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.
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
18
-14.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$188K
+16.0% YoY
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
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
- Total Assets: $36,701,733
- Total Annual Giving: $3,380,000
- EIN: 81-1535437
| 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 |
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
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 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
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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