The Schmitz Family Foundation
The Schmitz Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Bluffton, South Carolina. It made 11 grants totaling $143,100 in filing year 2025 to organizations in South Carolina, Ohio, and North Carolina.
The Schmitz Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Schmitz Family Foundation gave $143K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in South Carolina. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $143,100
- +53.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,009
- +67.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $1,340,276
- +3.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (4 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (68% 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 Schmitz Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing says to contact David L. Schmitz and provide a copy of the application for recognition of exemption (Form 1023), the prior-year Form 990 series return, and the most recent financial statement. The filing lists no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- None listed.
- Deadline
- None listed.
- Contact
Application contact: David L Schmitz
Mailing address: 26 Lancaster Blvd, Bluffton, SC 29909-3131
Phone: (419) 297-0335
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Schmitz Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Berkeley Hall Charitable Foundation ($40K). Together the top 10 received $141K.
Grant Size Distribution
60 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 56 grants of 60 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2025, 68% of grant dollars went to recipients in South Carolina, 29% to Ohio, and 3% to North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Schmitz Family Foundation open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 11 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 45% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−15%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 119% 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 $93K (2024) to $188K (2023). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $143K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Berkeley Hall Charitable Foundation Bluffton, SC | Charitable Operations | $40,000 |
| WLMB-TV Dominion Broadcasting Toledo, OH | Charitable Operations | $20,000 |
| Operation Patriots Fob Inc Okatie, SC | Charitable Operations | $19,600 |
| Erie Shores Council - Scouting America Toledo, OH | Charitable Operations & Sporting Clays Fundraiser | $12,500 |
| Palmetto Animal League Bluffton, SC | Charitable Operations | $12,500 |
| Church of the Cross Bluffton, SC | Charitable Operations | $10,000 |
| Spirit of Sebastian Bluffton, SC | Charitable Operations | $10,000 |
| Lakota Sports Organization West Chester, OH | Charitable Operations | $6,000 |
| Neighborhood Outreach Connection Hilton Head, SC | Charitable Operations | $5,000 |
| Duke Cancer Institute Durham, NC | Memorial Donation | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Schmitz Family Foundation?
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 | $1,340,276 | $202,513 | $159,321 | $143,100 | 11 | $145,945 | $188,737 | $122,700 |
| 2024 | $1,297,084 | $85,316 | $116,960 | $93,000 | 12 | $98,897 | $66,553 | $116,801 |
| 2023 | $1,328,728 | $155,883 | $203,207 | $187,530 | 13 | $191,935 | $146,412 | $97,477 |
| 2022 | $1,376,052 | $17,765 | $185,864 | $167,899 | 13 | $173,131 | $19,329 | $101,240 |
| 2021 | $1,544,151 | $219,715 | $183,747 | $163,000 | 11 | $168,050 | $209,018 | $111,876 |
| 2020 | $1,508,183 | $217,406 | $133,700 | $116,000 | 9 | — | $208,758 | $95,182 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Schmitz Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $123K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees describe work in areas including support for veterans and military families, animal welfare, youth sports, poverty reduction, and education. For example, Operation Patriots FOB says it creates positive experiences for veterans, active-duty military, first responders, and their families through outdoor and recreational activities. Palmetto Animal League describes its work as helping neglected animals through humane sanctuaries, relocation, and efforts to address overpopulation. Lakota Sports Organization says it partners with local families through youth sports, while Neighborhood Outreach Connection describes work to fight poverty through education, health and wellness, workforce development, and community development. Springfield Schools Foundation says it supports the educational mission of its local school district.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $143,100. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $40,000, with a median grant of $10,000. Larger awards included $40,000 to Berkeley Hall Charitable Foundation, $20,000 to WLMB-TV Dominion Broadcasting, $19,600 to Operation Patriots FOB Inc, and $12,500 each to Erie Shores Council - Scouting America and Palmetto Animal League. Other listed grants included $10,000 each to Church of the Cross and Spirit of Sebastian, $6,000 to Lakota Sports Organization, $5,000 each to Neighborhood Outreach Connection and Duke Cancer Institute, and $2,500 to Springfield Schools Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David L. Schmitz as president, secretary, and treasurer, and Gary M. Harden as assistant secretary.
The Schmitz Family Foundation is led by David L. Schmitz, President, Secretary & Treasurer since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David L. Schmitz
President, Secretary & Treasurer
Treasurer & Trustee → President, Secretary & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary M. Harden
Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Martha D. Schmitz-Wealleans (2020–2022) — President & Trustee
- Former: William L. Rogers (2020–2022) — Secretary & Trustee
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 Schmitz Family Foundation
How much does The Schmitz Family Foundation give each year?
The Schmitz Family Foundation gave $143K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $93K across 12 grants.
What is The Schmitz Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Schmitz Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $13,009, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Schmitz Family Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does The Schmitz Family Foundation give grants?
The Schmitz Family Foundation gives mostly in South Carolina: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Ohio (29%). The most frequent recipient cities were Bluffton, SC (4 grants) and Toledo, OH (2 grants).
Does The Schmitz Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on The Schmitz Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable Operations" (9 grants).
Who are The Schmitz Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Schmitz Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Berkeley Hall Charitable Foundation ($40,000), WLMB-TV Dominion Broadcasting ($20,000) and Operation Patriots Fob Inc ($19,600), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Schmitz Family Foundation?
The Schmitz Family Foundation reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $146K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $123K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Schmitz Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees describe work in areas including support for veterans and military families, animal welfare, youth sports, poverty reduction, and education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Schmitz Family Foundation?
The 2025 filing says to contact David L. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Schmitz Family Foundation's EIN?
The Schmitz Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 34-1665968. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 23, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 20, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Schmitz Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-schmitz-family-foundation-morg_9c14f0efbef94458a94f2861b6ee8c88
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_341665968_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Schmitz Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-schmitz-family-foundation-morg_9c14f0efbef94458a94f2861b6ee8c88},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. 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 Schmitz 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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