About the Hertz Foundation
Our history
In the Cold War era that followed World War II, the Soviets launched Sputnik, and it was clear that the United States was lagging other nations in producing scientific and technical talent — and that gave transportation entrepreneur John Hertz an idea.
an urgent need
Investing in the future
Immigrant John Hertz and his wife Fannie saw an urgent need for the United States to make a greater investment in science and technology. In 1957, they established the Hertz Foundation and dedicated their fortune to fund a better future.
Gratitude for America
An Immigrant’s Story
Arriving in the United States as a poor immigrant and achieving success through hard work and ingenuity: It is the classic rags-to-riches American story. It is John Hertz’s story. And like others who have benefited from this land of opportunity, he sought a meaningful way of giving back.
On September 20, 1957, two weeks before the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, newspapers coast to coast spread the news that financier and auto industry entrepreneur John D. Hertz, an Austrian immigrant who hawked newspapers on the streets of Chicago at age five, would donate his multimillion-dollar fortune to set up a scholarship fund for engineers, subsidizing more than 100 undergraduate students a year.
“I had for some years been looking for a way to show my gratitude and love for America,” he told reporters when making the announcement. “Then one day I read that Russia was turning out 100 percent more mechanical and electrical engineers than the United States. It gave me a jolt—and also an idea.”
Hertz established the Fannie K. and John D. Hertz Engineering Scholarship Fund. The first board of directors included noted nuclear scientist Edward Teller, Robert Lehman of Lehman Brothers, and many other leaders in science, industry, and government.
Our Founders
About John Hertz
John Daniel Hertz was born Schandor Herz on April 10, 1879, to Katie and Jakob Herz in Sklabiňa, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, now Slovakia. When he was five years old, his family immigrated to Chicago.
John worked as a newsboy, boxer, reporter, and auto salesman before realizing tremendous success as an entrepreneur in the transportation industry.
Throughout his life, he expressed deep appreciation for the opportunities available to him in the United States. He regarded American freedom as crucial to his success in business and finance, as well as to the pursuit of his and Fannie’s avocation, the breeding and racing of outstanding horses. These opportunities, he often stated, would have been denied him in the land of his birth.
Our Founders
About Fannie Hertz
Frances “Fannie” Kesner was born January 25, 1881, to Saartje and Louis J. Kesner, a successful Chicago cigar manufacturer. Fannie and John met in their early twenties and were wed on July 15, 1903.
The constant companion and inspiration of John Hertz throughout his lifetime, Fannie was known for her gracious hospitality to friends and acquaintances across the country.
Like John, she loved horses. Together, they became leaders in breeding and racing outstanding horses, including three Kentucky Derby winners, one of which achieved the Triple Crown.
She was a devoted mother to their three children: Leona, Helen, and John D. Jr., who made headlines in 1942 when he married film star Myrna Loy.
An incubator of innovation
A Public Foundation
When the Hertz Foundation was established, John and Fannie put their fortune in the hands of appointed trustees, who honored their wish that the process be simple, “not be a complicated venture wrapped up in red tape and complicated rules,” and awarded as many fellowships as they could for as long as they could.
The original funding, however, was not intended to last forever. In 2000, the board of directors faced the decision of if, and how, to move forward. Funds were limited, but the remaining endowment was still a strong foundation that could be built upon. They took stock of the impact generated by the fellows and delivered an unequivocal decision: The fellowship program, which for decades had been quietly advancing some of the boldest ideas and most innovative solutions in science, engineering, and mathematics, should continue in perpetuity.
The wheels were set in motion, and in 2010, the Hertz Foundation moved from being a private to a public foundation. Today, the Hertz Fellowship Program has grown to be so much more than the undergraduate scholarship fund it was at the beginning. Over the last 60 years, it has become an incubator of innovation, providing fellows with the freedom to take risks and think in daring new directions.
GALLERY
“I had for some years been looking for a way to show my gratitude and love for America. Then one day I read that Russia was turning out 100 percent more mechanical and electrical engineers than the United States. It gave me a jolt—and also an idea.”
John Hertz
snapshot
TImeline of Events
Explore these notable firsts and other significant milestones in the history of the Hertz Foundation.
1957
Fannie and John Hertz Foundation established.
Hertz Foundation awarded undergraduate scholarships on a national scale through the Fannie K. and John D. Hertz Engineering Scholarship Fund.
1961
John Hertz dies at age 82.
1963
Fannie Hertz dies at age 82.
First doctoral Hertz Fellowships awarded.
1965
Margaret Fels becomes the first woman to receive a Hertz Fellowship.
1970
Roscoe Giles, the first African American to receive a PhD in physics from Stanford University, becomes the first African American to receive a Hertz Fellowship.
1972
Wilson K. Talley named the president of the Hertz Foundation, a position he held until 1999.
1999
Hertz Fellow John Holzrichter named the president of the Hertz Foundation, a position he held until 2009.
The Hertz Foundation establishes an endowed professorship at the University of California, Davis, in honor of Edward Teller, who urged John Hertz to support education in the applied sciences and became the first interviewer for the Hertz Fellowship.
2009
Jay Davis named the president of the Hertz Foundation, a position he held until 2015.
The first Hertz Summer Workshop takes place in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
2010
Fannie and John Hertz Foundation becomes a public foundation.
2015
Robbee Kosak named the first woman president of the Hertz Foundation, a position he held until 2024.
2017
The Gates Foundation partners with the Hertz Foundation to establish the Hertz Fellowship in Global Health and Development.
2019
The Hertz Corporation sponsors Hertz Fellow, Bailey Flanigan, marking the first partnership between the Hertz Foundation and the Hertz Corporation.
2022
Hertz Foundation receives anonymous $5 million fellowship gift Honoring Inventor and Entrepreneur Nathan Myhrvold
2024
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory partners with Hertz Foundation to offer entrepreneurial training to Hertz Fellows.
Case Western Reserve University and Texas A&M University partner with Hertz Foundation to offer funding to Hertz Fellowship Finalists who do not receive the Hertz Fellowship.
Breakthrough Energy Discovery partners with the Hertz Foundation to accelerate climate and energy solutions.
2025
Wendy Connors named president of the Hertz Foundation
Analog Devices partners with Hertz Foundation to accelerate analog, digital and software technology.
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