W W Smith Charitable Trust
The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust is a private foundation established by William Wikoff Smith (1919-1976) through his will. Based in Saint Louis, Missouri, the Trust operates as a 501(c)(3) private independent foundation with Wells Fargo Bank NA serving as co-trustee. The organization is dedicated to supporting basic human needs, higher education scholarships, maritime education, and medical research.
Key facts about W W Smith Charitable Trust
- EIN
- 23-6648841
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $12,070,376
- Grants made (2025)
- 251
- Average grant
- $48,089
- Median grant
- $35,000
- Total assets
- $243,205,218
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (91% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated June 2026.
Who W W Smith Charitable Trust funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for W W Smith Charitable Trust's 251 itemized 2025 grants were Pennsylvania (91%) and New Jersey (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Philadelphia, PA (108 grants), West Chester, PA (9 grants), Camden, NJ (8 grants) and Kennett Square, PA (8 grants). None of its 251 grants with a stated purpose were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Basic Needs" (187 grants), "Scholarships" (45 grants) and "Cancer Medical Research" (9 grants).
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$243.2M
+3.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$12.1M
+47.2% YoY
Grant Count
251
+25000.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$48K
-99.4% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, W W Smith Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $11.7M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: Ensuring basic human needs, supplementing higher education scholarships, supporting maritime education and maritime heritage preservation, and enabling basic medical research in the areas of heart disease, cancer, and AIDS.
Vision: Helping organizations and individuals achieve their goals, hopes, and dreams.
The Trust focuses on four primary grant programs:
- Basic Human Needs: Support for food, clothing, and shelter for needy children (including low-income families with dependent children) and low-income elderly age 60 and above
- Medical Research: Basic medical research funding for heart disease, cancer, AIDS, and juvenile diabetes
- College Scholarships: Financial aid programs at MSCHE-accredited four-year universities and colleges for needy, worthy, full-time undergraduate students (does not accept direct student requests)
- Maritime Education: Support for maritime educational activities and maritime heritage preservation
Grantmaking
Grant Range
$5,000–$223,000
Ready to take the next step with W W Smith Charitable Trust?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
With few exceptions, grants are limited to organizations within the five-county Greater Philadelphia area (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties) and the City of Camden, New Jersey. Maritime education programs focus on the Philadelphia/Delaware River area.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 251 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (as of 2025):
- Total assets: $243,205,218
- Total revenues: $14,750,621
- Total expenses: $13,078,039
- Investment income and dividends: $5,274,033
- Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets: $9,445,695
Staffing:
- 2 employees
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $243,205,218 | $234,099,896 | $214,505,308 |
| Revenue | $14,750,621 | $18,822,893 | $6,358,198 |
| Expenses | $13,078,039 | $8,925,356 | $10,854,296 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $12,579,378 | $8,669,687 | $10,533,054 |
| Net Investment Income | $14,482,859 | $18,580,266 | $6,097,052 |
| Distributable Amount | $11,682,165 | $10,719,310 | $10,166,131 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
255 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from W W Smith Charitable Trust
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest recipients include Drexel University ($575,000 across 4 grants), Pennsylvania State University Philanthropic Fund ($406,035 across 4 grants), Thomas Jefferson University ($372,931 across 3 grants).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| TEMPLE UNIVERSITY-OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUC PHILADELPHIA, PA | SCHOLARSHIPS | $223,000 |
| DREXEL UNIVERSITY PHILADELPHIA, PA | SCHOLARSHIPS | $200,000 |
| WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION WEST CHESTER, PA | SCHOLARSHIPS | $163,000 |
| ROWAN UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC GLASSBORO, NJ | SCHOLARSHIPS | $155,000 |
| SAINT JOSEPH'S UNIVERSITY PHILADELPHIA, PA | SCHOLARSHIPS | $141,000 |
| VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY VILLANOVA, PA | SCHOLARSHIPS | $138,000 |
| DREXEL UNIVERSITY PHILADELPHIA, PA | HEART DISEASE MEDICAL RESEARCH | $125,000 |
| DREXEL UNIVERSITY PHILADELPHIA, PA | AIDS MEDICAL RESEARCH | $125,000 |
| DREXEL UNIVERSITY PHILADELPHIA, PA | CANCER MEDICAL RESEARCH | $125,000 |
| INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH PHILADELPHIA, PA | CANCER MEDICAL RESEARCH | $125,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Mary L. Smith served as Inaugural Trustee and later Co-Trustee of the W. W. Smith Charitable Trust from 1977 until her retirement in 2017. She passed away on December 28, 2024, at age 87.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| WELLS FARGO BANK NA | CO-TRUSTEE | 15 | $281,439 |
| DEBORAH MCKENNA | CO-TRUSTEE | 20 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The Trust continues to actively distribute grants across its four program areas. Recent scholarship awards have been made to major regional universities including Temple University, Drexel University, and West Chester University Foundation. The organization maintains an active grantmaking program with 234 grants documented in recent fiscal years.
W.W. Smith Trust Awards $102,000 Scholarship GrantSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does W W Smith Charitable Trust fund?
**Mission:** Ensuring basic human needs, supplementing higher education scholarships, supporting maritime education and maritime heritage preservation, and enabling basic medical research in the areas of heart disease, cancer, and AIDS. **Vision:** Helping organizations and individuals achieve their goals, hopes, and dreams. The Trust focuses on four primary grant programs: • **Basic Human Needs:** Support for food, clothing, and shelter for needy children (including low-income families with de…
How do I apply for a grant from W W Smith Charitable Trust?
**Grant Activity:** • Total grants awarded since inception: 6,055 • Annual giving (2025): $12.6 million • Total giving (2025): $12,070,376 • Typical grant range: $5,000–$223,000 **Recent Grant Examples:** • Temple University: $223,000 (Scholarships, 2025) • Drexel University: $200,000 (Scholarships, 2025) • West Chester University Foundation: $163,000 (Scholarships, 2025) **Cumulative Impact by Category:** • Medical Research: $87,127,710 • Scholarships (Undergraduate): $95,661,791 • Basic Needs…
Where does W W Smith Charitable Trust make grants?
With few exceptions, grants are limited to organizations within the five-county Greater Philadelphia area (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties) and the City of Camden, New Jersey. Maritime education programs focus on the Philadelphia/Delaware River area.
What size grants does W W Smith Charitable Trust award?
In 2025, W W Smith Charitable Trust awarded 251 grants totaling $12.1M — an average of about $48K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is W W Smith Charitable Trust required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, W W Smith Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $11.7M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is W W Smith Charitable Trust's EIN?
W W Smith Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-6648841. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in W W Smith Charitable Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.