W. W. Smith Charitable Trust

Private foundation · EIN 23-6648841 · since 2015wwsmithcharitabletrust.org·Bucks County, Camden, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$12.1M
Annual giving, 2024 tax year
From the Form 990-PF filing
$15,000 to $115k
Grant range
From grants in the 990-PF filings
$35,000
Typical grant (median)
251 grants in the latest filing
Open to applications
Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

  • The Trust funds basic needs, higher-education scholarships, maritime education and medical research (heart disease, cancer and AIDS), with its work focused on the five-county Greater Philadelphia area and Camden, NJ, so check your organisation sits within that area before applying.
  • Across its 251 grants to organisations, most fall between $15,000 and $115,000, with a median of $35,000, while Basic Needs grants typically run $10,000–$40,000, Medical Research $100,000–$125,000 and Maritime Education $25,000–$50,000, so pitch your request to the relevant band.
  • Basic Needs applications must be submitted through the Trust's online portal, as hard-copy or emailed applications are not accepted, and if you are unsure whether your request fits you may ask the Trust to review a draft with the program description and budget completed.
  • Basic Needs deadlines are fixed: June 15 for the October/November meeting and December 15 for the April/May meeting, so plan your submission around these dates.
  • Maritime Education requests should not seek funding for capital campaigns, general operating support, computer systems, vehicles, new building construction or retroactive funding of non-emergencies, and Medical Research proposals must support the work of individual investigators rather than the general work of research centres.

Overview

W. W. Smith Charitable Trust is a US private foundation based in Saint Louis, MO.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Trust supports basic needs, higher-education scholarships, maritime education and medical research, primarily concerning heart disease, cancer and AIDS. Its basic-needs grants help non-profits provide food, clothing or shelter to children and older adults, prioritising disadvantaged and vulnerable residents in Greater Philadelphia and Camden. Medical-research funding supports basic research in the three named disease areas, with proposals for the work of individual investigators. Scholarship grants go to accredited colleges and universities in Greater Philadelphia, which award scholarships to eligible full-time undergraduates. Maritime grants support non-profit organisations in the Philadelphia Delaware River area for educational activities that increase awareness and appreciation of local waterways or teach basic maritime skills. Grants are generally limited to organisations in the five-county Greater Philadelphia area and Camden, with few exceptions.

Themes

  • Basic needs
  • Higher education scholarships
  • Medical research
  • Maritime education

Geographic Focus

Five-county Greater Philadelphia area: Bucks, Chester, Delaware and 2 more counties in Pennsylvania; Camden, NJ.

What They Don't Fund

  • Maritime Education only: capital campaigns; general operating; computer systems; vehicles; new building construction; retroactive funding of non-emergencies

How to apply

For Basic Needs applications, organisations submit through the Trust’s online portal; the Trust does not accept hard-copy or emailed applications. New applicants can register for an account, while recent applicants and grantees log in to an existing account.

Deadlines: Basic Needs applications are due by June 15 for the October/November meeting and December 15 for the April/May meeting.

Application success factors

  • Grant size: In its TY2024 filing, half of its 251 grants to organisations were $35,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

  • It prioritises requests benefiting disadvantaged and vulnerable children and older adults in its target region.
  • For Basic Needs, requests closer to direct provision of literal food, clothing or shelter are more likely to be funded.
  • Maritime Education efforts should benefit school-aged youth residing in its target region.
  • Medical Research applications must be for individual investigators’ work, not the general work of research centres.
  • Applicants unsure whether a Basic Needs request fits may ask the Trust to review a draft with the program description and request budget completed.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Pennsylvania91%
New Jersey6%
Maryland2%
Rhode Island<1%
Massachusetts<1%
Illinois<1%

1 other state: <1%

  • The largest single recipient received 5% of grant dollars to organisations.
  • No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.

Grants

251 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $35,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 251 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$5k–$10k2%
$10k–$25k21%
$25k–$50k45%
$50k–$100k18%
$100k–$250k14%

Median $35,000 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

  • Temple University-Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education · Scholarships
    $223,0002024 tax year
  • Drexel University · Scholarships
    $200,0002024 tax year
  • West Chester University Foundation · Scholarships
    $163,0002024 tax year
  • Rowan University Foundation · Scholarships
    $155,0002024 tax year
  • Saint Joseph's University · Scholarships
    $141,0002024 tax year
  • Villanova University · Scholarships
    $138,0002024 tax year
  • Thomas Jefferson University · Heart disease medical research
    $125,0002024 tax year
  • Johns Hopkins University · Heart disease medical research
    $125,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

  • Deborah McKenna — Co-Trustee
  • Wells Fargo Bank NA — Co-Trustee

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

YearTotal expensesGrants paidAssetsFiling document
2022 tax year$10,854,296$10,126,853$214,505,308Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year$8,925,356$8,202,059$234,099,896Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year$13,078,039$12,070,376$243,205,218Filing for 2024 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

Sources

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