The Foundation was established by Halsey W. Wilson in 1952 to support the needs of company employees and retirees. Requests for funding were reviewed by the Board of Directors. By 1957, the Foundation directed its funding efforts to support libraries, library associations, historical societies, cultural programs and scholarships for library and information science programs accredited by the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±app. Major donors to the Foundation included Mr. and Mrs. H.W. Wilson, and the H.W. Wilson Company.

H.W. Wilson was a pioneer in the field of indexing periodicals. Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, as well as Art, Social Science and Humanities Indexes are familiar to users of public, academic and school libraries. In 2011, the H.W. Wilson Company merged with Ebsco Publishing. However, the Foundation, a separate entity, continues its activities in support of non-profit organizations.

The Foundation receives proposals which are evaluated by the Board of Directors at its monthly meeting. Grants are not made for buildings, operating funds or endowments. Those who request grants must provide proof of their 501(C) (3) status with a single copy of the proposal sent to the Foundation at the 420 Lexington Avenue address.

The H.W. Wilson Foundation is a private, independent foundation incorporated in New York in 1952.