Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund
The Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund is a private foundation based in Spokane, Washington. It supports efforts to build human potential and power, address barriers facing vulnerable people and groups, and foster nonprofit creativity through grants, activism, advocacy, incubation, and fiscal sponsorships.
Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund at a glance
In short: Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund gave $1.0M across 51 grants in 2024 (avg $20K), mostly in Washington. 53% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,019,105
- -15.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 51
- -8.9% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $19,982
- -7.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $8,500
- Total assets
- $6,907,804
- -4.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 53% first-time grantees (27 of 51, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Washington (90% 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 Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Review Cycle
- Deadlines vary annually; details are provided on the foundation’s website.
- Deadline
- Deadlines vary annually; details are provided on the foundation’s website.
- Contact
Application contact: Lerria Schuh
Mailing address: PO Box 9574, Spokane, WA 99209
Phone: (509) 219-6100
Email: grants@smith-barbieri.com
Website: https://smith-barbieri.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Miscellaneous Small Donations ($408K). Together the top 10 received $695K.
Grant Size Distribution
267 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 245 grants of 267 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The fund identifies the Inland Northwest, including Eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle, as its region of focus. In 2024, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington, 9% to Hawaii, and 1% to Idaho.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 51 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund open to new grantees?
53%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 27 of 51 grantees (53%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $30K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 35% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−5%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 110% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $948K (2020) to $1.2M (2023). In 2024 it made 51 grants totaling $1.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Small Donations Spokane, WA | Community Enrichment | $407,799 |
| Maui Grassroots Collective Kahului, HI | Community Enrichment | $75,510 |
| Compassionate Addiction Treatment Spokane, WA | Addiction Treatment and Support | $53,255 |
| Shades of Motherhood Spokane, WA | Community Enrichment | $50,000 |
| Mujeres in Action Spokane, WA | Community Enrichment | $25,000 |
| Hillyard Built Spokane, WA | Community Enrichment | $20,000 |
| Northeast Youth & Family Services Spokane, WA | Community Enrichment | $18,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Spokane Spokane, WA | Community Enrichment | $15,000 |
| Our Place Spokane, WA | Community Enrichment | $15,000 |
| Nara Boone Haiku, HI | Community Enrichment | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund?
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 | $6,907,804 | $958,165 | $1,275,510 | $1,019,105 | 51 | $1,019,105 | $488,054 | $923,806 |
| 2023 | $7,225,149 | $1,451,679 | $1,505,301 | $1,205,438 | 56 | $1,205,438 | $993,842 | $836,721 |
| 2022 | $7,278,771 | $1,133,063 | $1,421,040 | $1,132,259 | 70 | $1,132,259 | $1,046,402 | $729,688 |
| 2021 | $7,566,798 | $1,125,813 | $1,189,720 | $1,071,473 | 38 | $1,071,473 | $671,110 | $1,006,782 |
| 2020 | $7,630,655 | $1,187,333 | $1,120,149 | $948,463 | 52 | — | $597,568 | $620,798 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund reported a distributable amount of $924K 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
The fund says it believes in the people of the Inland Northwest and works to tear down barriers that keep people and groups from achieving the power to thrive. Its stated approaches include building human potential, building power, and fostering nonprofit creativity and ingenuity.
The fund says it focuses on smaller and startup nonprofits and projects that add capacity to the social service sector in the Inland Northwest. Its 2024 grants included organizations working on a range of community needs. For example, Compassionate Addiction Treatment describes its mission as providing holistic care to people experiencing substance use disorder and homelessness; Jewels Helping Hands says it meets the basic needs of people experiencing homelessness and connects them with community resources; and Transitions says it works to end poverty and homelessness for women and children in Spokane.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the fund reported 51 grants totaling $1,019,105. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $407,799, with a median grant of $8,500. Among the largest listed grants were $407,799 to Miscellaneous Small Donations for community enrichment, $75,510 to Maui Grassroots Collective for community enrichment, and $53,255 to Compassionate Addiction Treatment for addiction treatment and support. Other listed awards included $50,000 to Shades of Motherhood, $25,000 to Mujeres in Action, and $20,000 to Hillyard Built, each for community enrichment.
The fund states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Its stated process calls for an application describing the nature and course of the project and service for which funding is requested. It funds programs that benefit and/or originate from the Inland Northwest and align with its mission and values.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Donald K. Barbieri and Sharon K. Smith as trustees and Lerria Schuh as executive director. The fund’s website identifies Schuh as its executive director and Smith as a trustee.
Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund is led by Lerria Schuh, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Lerria Schuh
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$51K (2020) → $103K (2024)
Donald K. Barbieri
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sharon K. Smith
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $103K, to Lerria Schuh (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund
How much does Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund give each year?
Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund gave $1.0M across 51 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.2M across 56 grants.
What is Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund's typical grant size?
Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund's median grant in 2024 was $8,500, and its average grant was $19,982, across 51 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund that year got $11K on average.
Where does Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund give grants?
Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund gives mostly in Washington: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Hawaii (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Spokane, WA (41 grants) and Moscow, ID (2 grants).
Does Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 51 grants with a stated purpose on Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Community Enrichment" (48 grants).
Who are Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund's largest grantees?
Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Miscellaneous Small Donations ($407,799), Maui Grassroots Collective ($75,510) and Compassionate Addiction Treatment ($53,255), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 53% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund?
Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund reported $6.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $924K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund fund?
The fund says it believes in the people of the Inland Northwest and works to tear down barriers that keep people and groups from achieving the power to thrive. Its stated approaches include building human potential, building power, and fostering nonprofit creativity and ingenuity. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund?
Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines. Check smith-barbieri.com for any change to that policy.
What is Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund's EIN?
Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-1914985. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund 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). Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/smith-barbieri-progressive-fund-morg_16303a13ffb54529bccfb191a26ce88b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_911914985_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/smith-barbieri-progressive-fund-morg_16303a13ffb54529bccfb191a26ce88b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund'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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