Smidinger Trust
Smidinger Trust is a private foundation based in Springfield, Virginia. In 2024, it reported grants to organizations working in areas including human rights, medical relief, community health, food assistance, housing, and eye care.
Smidinger Trust at a glance
In short: Smidinger Trust gave $79K across 29 grants in 2024 (avg $3K), top state New York. 3% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $79,000
- -3.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 29
- -9.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $2,724
- +7.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $1,157,388
- +5.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 3% first-time grantees (1 of 29, 2024)
- Primary geography
- New York (38% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Smidinger Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Contact
Mailing address: 5246 Lonsdale Dr, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: (301) 655-1236
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Smidinger Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was International Campaign for Tibet ($19K). Together the top 10 received $65K.
Grant Size Distribution
159 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 159 grants of 159 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (38%), Washington, DC (27%), California (17%), New Mexico (9%), and Georgia (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Smidinger Trust open to new grantees?
3%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 1 of 29 grantees (3%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $500; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $500 first-time, $1K repeat.
- 97% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+7%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 76% 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 (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $65K (2020) to $95K (2022). In 2024 it made 29 grants totaling $79K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| International Campaign for Tibet Washington, DC | To promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet | $18,500 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | The mission of doctors without borders is to provide impartial medical relief to the victims of war | $17,000 |
| American Himalayan Foundation San Francisco, CA | Supports educational projects for underprivileged children from remote regions of the himalaya | $6,000 |
| Semper Fi and Americas Fund Oceanside, CA | Provides assistance to combat wounded critically ill and catastrophically injured members of all br | $4,000 |
| Open Door Foundation Ossining, NY | Promote the health of the residents of Westchester and Putnam counties New York especially people | $3,500 |
| Ossining Food Pantry Ossining, NY | Feeding the hungry and providing food assistance to needy families in our community | $3,500 |
| Habitat for Humanity Americus, GA | seeking to put gods love into action habitat for humanity brings people together to build homes c | $3,000 |
| SEVA Foundation Berkeley, CA | A global nonprofit eye care organization that works with local communities around the world to devel | $3,000 |
| US Fund for UNICEF New York, NY | provide lifesaving medicines better nutrition clean water quality basic education and emergency r | $3,000 |
| The Food Depot Santa Fe, NM | Each month the food depot distributes an average of 445000 pounds of food and household products | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Smidinger Trust?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,157,388 | $137,996 | $81,250 | $79,000 | 29 | $81,000 | $137,996 | $105,910 |
| 2023 | $1,098,642 | $72,933 | $92,696 | $81,450 | 32 | $81,450 | $101,070 | $80,806 |
| 2022 | $1,090,487 | $129,552 | $98,391 | $94,900 | 34 | $94,900 | $158,638 | $80,028 |
| 2021 | $913,834 | $192,331 | $75,498 | $74,150 | 32 | $74,205 | $221,100 | $92,542 |
| 2020 | $885,054 | $108,223 | $66,122 | $64,840 | 32 | — | $108,191 | $72,898 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Smidinger Trust reported a distributable amount of $106K for 2024 — 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 Trust is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. The International Campaign for Tibet says it promotes human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet. The Open Door Foundation says it supports community health through philanthropic support for Open Door Family Medical Centers and other initiatives. The Food Depot says it works with partners to create a hunger-free New Mexico, while Seva Foundation says it partners worldwide to preserve and restore sight.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the Trust reported 29 grants totaling $79,000. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $18,500, with a median grant of $1,000. Its largest reported grants were $18,500 to the International Campaign for Tibet and $17,000 to Doctors Without Borders. Other notable grants included $6,000 to the American Himalayan Foundation, $4,000 to Semper Fi and America’s Fund, and $3,500 each to the Open Door Foundation and Ossining Food Pantry.
The Trust states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Susan Smidinger Brown as trustee, Gretchen Knoell as trustee president, and Peter Smidinger as trustee manager.
Smidinger Trust is led by Gretchen Knoell, Trustee President since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Gretchen Knoell
Trustee President
Trustee → Trustee President, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peter Smidinger
Trustee Manager
Trustee Manager → Trustee, 2021
Trustee → Trustee Manager, 2022
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Smidinger Brown
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Smidinger Trust
How much does Smidinger Trust give each year?
Smidinger Trust gave $79K across 29 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $81K across 32 grants.
What is Smidinger Trust's typical grant size?
Smidinger Trust's median grant in 2024 was $1,000, and its average grant was $2,724, across 29 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Smidinger Trust that year got $500 on average.
Where does Smidinger Trust give grants?
Smidinger Trust's top state is New York, with 38% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (27%) and California (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (4 grants), Santa Fe, NM (4 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Ossining, NY (2 grants).
Does Smidinger Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 29 grants with a stated purpose on Smidinger Trust's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Smidinger Trust's largest grantees?
Smidinger Trust's largest 2024 grantees include International Campaign for Tibet ($18,500), Doctors Without Borders ($17,000) and American Himalayan Foundation ($6,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 53% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Smidinger Trust?
Smidinger Trust reported $1.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $81K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $106K (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 Smidinger Trust fund?
No mission statement for the Trust is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. The International Campaign for Tibet says it promotes human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Smidinger Trust?
Smidinger Trust does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines.
What is Smidinger Trust's EIN?
Smidinger Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3096937. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Smidinger Trust 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Smidinger Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/smidinger-trust-morg_9c9c8053301948e0822397145da11e65
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133096937_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Smidinger Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/smidinger-trust-morg_9c9c8053301948e0822397145da11e65},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Smidinger Trust'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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