Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker ALBANY, NY EIN: 13-3318167

The Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation is a private foundation established in 1985 and based in Albany, New York. The foundation is designated as a 501(c)(3) organization, making donations to it tax-deductible. It operates as a family foundation with administrative support through Goldman Sachs.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$9.6M

-1.6% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.2M

+20.2% YoY

Grant Count

+0.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$105K

+20.2% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation reported a distributable amount of $927K for 2025 — 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 provides grants for general charitable purposes. Its funding interests include education, philanthropy, voluntarism and grantmaking, and health care, with a geographic emphasis on California, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Grantmaking

The foundation is an active grantmaker with typical award sizes ranging from $25,000 to $300,000. Recent grants include:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds organizations in California, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Grant Distribution by State

New York $3.0M (65%)

California $1.1M (24%)

Massachusetts $130K (3%)

Connecticut $105K (2%)

District of Columbia $100K (2%)

New Hampshire $50K (1%)

Pennsylvania $50K (1%)

Tennessee $50K (1%)

+1 more states

States

California Connecticut District of Columbia Massachusetts New Hampshire New York Pennsylvania Tennessee Virginia

Cities

AlbanyBristolHanoverLos AngelesMedfordMemphisMenlo ParkNevada CityNew HavenNew YorkPalo AltoRedwood CitySan JoseState CollegeWashington

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of February 2024:

Total Assets: $9,724,253
Total Revenues: $829,369
Total Expenses: $1,169,270
Total Liabilities: $0

The foundation maintains no employees and operates with volunteer leadership.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2025	2024	2023
Total Assets	$9,568,548	$9,724,253	$10,064,154
Revenue	$1,188,100	$829,369	$731,119
Expenses	$1,343,805	$1,169,270	$915,363
Qualifying Distributions	$1,226,279	$1,039,364	$771,169
Net Investment Income	$1,081,574	$714,463	$596,925
Distributable Amount	$926,784	$829,223	$823,244

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 2025

Grant Size Distribution

30 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest include Peninsula Open Space Trust ($300,000), Metropolitan Opera Association Inc ($250,000), Sierra Watch ($100,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
Yale UNIVERSITY New Haven, CT	General Charitable Purposes	$40,000
LifeMoves MENLO PARK, CA	GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES	$50,000
Peninsula Open Space Trust Palo Alto, CA	GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES	$300,000
Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley San Jose, CA	GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES	$50,000
Sierra Watch Nevada City, CA	GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES	$100,000
Tufts University Medford, MA	GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES	$70,000
Metropolitan Opera Association Inc New York, NY	GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES	$250,000
Trustees of Dartmouth College HANOVER, NH	General Charitable Purposes	$50,000
Penn State University STATE COLLEGE, PA	General Charitable Purposes	$50,000
Natural Resources Defense Council Inc New York, NY	General Charitable Purposes	$100,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The foundation is led by trustees:

Henry F Smeal
Mary Margaret Smeal

Administrative services are provided through Goldman Sachs AYCO in Albany, New York.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

From 2025 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
HENRY F SMEAL	TRUSTEE	1	$19,347
MARY MARGARET SMEAL	TRUSTEE	1	$19,347

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation fund?

How do I apply for a grant from Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation?

The foundation is an active grantmaker with typical award sizes ranging from $25,000 to $300,000. Recent grants include: • Metropolitan Opera Association: $200,000 (2024) • The James Beard Foundation: $200,000 (2024) • Peninsula Open Space Trust: $150,000 (2024) The foundation made nine grants in its most recent fiscal year (ending February 2024), with total giving of $1,160,000.

Where does Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation make grants?

The foundation primarily funds organizations in California, New York, and Pennsylvania.

What size grants does Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation award?

In 2025, Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation awarded 11 grants totaling $1.2M — an average of about $105K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation reported a distributable amount of $927K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation's EIN?

Mary Jean and Frank P Smeal Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3318167. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.