European woman religious and developed art prints (Sr. Joeann Daley, O.P., Collection) to express their feelings.
1996	The Marquette University Archives and Special Collections Department became the Fund's archival repository.
1999	The Fund launched its website, refined its funding goals and procedures, and relocated its offices with the Foundation.
2008	The Fund revised and published new guidelines.
2010	In conjunction with the Foundation, the fund began new initiatives regarding clean water and homelessness.

 

Scope and Content

Series 1, Projects: Processed through 2000. The files of funded projects are arranged alphabetically in English by country with alternative names in parenthesis and there under by project number. Projects from the United States also arranged and thereunder by project number. Projects from the District of Columbia or no specific state listed at the end and thereunder by project number. English is the principal language employed by the Conrad N. Hilton Fund and English is required for all project documentation. However, occasional documents are written in other lingua francas (e.g. Spanish). All project names are listed in either English or the local language, according to the preference of the project authors.

The Hilton Fund for Sisters has identified the projects from several autonomous regions and/or newly independent countries with independent listings. These areas are so-listed and cross-referenced as follows.

American Samoa: An autonomous region under United States jurisdiction.

Bosnia and Hercegovina: An independent nation since 1991 and formerly a republic of Yugoslavia.

Croatia (an independent nation since 1991 and formerly a republic of Yugoslavia.

Czech Republic: An independent nation since 1993 and formerly the western nation of Czechoslovakia.

England: An autonomous region of Great Britain within the United Kingdom.

Eritrea: An independent nation since 1993 and formerly an Ethiopian province.

Hong Kong: An autonomous region of China.

Northern Ireland: An autonomous region of Ireland within the United Kingdom.

Puerto Rico: An autonomous region under United States jurisdiction.

Samoa: An independent nation since 1976, formerly known as Western Samoa to 1997.

Slovakia: An independent nation since 1993 and formerly the eastern nation of Czechoslovakia.

Taiwan (Republic of China): An autonomous region of China.

Virgin Islands of the United States: An autonomous region under United States jurisdiction.

West Bank: An autonomous Palestinian region since 1967 and formerly a territory of Jordan.

These project files include proposals and progress reports. Some (but not all) photography has been separated and arranged in a distinct series. Not all project files received (e.g. those received since 2000) are identified in the online inventory. For further assistance, Ask an Archivist.

Restrictions: Restricted for 25 years from date of creation. Access to restricted records require permission in writing from the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters.

Series 2, Photography: The photographs are all color prints that were received as part of the project files. For preservation purposes, they were separated but are arranged according to the same scheme as follows. The prints are arranged hierarchically and alphabetically according to the places where the projects were based. The alphabetical arrangement begins with the names of the countries or United States autonomous territories in English. There under the alphabetical arrangement continues with the names of provinces or states and/or cities in English, followed by the project names in English or the language of the given country and dates. Place-names in the language of the country represented appear in parenthesis after the name in English whenever the names differ. Unless regarded as “common knowledge,” abbreviations in titles are written out. Project proposals from the former Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia are alphabetized independently under the names of the succeeding countries, i.e. Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and proposals from the United States autonomous territories are alphabetized independently under the territorial names, i.e. American Samoa, Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands. Although projects may be named in languages other than English, English is the language used in describing all photographs.

Restrictions: Restricted for 25 years from date of creation. Access to restricted records require permission in writing from the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters.

Series 3, Proceedings: Proceedings of committee meetings, which include agendas, minutes, and memos, plus lists and biographical sketches of the board of directors, policies and procedures, and a history of the Fund for Sisters.

Restrictions: Restricted for 25 years from date of creation. Access to restricted records require permission in writing from the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters.

Series 4, Publications: The Fund's print and video publications describe the vision of Conrad N. Hilton and its implementation. Seeds of Hope: Catholic Sisters in Action around the World (ca. 2009) presents representative case studies of projects financed by the Fund worldwide, a summary of which is available on the Fund's website. Captures of past versions of the Fund's website are available on request.

Series 5, Correspondence: Letters, news clippings, reports on finances, historical research, policies and procedures, projects funded, and field trips by the Fund's director; Fund committee and board minutes, annual reports, incorporation papers, bylaws, and amendments; and pertinent Hilton Foundation board minutes. Field trip reports by the executive director exist for only a few international visits. Most notable are:

1992: 10 meetings in Europe about the Fund for religious communities from the former Communist countries of East Central Europe.

1994: Toured projects and congregations of women religious in South America.

1995: Attended and exhibited Fund information in five languages at the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

1997: Toured projects in Africa.

Restrictions: Restricted for 25 years from date of creation. Access to restricted records require permission in writing from the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters.

Series 6, Financial Records: Unprocessed.

Restrictions: Restricted for 25 years from date of creation. Access to restricted records require permission in writing from the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters

Series 7, Website: By employing the online service "Archive-it," the Marquette University Archives has captured the Hilton Fund for Sisters' website twice a year since 2011. This includes all public pages plus attached newsletters, handouts, photography, and video recordings.

More Related Resources

• Sister Joeann Daley, O.P., Collection: Artwork, which visualizes the post-Communist-era reawakening of Catholic women religious in East Central Europe, which resulted from 1992 Fund meetings there for Catholic women religious.