Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation
The Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation is a private foundation based in Malibu, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations working in areas that include child health, community support, reentry, prison ministry, and education.
Key facts about Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation
In short: Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation gave $176K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), top state California. 39% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 72-1546393
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $176,198
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- Average grant
- $7,661
- Median grant
- $7,325
- New grantees (estimate)
- 39% first-time grantees (9 of 23, 2025)
- Total assets
- $3,445,119
- Primary geography
- California (47% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$3.4M
+7.8% YoY
Annual Giving
$176K
+16.2% YoY
Grant Count
23
+43.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$8K
-19.1% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation reported a distributable amount of $271K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation open to new grantees?
39%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 23 grantees (39%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 52% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 22% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 65% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Hope Walks says its mission is to help children and families in low- and middle-income countries affected by clubfoot; Palestine Children’s Relief Fund describes its work as non-political humanitarian relief focused on healthcare for children in Palestine. Homeboy Industries says it supports formerly incarcerated and formerly gang-involved people, while Prison Fellowship International describes its work as transforming the lives of prisoners, their families, and victims.
Other 2025 recipients included Grace Klein Community, which describes its mission as providing relief to people in need and addressing community tensions, prejudice, discrimination, and community deterioration; and Americans for Oxford, which says it primarily supports educational programs, institutions, and posts at Oxford and elsewhere. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave 23 grants totaling $176,198. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $22,000, with a median grant of $7,325.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 47% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 12% to Alabama, 11% to Pennsylvania, 7% to Florida, and 7% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $152K (2024) to $331K (2023). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $176K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Salvation Army ($22K). Together the top 10 received $125K.
Grant Size Distribution
86 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 83 grants of 86 (97%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army City of Industry, CA | Support Charitable Activities. | $22,000 |
| Hope Walks York Springs, PA | Support Charitable Activities. | $20,000 |
| Wycliffe Bible Translators Orlando, FL | Support Charitable Activities. | $13,000 |
| Deported Asylum Seekers Assistance Project Leeds, AL | Support Charitable Activities. | $10,000 |
| Diablo Valley Veterans Foundation Danville, CA | Support Charitable Activities. | $10,000 |
| Grace Klein Community Hoover, AL | Support Charitable Activities. | $10,000 |
| Homeboy Industries Los Angeles, CA | Support Charitable Activities. | $10,000 |
| Intervarsity Christian Fellowship Madison, WI | Support Charitable Activities. | $10,000 |
| Palestine Children's Relief Fund Los Angeles, CA | Support Charitable Activities. | $10,000 |
| Prison Fellowship International Washington, DC | Support Charitable Activities. | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,445,119 | $937,958 | $238,623 | $176,198 |
| 2024 | $3,197,087 | $532,798 | $210,541 | $151,600 |
| 2023 | $3,025,664 | $338,982 | $375,791 | $330,861 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $3,445,119 | $3,197,087 | $3,025,664 |
| Revenue | $937,958 | $532,798 | $338,982 |
| Expenses | $238,623 | $210,541 | $375,791 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $176,198 | $151,600 | $330,861 |
| Net Investment Income | $361,378 | $332,779 | $238,982 |
| Distributable Amount | $270,820 | $212,971 | $168,434 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 21, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 24, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 29, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 28, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 17, 2024)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Suzelle M. Smith as president and Don Howarth as secretary.
Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation is led by Suzelle M. Smith, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Suzelle M. Smith
President
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Don Howarth
Secretary
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: 30745 Pacific Coast Highway 2046, Malibu, CA 90265
Phone: (213) 955-9400
Frequently asked questions about Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation
How much does Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation give each year?
Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation gave $176K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $152K across 16 grants.
What is Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation's typical grant size?
Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,325, and its average grant was $7,661, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation give grants?
Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation's top state is California, with 47% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Alabama (12%) and Pennsylvania (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (3 grants) and Malibu, CA (3 grants).
Does Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support Charitable Activities." (23 grants).
Who are Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation's largest grantees?
Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Salvation Army ($22,000), Hope Walks ($20,000) and Wycliffe Bible Translators ($13,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation?
Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation reported $3.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $176K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $271K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation's EIN?
Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 72-1546393. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Don Howarth & Suzelle Smith Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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