The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation
The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation is a private foundation based in La Canada, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including schools and other organizations in California and several other states.
The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation at a glance
In short: The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation gave $130K across 49 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in California. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $130,000
- -53.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 49
- -31.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,653
- -31.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $317,744
- -22.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (10 of 39, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (93% 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 Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation
- 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: 4427 Woodleigh Lane, La Canada, CA 91011
Phone: (323) 681-5571
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jesuits West ($12K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $45K.
Organizations only. It also paid 6 grants to individuals ($54,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
299 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 298 grants of 299 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in California. The remaining grant dollars went to organizations in Oregon (3%), Arizona (1%), Ohio (1%), and New York (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 49 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 39 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $900; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 51% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−20%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 717% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $63K (2020) to $278K (2024). In 2025 it made 49 grants totaling $130K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 6 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $54,000 |
| Jesuits West Los Gatos, CA | General & Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| St Lawrence of Brindisi Los Angeles, CA | General & Unrestricted | $7,000 |
| St Francis of Assisi Fillmore, CA | General & Unrestricted | $4,000 |
| University of Portland Portland, OR | Peter & Christine Smith Scholarship Fund | $4,000 |
| St Bede the Venerable Catholic Church La Canada, CA | General & Unrestricted | $3,500 |
| Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet Los Angeles, CA | St. Joseph Worker Program - California Dreamin' | $3,000 |
| Dolores Mission Los Angeles, CA | General & Unrestricted | $2,500 |
| Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times Los Angeles, CA | General & Unrestricted | $2,000 |
| Hospitaller Foundation of California Inc Los Angeles, CA | General & Unrestricted | $2,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation reported that it had no plans for dissolution. It also stated that, during the taxable year ending August 31, 2025, distributions from sources other than current income totaled $130,000 and represented at least 25% of its net assets at the beginning of that taxable year.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $317,744 | $52,724 | $142,272 | $130,000 | 49 | $137,084 | $48,617 | $19,114 |
| 2024 | $407,292 | $106,112 | $304,295 | $277,500 | 72 | $297,329 | $100,046 | $27,603 |
| 2023 | $605,475 | $100,715 | $276,458 | $239,550 | 59 | $266,952 | $92,808 | $38,846 |
| 2022 | $779,218 | $106,769 | $200,606 | $162,300 | 73 | $188,728 | $95,891 | $50,907 |
| 2021 | $873,055 | $59,617 | $111,701 | $70,800 | 46 | — | $47,925 | $57,529 |
| 2020 | $925,139 | $58,372 | $92,889 | $63,251 | 29 | — | $47,984 | $51,611 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation reported a distributable amount of $19K 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
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for educational institutions and scholarships, as well as organizations receiving general and unrestricted contributions. The grantees describe varied activities: Kino Border Initiative says it provides humanitarian assistance and accompaniment to migrants and conducts education and policy advocacy; Brackens Kitchen says it rescues and repurposes food and provides culinary training and community feeding; and Maryvale says it seeks to heal, educate, and empower people, families, and communities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 49 grants totaling $130,000. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $20,000, with a median of $1,000.
The largest 2025 grant was $20,000 to an individual recipient High School for its Scholarship Fund. Other grants included $15,000 to an individual recipient Catholic School for its Scholarship Fund; $10,000 to an individual recipient Cathedral School for its Scholarship Fund; and $10,000 to Jesuits West for general and unrestricted support. The foundation also gave $4,000 to the University of Portland for the Peter & Christine Smith Scholarship Fund, $1,500 to Kino Border Initiative, and $1,000 each to HOPING HEARTS FOUNDATION, Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Brackens Kitchen, and Maryvale.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists these officers and directors: Meghan Smith Bender (director); Kathleen Smith Reichert (director); Michael J Smith (president, CEO, director); Patricia M Smith (CFO, secretary, treasurer, director); Peter Smith (director, treasurer); Tommy Smith (director); Will Smith (director); and Carolyn Smith Snyder (director, secretary).
The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation is led by Michael J Smith, President, CEO & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 8 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michael J Smith
President, CEO & Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carolyn Smith Snyder
Director & Secretary
Director → Director & Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathleen Smith Reichert
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Meghan Smith Bender
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Patricia M Smith
CFO, Secretary, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peter Smith
Director & Treasurer
Director → Director & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tommy Smith
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Will Smith
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation
How much does The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation give each year?
The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation gave $130K across 49 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $278K across 72 grants.
What is The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation's typical grant size?
The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $2,653, across 49 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation that year got $900 on average.
Where does The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation give grants?
The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation gives mostly in California: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (12 grants), La Canada, CA (3 grants), Los Gatos, CA (2 grants) and Burlingame, CA (2 grants).
Does The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 55% of The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (27 of 49) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship Fund" (4 grants).
Who are The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation's largest grantees?
The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Jesuits West ($12,000 across 2 grants), St Lawrence of Brindisi ($7,000) and St Bede the Venerable Catholic Church ($6,500 across 3 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 6 grants to individuals ($54,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 20% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation?
The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation reported $318K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $137K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $19K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for educational institutions and scholarships, as well as organizations receiving general and unrestricted contributions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation?
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 Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation's EIN?
The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-4765933. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Michael & Patricia Smith 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Live grants for the work The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Michael & Patricia Smith Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-michael-and-patricia-smith-foundation-morg_4ff08e6e81e4425a884623d2c4962c47
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_954765933_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Michael \& Patricia Smith Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-michael-and-patricia-smith-foundation-morg_4ff08e6e81e4425a884623d2c4962c47},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Michael & Patricia Smith 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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