The Roy A. Hunt Foundation was established in 1966 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by the will of Roy Arthur Hunt. Its predecessor, the Hunt Foundation, was created in 1951 by Roy and his wife Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt. When the two foundations merged in 1994, the Hunt Foundation was officially terminated. However, the Roy A. Hunt Foundation continues the original mission of the Hunt Foundation -- to support organizations that strive to improve the quality of life.

Roy and Rachel began their joint philanthropic activities soon after their marriage. During the First World War they supported efforts to reduce the suffering of children in Europe. In 1951, they established the Hunt Foundation. Early grants were directed largely to educational institutions. A strong interest in the Pittsburgh region was also evident. As one of Pittsburgh's prominent industrialists, Roy's father, Alfred, had been influential in starting the movement for purification of the city's water supply, and he also had served on the commission to remedy the city's smoke nuisance in the late 1800s.

The first Trustees of the Roy A. Hunt Foundation were the four sons of Rachel and Roy, three of whom are now deceased. Alfred M. Hunt was a metallurgist who was elected to the Board of Directors of Alcoa in 1949 and served as Vice President and Secretary of the company until his death in 1984. Roy A. Hunt, Jr. was a banker at Mellon Bank where he was Vice President of Community Banking until his death in 1981.  Torrence M. Hunt spent his entire career at Alcoa before retiring as Vice President in 1982.  He died in 2004.

Today, Richard Hunt continues to serve as a Trustee of the Foundation along with the eleven grandchildren of Roy and Rachel and six members of the next generation.

The Roy A. Hunt Foundation awards over 500 grants each year. Grants continue to reflect the wide range of interests of the Trustees, who are dispersed across the country. Most grants are awarded for general operating support, reflecting the Foundation's commitment to administrative efficiency and flexibility. The Foundation also maintains its historic interest in the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Established by Mr. and Mrs. Roy A. Hunt in 1961, the Institute is a unique facility for scholarly research in selective aspects of botanical history and art.

Today, the Foundation funds special initiatives in Community Development, Environment, and Youth Violence Prevention. Each of these programs is governed by a separate set of objectives and guidelines. Intended to achieve greater impact, grants to organizations in these program areas are typically larger than general grants.