Smith Family Foundation
Smith Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Its 2026 filing reports 27 grants totaling $270,000, with most grant dollars going to organizations in North Carolina.
Smith Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Smith Family Foundation gave $270K across 27 grants in 2026 (avg $10K), mostly in North Carolina. 35% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $270,000
- +103.8% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 27
- +68.8% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $10,000
- +20.8% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $4,092,000
- -4.2% vs 2025
- New grantees (estimate)
- 35% first-time grantees (9 of 26, 2026)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (92% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Smith Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 800 Green Valley Road Suite 304, Greensboro, NC 27408
Phone: (336) 538-1000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Smith Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was Alamance Community Foundation ($40K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $170K.
Grant Size Distribution
111 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 111 grants of 111 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2026 filing reports that 92% of grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina, 4% to Virginia, 3% to Colorado, and 2% to Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Smith Family Foundation open to new grantees?
35%
first-time grantees, 2026
In 2026, 9 of 26 grantees (35%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 58% of 2026 grantees were also funded in 2025. Method
- Giving grew 146% from 2023 to 2026. Method
- In 2026 it paid out 84% 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 (2021–2026). 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 2021 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $110K (2023) to $287K (2022). In 2026 it made 27 grants totaling $270K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Educational Foundation Chapel Hill, NC | GIFT | $30,000 |
| Alamance Community Foundation Burlington, NC | GIFT | $20,000 |
| Alamance Community Foundation Burlington, NC | GIFT | $20,000 |
| Front Street United Methodist Chur Burlington, NC | GIFT | $20,000 |
| The Lamb's Chapel Burlington, NC | GIFT | $20,000 |
| Alamance County Economic Burlington, NC | GIFT | $10,000 |
| Greensboro Day School Greensboro, NC | GIFT | $10,000 |
| J Harold Smith Carolina Scholars Fu Greensboro, NC | GIFT | $10,000 |
| North Carolina Community Foundation Raleigh, NC | GIFT | $10,000 |
| Old North State Council Greensboro, NC | GIFT | $10,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $4,092,000 | $168,833 | $350,221 | $270,000 | 27 | $285,113 | $106,863 | $340,631 |
| 2025 | $4,273,388 | $218,821 | $203,971 | $132,500 | 16 | $146,589 | $153,619 | $297,826 |
| 2024 | $4,258,538 | $184,622 | $176,322 | $109,833 | 17 | $122,266 | $125,693 | $264,987 |
| 2023 | $4,250,238 | $284,836 | $171,825 | $109,833 | 10 | $121,599 | $225,537 | $239,929 |
| 2022 | $4,137,227 | $354,128 | $348,289 | $287,000 | 41 | $299,115 | $219,303 | $264,491 |
| 2021 | $4,131,388 | $237,090 | $343,736 | $269,935 | 41 | — | $81,130 | $247,059 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Smith Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $341K for 2026 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2026 grants include support for schools and colleges, community foundations, churches, and other organizations. For example, Alamance Community Foundation describes its mission as strengthening Alamance County through collaborative giving, while The Burlington School says it provides a challenging education for college-bound students in a small-school environment.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2026, the foundation reported 27 grants totaling $270,000. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $30,000, with a median of $7,500. Notable grants included $30,000 to The Educational Foundation in Chapel Hill; two grants of $20,000 each to Alamance Community Foundation; and $20,000 each to Front Street United Methodist Church and The Lamb’s Chapel, both in Burlington. Other listed grants included $10,000 to Greensboro Day School, North Carolina Community Foundation, Old North State Council, and The Burlington School.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2026 filing lists James H. Smith Jr. as Executive Director and William H. Smith as Trustee.
Smith Family Foundation's 2026 filing lists 2 officers; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2026 is compensated.
Officers on the 2026 filing
William H. Smith
Trustee
Officer → Trustee, 2022
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
James H. Smith Jr.
Executive Di
On filings since 2021
$25K (2021) → $25K (2026)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2026. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2026 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2026 filing was $25K, to James H Smith Jr (Executive Di).
Frequently asked questions about Smith Family Foundation
How much does Smith Family Foundation give each year?
Smith Family Foundation gave $270K across 27 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $133K across 16 grants.
What is Smith Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Smith Family Foundation's median grant in 2026 was $7,500, and its average grant was $10,000, across 27 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Smith Family Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does Smith Family Foundation give grants?
Smith Family Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Burlington, NC (8 grants), Greensboro, NC (8 grants), Raleigh, NC (2 grants) and Durham, NC (2 grants).
Does Smith Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2026: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on Smith Family Foundation's 2026 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Gift" (27 grants).
Who are Smith Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Smith Family Foundation's largest 2026 grantees include Alamance Community Foundation ($40,000 across 2 grants), The Educational Foundation ($30,000) and Front Street United Methodist Chur ($20,000), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is Smith Family Foundation?
Smith Family Foundation reported $4.1M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $285K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $341K (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 Smith Family Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2026 grants include support for schools and colleges, community foundations, churches, and other organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Smith Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Smith Family Foundation's EIN?
Smith Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-6040787. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2026.
Does Smith Family 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS July 29, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Smith Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Smith Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/smith-family-foundation-morg_69a8def631fd40f997289796f8716f5f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_566040787_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Smith Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/smith-family-foundation-morg_69a8def631fd40f997289796f8716f5f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Family 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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