The Smith Family Foundation
The Smith Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Columbia, South Carolina. Its 2024 filing reports 12 grants totaling $55,000 to organizations in South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Missouri.
The Smith Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Smith Family Foundation gave $55K across 12 grants in 2024 (avg $5K), mostly in South Carolina. 50% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $55,000
- +22.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 12
- -7.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $4,583
- +32.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $805,935
- +0.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 50% first-time grantees (6 of 12, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (55% 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 The Smith Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s 2023 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists Joel A Smith III as the contact, with application form and materials, deadlines, and award restrictions listed as N/A.
- Contact
Application contact: Joel A Smith Iii
Mailing address: 206 Wateree Avenue, Columbia, SC 29205
Phone: (803) 466-4294
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Smith Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Spoleto Festival USA ($9K). Together the top 10 received $52K.
Grant Size Distribution
48 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 48 grants of 48 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in South Carolina (55%), Tennessee (18%), North Carolina (18%), and Missouri (9%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Smith Family Foundation open to new grantees?
50%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 6 of 12 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 50% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 49% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 107% 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 $35K (2020) to $55K (2024). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $55K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Spoleto Festival USA Charleston, SC | Charitable | $9,000 |
| Harvest Hope Food Bank Columbia, SC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Communities in Schools Columbia, SC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Columbia Film Society Columbia, SC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Overton Park Shell Memphis, TN | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Homeless No More Columbia, SC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| American Youth Foundation St. Louis, MO | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Cedar Mountain Volunteer Fire Dept Cedar Mountain, NC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Community Focus Foundation Brevard, NC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Youth Villagesmemphis Allies Memphis, TN | Charitable | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Smith 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $805,935 | $80,912 | $77,479 | $55,000 | 12 | $58,000 | $68,983 | $54,223 |
| 2023 | $801,598 | $30,592 | $60,105 | $45,000 | 13 | $48,500 | $19,864 | $50,317 |
| 2022 | $831,119 | $73,211 | $66,221 | $45,000 | 10 | $52,873 | $62,070 | $53,092 |
| 2021 | $824,080 | $109,431 | $58,489 | $37,000 | 6 | — | $97,680 | $57,875 |
| 2020 | $773,170 | $25,423 | $46,894 | $35,000 | 7 | — | $16,044 | $47,331 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Smith Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $54K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grant recipients included organizations with varied missions. For example, Spoleto Festival USA says it presents performing arts and uses arts, education, and community engagement to foster belonging. Harvest Hope Food Bank says it works to eliminate hunger and food insecurity in South Carolina, while Communities in Schools of the Midlands says it connects students at risk of dropping out with resources to help them stay in school and graduate. Community Focus Foundation describes its work as supporting community needs and development projects.
Other 2024 recipients included Columbia Film Society, which says it promotes appreciation of theater through independent and educational films; Homeless No More, which says it supports homeless and at-risk families; and Golden Cross Senior Ministries, which says it provides material support and social capital to low-income seniors.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation awarded 12 grants totaling $55,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $9,000, with a median grant of $5,000.
The largest reported award was $9,000 to Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina. Other grants of $5,000 went to Harvest Hope Food Bank, Communities in Schools, Columbia Film Society, and Homeless No More, all in Columbia, South Carolina; Overton Park Shell in Memphis, Tennessee; American Youth Foundation in St. Louis, Missouri; Cedar Mountain Volunteer Fire Department in Cedar Mountain, North Carolina; and Community Focus Foundation in Brevard, North Carolina. Youth Villages Memphis Allies received $3,000, Golden Cross Senior Ministries received $2,000, and Living Wright Foundation received $1,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation’s 2024 filing lists Joel A Smith III as an officer and Mary Lowndes MacDonald as secretary.
The Smith Family Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Mary Lowndes Macdonald
Secretary
On filings since 2020
$1K (2020) → $3K (2024)
Joel A. Smith III
Officer
Chairman → Officer, 2022
On filings since 2020
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 $3K, to Mary Lowndes Macdonald (Secretary).
Frequently asked questions about The Smith Family Foundation
How much does The Smith Family Foundation give each year?
The Smith Family Foundation gave $55K across 12 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $45K across 13 grants.
What is The Smith Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Smith Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $4,583, across 12 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Smith Family Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does The Smith Family Foundation give grants?
The Smith Family Foundation gives mostly in South Carolina: 55% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Tennessee (18%) and North Carolina (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Columbia, SC (5 grants) and Memphis, TN (2 grants).
Does The Smith Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on The Smith Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (12 grants).
Who are The Smith Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Smith Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Spoleto Festival USA ($9,000), Harvest Hope Food Bank ($5,000) and Communities in Schools ($5,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Smith Family Foundation?
The Smith Family Foundation reported $806K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $58K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $54K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Smith Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grant recipients included organizations with varied missions. For example, Spoleto Festival USA says it presents performing arts and uses arts, education, and community engagement to foster belonging. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Smith Family Foundation?
The foundation’s 2023 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Smith Family Foundation's EIN?
The Smith Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-2056433. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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
Live grants for the work The Smith Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in The Smith Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Smith Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-smith-family-foundation-morg_d497089008a944d0b90a03d7bf1dcc6f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_912056433_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Smith Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-smith-family-foundation-morg_d497089008a944d0b90a03d7bf1dcc6f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 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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