The Harold C Smith Foundation to
The Harold C Smith Foundation to is a private foundation based in Wheaton, Illinois. Its 2025 grants supported Christian ministry related to youth in the United States, the Middle East, and persecuted Christians.
The Harold C Smith Foundation to at a glance
In short: The Harold C Smith Foundation to gave $4.2M across 44 grants in 2025 (avg $94K), top state Florida. 47% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $4,151,900
- -12.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 44
- +12.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $94,361
- -22.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $75,000
- Total assets
- $87,626,278
- +6.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 47% first-time grantees (18 of 38, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Florida (21% 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 The Harold C Smith Foundation to
- 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: 122 N Wheaton Avenue 1002, Wheaton, IL 60187-6477
Phone: (630) 580-5750
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Harold C Smith Foundation to funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was International Generosity Foundation Trust ($758K across 5 grants). Together the top 10 received $2.6M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($150,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
182 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 59 grants of 182 (32%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant purposes name work in the United States and the Middle East, as well as support for persecuted Christians. By recipient state, the largest shares of grant dollars went to Florida (21%), California (17%), Georgia (15%), Colorado (10%), and Texas (7%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 44 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Harold C Smith Foundation to open to new grantees?
47%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 18 of 38 grantees (47%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $84K; repeat grants $132K. How we count
Medians: $67K first-time, $88K repeat.
- 34% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 49% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 135% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $4.2M (2025) to $8.1M (2022). In 2025 it made 44 grants totaling $4.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| World Compassion Fellowship Inc Brooklyn, NY | Middle east: support life center operations (lebanon, jordan, iraq, syria, and pakistan) | $300,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust Clearwater, FL | Middle East: for the Joseph Project. | $250,000 |
| National Christian Charitable Foundation Inc Alpharetta, GA | Persecuted church: support persecuted believers through leadership development, spiritual and emotional care, and persecution preparedness training | $250,000 |
| Youth for Christusa Inc Englewood, CO | Us youth: expand ministry in nyc through a church partner pilot and new jjm sites, and to multiply ministry nationally through director cohorts and the hub training platform | $240,000 |
| Christian Heritage School Trumbull, CT | Us youth: provide lower and upper school scholarships and expand access to learning support services. | $225,000 |
| Fuller Theological Seminary Pasadena, CA | Us youth: serve as the backbone and convener for rise, to cover costs related to the rise convening, and to fund sub-grants to qualified organizations | $225,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust Clearwater, FL | Middle east: provide humanitarian relief and spiritual support to families in gaza. | $200,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust Clearwater, FL | Middle East: for the Hiya Initiative. | $200,000 |
| Open Doors International USA Inc Santa Ana, CA | Persecuted church: support persecuted believers (women, widows, pastors, and mbbs) in nigeria and the drc | $157,000 |
| Alliance Defending Freedom Washington, DC | Persecuted church: support legal advocacy in sub-saharan africa and pakistan | $150,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Harold C Smith Foundation to?
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 | $87,626,278 | $22,148,875 | $5,825,376 | $4,151,900 | 44 | $5,192,422 | $21,831,759 | $3,843,435 |
| 2024 | $82,695,341 | $3,248,514 | $6,037,348 | $4,753,100 | 39 | $5,724,250 | $2,863,759 | $4,024,009 |
| 2023 | $78,987,384 | $2,228,395 | $6,122,455 | $4,999,000 | 33 | $5,801,517 | $1,955,172 | $3,730,488 |
| 2022 | $74,865,803 | $5,190,478 | $9,233,807 | $8,081,995 | 38 | $8,835,299 | $4,873,701 | $4,050,138 |
| 2021 | $100,804,006 | $7,966,048 | $8,180,709 | $6,999,110 | 28 | $7,697,137 | $7,593,319 | $4,728,812 |
| 2020 | $95,657,345 | $5,062,017 | $8,372,974 | $7,297,122 | 21 | — | $4,090,658 | $4,229,267 |
| 2019 | $69,271,347 | $75,677,380 | $8,191,697 | $7,364,891 | 27 | — | $968,615 | $2,387,316 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Harold C Smith Foundation to reported a distributable amount of $3.8M 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
The foundation’s stated mission is to steward its founder’s legacy by investing in Christian churches and nonprofits that share the Gospel and bring hope and healing. Its 2025 grant purposes identify work involving U.S. youth, the Middle East, and the persecuted church.
Grantees describe a range of related work in their own missions. World Compassion Fellowship says it serves the global poor and persecuted through relief, medical care, development, and training. Open Doors International USA says it raises funds, awareness, and prayer for persecuted Christians in hostile or closed regions. An individual recipient says it works to strengthen the church in the Middle East and North Africa through church development, leader training, and community services. Youth for Christ USA describes its work as partnering with local churches to raise up lifelong followers of Jesus.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 44 grants totaling $4,151,900. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $300,000, with a median of $75,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $300,000 to World Compassion Fellowship for Life Center operations in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan; $250,000 to International Generosity Foundation Trust for the Joseph Project; and $250,000 to National Christian Charitable Foundation to support persecuted believers through leadership development, spiritual and emotional care, and preparedness training. Other notable awards included $240,000 to Youth for Christ USA for youth ministry expansion and $225,000 each to Christian Heritage School and an individual recipient Seminary.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jeffrey Whittle as director and chairperson, Margaret Lemaire as director and treasurer, Pierre Arty as director and secretary, and Vanessa Jerome as president and CEO.
The Harold C Smith Foundation to is led by Vanessa Jerome, President & CEO since 2023 (on filings since 2019); 1 of 4 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Vanessa Jerome
President & CEO
Vanessa Jerome → Chief Executive Officer, 2020
Chief Executive Officer → President & CEO, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$104K (2019) → $323K (2025)
Jeffrey Whittle
Director & Chairperson
Director & Secretary → Director & Chairperson, 2023
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pierre Arty
Director & Secretary
Director → Director & Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Margaret Lemaire
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (8)
- Former: Denny Matthews (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Donald G. Gehlbach (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Hans Anderson (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Kurt Kaboth (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Jamie Tong (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Jeff Whittle (2019–2021) — Director & President
- Former: Burchell Valldehuli (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Nancy W. Opalack (2019–2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $323K, to Vanessa Jerome (President and CEO).
Frequently asked questions about The Harold C Smith Foundation to
How much does The Harold C Smith Foundation to give each year?
The Harold C Smith Foundation to gave $4.2M across 44 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $4.8M across 39 grants.
What is The Harold C Smith Foundation to's typical grant size?
The Harold C Smith Foundation to's median grant in 2025 was $75,000, and its average grant was $94,361, across 44 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Harold C Smith Foundation to that year got $84K on average.
Where does The Harold C Smith Foundation to give grants?
The Harold C Smith Foundation to's top state is Florida, with 21% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (17%) and Georgia (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Clearwater, FL (5 grants), Colorado Springs, CO (3 grants), Alpharetta, GA (2 grants) and Santa Ana, CA (2 grants).
Does The Harold C Smith Foundation to give general operating support?
Occasionally: 2% of The Harold C Smith Foundation to's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 44) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Harold C Smith Foundation to's largest grantees?
The Harold C Smith Foundation to's largest 2025 grantees include International Generosity Foundation Trust ($758,000 across 5 grants), World Compassion Fellowship Inc ($300,000) and National Christian Charitable Foundation Inc ($250,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($150,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Harold C Smith Foundation to?
The Harold C Smith Foundation to reported $87.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $5.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Harold C Smith Foundation to fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to steward its founder’s legacy by investing in Christian churches and nonprofits that share the Gospel and bring hope and healing. Its 2025 grant purposes identify work involving U.S. youth, the Middle East, and the persecuted church. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Harold C Smith Foundation to?
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 The Harold C Smith Foundation to's EIN?
The Harold C Smith Foundation to's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-1491651. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Harold C Smith Foundation to 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 14, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS December 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 23, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 2, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Harold C Smith Foundation to funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-harold-c-smith-foundation-to-morg_7efc3dcb266c422482ef8d80c4c69aa2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_471491651_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Harold C Smith Foundation to funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-harold-c-smith-foundation-to-morg_7efc3dcb266c422482ef8d80c4c69aa2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 The Harold C Smith Foundation to'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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