CONRAD N. HILTON FOUNDATION …

CONRAD N. HILTON FOUNDATION



                                                                                      News
For: Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Date: September 9, 2005                                               Contact:    Casey Sayre & Williams
                                                                                  Barbara Casey
                                                                                  (310) 396-2400
                                                                                  bcasey@cswpr.com




       HILTON FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTES $6 MILLION TO KATRINA RELIEF;
                  $2.5 MILLION GOES TO REBUILD LOCAL NON-PROFITS




       LOS ANGELES ­ The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, one of the nation's largest philanthropic
organizations, is contributing $6 million to Katrina relief efforts, including $2.5 million to area
foundations to rebuild non-profit organizations in the region.
       The foundation board allocated $2.5 million to the Salvation Army; $1 million to the American
Red Cross; $1.5 million to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, now also receiving funds on behalf of
the Greater New Orleans Foundation; and $1 million to the Foundation for the Mid South in Jackson,
Mississippi, to assist non-profits in Southern Louisiana, the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the Alabama
Gulf Coast. The $6 million in grants includes a personal donation of $1 million by Barron Hilton, son
of the late Conrad Hilton and co-chairman of Hilton Hotels Corporation.
       "The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is so enormous that with our foundation's focus
on alleviating human suffering, it compels our attention," said Steven M. Hilton, chairman and chief
executive officer of the Hilton Foundation. "In keeping with our foundation's grantmaking strategy,
these funds will provide for the immediate relief of hurricane victims while also supporting projects
that will make a difference in the long-term," he noted. "The Salvation Army and the Red Cross are
first responders providing mass care services on the ground right now, while the grants to the three
area foundations will be dedicated to rebuilding the infrastructure of local non-profit organizations.

    10100 SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD, SUITE 1000, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. 90067-4011
                        PHONE: 310-556-4694 FACSIMILE: 310-556-8130
CONRAD N. HILTON FOUNDATION

       "Community foundations play a unique and critical role in the societal fabric of a region and,
by strengthening the non-profit organizations of these devastated areas, we will be helping them
address the needs of their most vulnerable citizens well into the future," Hilton added.
       Commented John G. Davies, President & CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, "This gift
to the Hurricane Katrina New Orleans Recovery Fund epitomizes the compelling leadership we've
come to expect from the Conrad Hilton Foundation. The size, spirit and speed of this gift is a brilliant
reminder of the power and duty we all have to help people in need. We are convinced that this
contribution will serve as a model and example for other donors as recovery efforts continue to
develop."
       Based in Los Angeles, the Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by hotel entrepreneur and
business leader, Conrad N. Hilton, who left his fortune to the foundation with instructions to help the
most disadvantaged and vulnerable throughout the world. The foundation is well known for its $1.5
million Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the world's largest prize awarded annually to an organization that
significantly alleviates human suffering. Along with its related entities, the foundation has total assets
of approximately $2.5 billion and, since its inception, has provided $433 million in grants to
organizations throughout the United States and the world. It is one of the few U.S. foundations with a
worldwide mission, in keeping with the wishes of Conrad Hilton who noted that the Hilton fortune was
built on the international as well as the domestic hospitality industry.
                                       ###
For more information: www.hiltonfoundation.org




    10100 SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD, SUITE 1000, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. 90067-4011
                        PHONE: 310-556-4694 FACSIMILE: 310-556-8130