Hertz Foundation

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, commonly known as the Hertz Foundation, is an American nonprofit organization that provides fellowships to exceptional graduate students pursuing doctoral research in applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Its fellowship is designed not merely as tuition assistance, but as long-term support for researchers considered capable of making consequential contributions to science, technology, and national capability. John D. Hertz established the foundation in 1957 during the Cold War. The foundation's original purpose was connected to strengthening American scientific and engineering capacity at a time when the United States and Soviet Union were competing for technological and military advantage. Hertz's contribution was recognized in 1958 when he received the Department of Defense's highest civilian honor for his service to national security. The organization initially awarded undergraduate scholarships, particularly to financially constrained students studying mechanical and electrical engineering. In 1963, the foundation shifted away from undergraduate scholarships and adopted its present graduate-level model. The program was broadened to cover applied science and a wider range of engineering disciplines, while the awards were structured to support students working toward the PhD. This change established the foundation's defining emphasis on intellectual independence. Hertz Fellows receive freedom to pursue research directions of their own choosing rather than being tied to a narrowly prescribed project or sponsor. The program is intended to cultivate a durable, cross-generational community of research leaders, inventors, and entrepreneurs. The fellowship can provide as much as $250,000 over five years of graduate study, depending on the fellow's circumstances and the applicable award structure. In addition to financial support, fellows receive access to alumni mentoring, professional relationships, scholarly exchanges, and other activities associated with the Hertz Fellows Community. Fellowship membership is lifelong. Recipients also make a commitment to make their skills available to the United States in times of national emergency, reflecting the program's historical connection to national scientific preparedness. Selection is highly competitive. Candidates are evaluated for academic achievement, originality, technical ability, and the potential to advance knowledge or develop important applications. In the process described for 2024, the foundation narrowed the applicant pool to roughly 50 finalists after interviews and selected approximately 15 to 20 fellows. Earlier figures illustrate the program's selectivity: for the 2017–2018 academic year, nearly 800 applicants competed for 10 awards. Since the fellowship program began, the foundation has supported more than 1,300 fellows. A large proportion have come from leading American research universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, the California Institute of Technology, and Harvard University. The alumni community is a central part of the foundation's identity and impact. Hertz Fellows have gone on to become academic researchers, entrepreneurs, technology executives, military and government leaders, astronauts, and award-winning scientists. Alumni include Nobel laureates, a Fields Medalist, a Turing Award recipient, NASA astronauts, senior public officials, and founders of technology companies. Connections among fellows have supported collaborations in research, startups, and commercialization. The foundation also operates a Thesis Prize process. Fellows are expected to submit a copy of their doctoral dissertation after earning the PhD. A committee reviews the work for overall excellence and relevance to high-impact applications of the physical sciences. Thesis Prize recipients receive a $5,000 honorarium. Through i…

The Hertz Foundation was created in 1957 by John D. Hertz, a Jewish-Hungarian émigré and businessman who sought to strengthen American capability in applied science and engineering. Its creation took place during the Cold War, when scientific achievement was closely associated with national security and the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. Hertz's philanthropy consequently carried an explicitly national scientific purpose. In 1958, he received the Department of Defense's highest civilian award in recognition of his contribution to American security. The foundation's first program focused on undergraduate scholarships. These awards were intended for capable students, including students with limited financial resources, studying mechanical and electrical engineering. The early model reflected a desire to expand access to technical education while building a stronger pipeline of American engineers. In 1963, the foundation made a decisive strategic change. It discontinued the undergraduate scholarship program and replaced it with fellowships for graduate students pursuing doctorates. The scope of support expanded beyond the original engineering fields to include applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, and additional engineering disciplines. This graduate-level orientation became the foundation's enduring model. The redesigned fellowship emphasized autonomy. Rather than prescribing a specific research topic, the program sought students with the ability and ambition to identify important problems and pursue original solutions. The foundation's conception of a fellow combined scientific excellence with the potential for leadership in research, invention, entrepreneurship, and public service. Financial support was structured to give recipients room to change institutions, research directions, or advisers when appropriate during graduate study. Over subsequent decades, the fellowship developed into a lifelong network. Alumni mentoring, professional exchanges, scholarly contacts, and community events became important features of the program. Fellows pledge to make their skills available to the United States in an emergency, preserving a link to the foundation's Cold War-era concern with national scientific capacity. Membership in the Hertz Fellows Community continues for life rather than ending when the financial award concludes. The fellowship became known for its severe selectivity. By the early twenty-first century, the foundation had awarded fellowships to more than 1,300 scientists and engineers. Alumni have included Nobel laureates, a Fields Medalist, a Turing Award recipient, astronauts, senior military and government officials, university leaders, technology entrepreneurs, and influential researchers. The concentration of fellows at institutions such as MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Caltech, and Harvard reflects the program's reach within the American research system, while alumni collaborations have extended into startup formation, technology commercialization, and interdisciplinary research. A further element of the foundation's program is the Thesis Prize. After completing the PhD, each fellow provides the foundation with a dissertation. The Thesis Prize Committee assesses dissertations for intellectual quality and relevance to high-impact applications of the physical sciences. Winners receive a $5,000 honorarium, giving the foundation a mechanism to recognize achievement after the fellowship's primary period of support. The modern Hertz Foundation remains focused on a narrow but influential mission: identifying unusually promising early-career researchers and giving them substantial, flexible support. Its principal distinction is the combination of competitive selection, multi-year funding, research freedom, alumni mentoring, and permanent community membership.

1. 2024Selection process described

   The foundation's selection process was described as narrowing candidates to approximately 50 finalists and naming roughly 15 to 20 Hertz Fellows.

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2. 2022Alumni distribution reported

   Reported alumni counts showed especially large communities associated with MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Caltech, and Harvard.

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3. 2017Fellowship competitiveness illustrated

   Nearly 800 applicants competed for 10 fellowships for the 2017–2018 academic year, illustrating the program's exceptionally selective admissions process.

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4. 1963Program shifts to doctoral fellowships

   The foundation phased out undergraduate scholarships and introduced graduate fellowships supporting doctoral study in applied sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

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5. 1958Founder receives Department of Defense recognition

   John D. Hertz received the Department of Defense's highest civilian award for his contribution to United States security.

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6. 1957Foundation established

   John D. Hertz established the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation to support promising students and strengthen American capacity in applied science and engineering.

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A highly selective, long-term fellowship institution focused on intellectual independence, applied scientific research, engineering innovation, and the development of future scientific and technology leaders.

• Hertz FellowshipDoctoral fellowship1963

  The foundation's principal award supports exceptionally promising PhD students in applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, and engineering. It can provide up to $250,000 over five years of graduate study, with flexibility intended to preserve the recipient's freedom to choose research directions and pursue independent work. Fellows also receive access to alumni mentoring, professional exchanges, and the lifelong Hertz Fellows Community. The award is highly competitive and is intended for researchers with potential to lead scientific or technological advances.

• Hertz Thesis PrizeDoctoral dissertation prize

  The Thesis Prize recognizes outstanding doctoral dissertations produced by Hertz Fellows. After receiving the PhD, each fellow submits a dissertation for review by the foundation's Thesis Prize Committee. The committee considers both the overall quality of the work and its relevance to high-impact applications of the physical sciences. Each selected recipient receives a $5,000 honorarium.

• Hertz Fellows CommunityAlumni and mentoring network

  The Hertz Fellows Community extends beyond the funded period of the fellowship. It connects current and former fellows through mentoring, events, scholarly relationships, and professional support. Fellowship membership is lifelong, allowing alumni relationships to contribute to research partnerships, entrepreneurial activity, and technology commercialization across generations.

• 1963Replace undergraduate scholarships with doctoral fellowshipsStrategy

  The foundation initially supported undergraduate mechanical and electrical engineering students, but sought a model with a more direct effect on advanced research and scientific leadership.

  What changed. It phased out the undergraduate scholarship program and redirected resources toward fellowships for students pursuing PhDs in applied sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

  Aftermath. The change established the graduate fellowship model that continues to define the foundation and placed research independence at the center of its identity.

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1. Hertz Foundation
2. Hertz Foundation official website