Louise K Smith Foundation
The Louise K Smith Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its grants support a range of charitable organizations, including music and arts organizations, educational institutions, a medical center, public radio, and a civil liberties organization.
Louise K Smith Foundation at a glance
In short: Louise K Smith Foundation gave $82K across 49 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in New York. 16% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $81,630
- -21.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 49
- -2.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,666
- -19.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $250
- Total assets
- $638,108
- +0.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 16% first-time grantees (8 of 49, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (78% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Louise K Smith Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 20 W 64Th Street 33K, New York, NY 10023
Phone: (312) 259-1155
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Louise K Smith Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Columbia Univ Irving Medical ($18K). Together the top 10 received $70K.
Grant Size Distribution
262 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 262 grants of 262 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 78% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 15% to Illinois, 3% to Michigan, 2% to Washington, DC, and 1% to California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 49 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Louise K Smith Foundation open to new grantees?
16%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 49 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $250 repeat.
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 23% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 81% 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 (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $74K (2020) to $106K (2022). In 2025 it made 49 grants totaling $82K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia Univ Irving Medical New York, NY | General | $18,000 |
| NY Public Radio Wnyc New York, NY | General | $15,000 |
| Concert Artists Guild New York, NY | General | $10,000 |
| Third Coast Percussion Chicago, IL | General | $5,000 |
| University of Chicago Chicago, IL | General | $5,000 |
| NY Public Radio WQXR New York, NY | General | $5,000 |
| Metropolitan Opera New York, NY | General | $3,750 |
| Acmp New York, NY | General | $3,000 |
| Four Nations Ensemble Hudson, NY | General | $2,500 |
| Wayne State University Detroit, MI | General | $2,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $638,108 | $102,283 | $92,996 | $81,630 | 49 | $81,630 | $90,991 | $100,280 |
| 2024 | $635,983 | $64,016 | $106,468 | $104,005 | 50 | $114,024 | $52,941 | $99,430 |
| 2023 | $678,435 | $56,852 | $86,280 | $77,726 | 62 | $86,265 | $48,313 | $87,369 |
| 2022 | $707,863 | $54,731 | $116,950 | $106,005 | 52 | $117,589 | $43,131 | $91,440 |
| 2021 | $770,082 | $35,635 | $92,495 | $84,570 | 49 | $84,570 | $27,957 | $95,745 |
| 2020 | $826,942 | $39,862 | $94,371 | $73,823 | 54 | — | $17,482 | $60,768 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Louise K Smith Foundation reported a distributable amount of $100K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations working in music and the arts. For example, Concert Artists Guild says its mission is to discover, nurture, and promote young musicians and help them build sustainable careers. Chamber Music America says its mission is to develop, support, and strengthen the chamber music community. Other recipients include the University of Chicago, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NY Public Radio, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 49 grants totaling $81,630. Grants ranged from $25 to $18,000, with a median of $250. The largest grants included $18,000 to Columbia University Irving Medical, $15,000 to NY Public Radio WNYC, $10,000 to Concert Artists Guild, and $5,000 each to Third Coast Percussion, the University of Chicago, and NY Public Radio WQXR.
In 2024, the foundation reported 50 grants totaling $104,005. Among organizations identified as 2024 recipients, Concert Artists Guild received $42,600 and the University of Chicago received $5,000. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 49 grants totaling $81,630.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Louise K Smith is listed as trustee.
Louise K Smith Foundation is led by Louise K. Smith, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Louise K. Smith
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Louise K Smith Foundation
How much does Louise K Smith Foundation give each year?
Louise K Smith Foundation gave $82K across 49 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $104K across 50 grants.
What is Louise K Smith Foundation's typical grant size?
Louise K Smith Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $250, and its average grant was $1,666, across 49 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Louise K Smith Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Louise K Smith Foundation give grants?
Louise K Smith Foundation gives mostly in New York: 78% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Illinois (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (27 grants), Chicago, IL (12 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Louise K Smith Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 90% of Louise K Smith Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (44 of 49) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Generalgeneral" (3 grants).
Who are Louise K Smith Foundation's largest grantees?
Louise K Smith Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Columbia Univ Irving Medical ($18,000), NY Public Radio Wnyc ($15,000) and Concert Artists Guild ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 53% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Louise K Smith Foundation?
Louise K Smith Foundation reported $638K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $82K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $100K (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 Louise K Smith Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations working in music and the arts. For example, Concert Artists Guild says its mission is to discover, nurture, and promote young musicians and help them build sustainable careers. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Louise K Smith Foundation?
The foundation 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 Louise K Smith Foundation's EIN?
Louise K Smith Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 34-7183475. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Louise K Smith Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Louise K Smith Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Louise K Smith Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Louise K Smith Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/louise-k-smith-foundation-morg_9ab95e1215364e25ad19c073ce2061f1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_347183475_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Louise K Smith Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/louise-k-smith-foundation-morg_9ab95e1215364e25ad19c073ce2061f1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Louise K Smith Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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