John and Gwen Smart Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker Lisle, IL EIN: 81-1535437

The John and Gwen Smart Foundation is a private foundation based in Lisle, Illinois. The foundation maintains a significant asset base and distributes grants to nonprofit organizations across multiple focus areas.

Key facts about John and Gwen Smart Foundation

EIN: 81-1535437
Latest 990 filing: Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024): $3,380,000
Grants made (2024): 18
Average grant: $187,778
Median grant: $112,500
New grantees (estimate): 27% first-time grantees (4 of 15, 2024)
Total assets: $36,701,733
Primary geography: California (53% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

Who John and Gwen Smart Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for John and Gwen Smart Foundation's 18 itemized 2024 grants were California (53%), New York (28%) and Illinois (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants), Redwood City, CA (3 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants). 56% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.

Is John and Gwen Smart Foundation open to new grantees?

27%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 4 of 15 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $163K; repeat grants $248K. How we count

Medians: $85K first-time, $100K repeat.

73% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+17%). Method
In 2024 it paid out 83% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Next steps with John and Gwen Smart Foundation

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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$36.7M

+2.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$3.4M

-0.6% YoY

Grant Count

-14.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$188K

+16.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John and Gwen Smart Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.1M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's primary funding priorities include:

Education
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
Human Services
Science education and STEM initiatives

Grantmaking

The foundation primarily directs grants to organizations in:

Grant Range

& Frequency**

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

California $1.8M (53%)

New York $955K (28%)

Illinois $500K (15%)

Maryland $120K (4%)

Share of all 18 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

States

California Colorado Illinois Maryland New York

Cities

New YorkRedwood CitySan FranciscoSacramentoChicagoSanta BarbaraStanfordSummerlandDelhiSanta CruzAlturasBovina CenterCarpinteriaDenverSan JoseSilver SpringWoodside

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Total Assets: $36,701,733
Total Annual Giving: $3,380,000
EIN: 81-1535437

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$36,701,733	$35,675,375	$38,308,394
Revenue	$4,866,403	$1,127,905	$308,314
Expenses	$3,840,045	$3,760,924	$4,132,365
Qualifying Distributions	$3,401,503	$3,420,212	$3,684,107
Net Investment Income	$4,482,861	$692,772	$56,543
Distributable Amount	$4,077,226	$3,399,006	$3,467,635

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

March 3, 2026 IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

109 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Stanford University ($1,170,000 across 4 grants), Usher III Initiative Inc ($500,000), New York Women's Foundation ($450,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
USHER III INITIATIVE INC Chicago, IL	GENERAL OPERATIONS	$500,000
NEW YORK WOMEN'S FOUNDATION New York, NY	GENERAL OPERATIONS	$450,000
STANFORD UNIVERSITY Redwood City, CA	METASTATIC BREAST CANCER RESEARCH	$420,000
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY Sacramento, CA	SAN ANDREAS CORRIDO	$350,000
STANFORD UNIVERSITY Redwood City, CA	BYERS EYE INSTITUTE	$300,000
STANFORD UNIVERSITY Stanford, CA	ALLEN MORGAN STANDISH LIBRARY FUND	$300,000
ROGOSIN INSTITUTE INC New York, NY	GENERAL OPERATIONS	$210,000
STANFORD UNIVERSITY Redwood City, CA	PARKINSON'S RESEARCH	$150,000
AMERICAN NURSES FOUNDATION Silver Spring, MD	GENERAL OPERATIONS	$120,000
CREATIVITY EXPLORED San Francisco, CA	GENERAL OPERATIONS	$105,000

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2022 IRS filing

From 2024 IRS filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
William Oswald	Secretary and Director	5	—
Ellen Oswald	Treasurer and Director	5	—
Nancy Smart	President and Director	10	—

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does John and Gwen Smart Foundation fund?

The foundation's primary funding priorities include: • Education • Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking • Human Services • Science education and STEM initiatives

How do I apply for a grant from John and Gwen Smart Foundation?

**Grant Size & Frequency** • Typical grant awards range from $15,000 to $500,000 • Annual giving: $3,380,000 (based on most recent IRS 990 filing) **Geographic Focus** The foundation primarily directs grants to organizations in: • California • New York • Maryland

What size grants does John and Gwen Smart Foundation award?

In 2024, John and Gwen Smart Foundation awarded 18 grants totaling $3.4M — an average of about $188K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is John and Gwen Smart Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, John and Gwen Smart Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.1M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is John and Gwen Smart Foundation's EIN?

John and Gwen Smart Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-1535437. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.