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.
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
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
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
54 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from W W Smith Charitable Trust
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
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
Related Funders
Similar funders by location and focus area
Brooke and Inge Lessig T W Sal Army
SAINT LOUIS, MO
Assets
$985K
Grants
1
Total Given
$54K
Tw Wyly Scholarship Fund
SAINT LOUIS, MO
Assets
$1.5M
Grants
14
Total Given
$80K
Tw Oxford Orphanage Jn
SAINT LOUIS, MO
Assets
$6.0M
Grants
1
Total Given
$315K
National Perinatal Foundation Inc
SPRINGFIELD, MO
Assets
$162K
Grants
1
Total Given
$8K
Duke Memorial Methodist Church
SAINT LOUIS, MO
Assets
$49K
Grants
1
Total Given
$53K
Ability Kc
KANSAS CITY, MO
Assets
$15.7M
Grants
1
Total Given
$33K
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
What could you do with W W Smith Charitable Trust on Grantable?
- Assess strategic fit with your organization
- Draft a tailored letter of inquiry
- Find open RFPs from this funder
- Monitor for new funding opportunities