The Smith Tieken Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 26-1405041 · since 2009smithtieken.org·Chicago, Phoenix·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$1.9M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$10,000 to $210k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$110k

Typical grant (median)

20 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and makes grants only to partner organisations it invites, choosing them by locale, organisational maturity, scope of service and commitment to easing suffering, so a small charity without a route to an invitation should not send a cold application.
Its stated mission is to ease the suffering of humans and animals, and it names Phoenix and Chicago as priority areas, so work that addresses a specific tangible need in those places is the closest fit.
Requests should cover a defined project rather than ongoing running costs, because grants must not require significant ongoing funding; a typical grant falls between $10,000 and $210,000, half of grants are $20,000 or less, and the largest grant was $310,000, so a request near $20,000 is a sensible starting point.
Grant funds must be used in the following calendar year and the foundation requires periodic progress reports, so plan the project and its reporting for that window, and note that 46% of grant dollars went to organisations it had funded in earlier filings, so an existing relationship matters.

Overview

The Smith Tieken Foundation is a US private foundation based in Mesa, AZ.

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 foundation's stated mission is to ease the suffering of humans and animals. It gives annual gifts to partner organisations to support their ongoing viability, choosing them by locale, organisational maturity, scope of service and commitment to easing suffering. Its focus is primarily on local charities in Phoenix and Chicago, and its giving spans causes selected by the family. For invited partner organisations, grants support specific projects that advance the organisation's mission and address a tangible need without significant ongoing funding. The foundation expects the grant to be used in the following year and requires periodic progress reporting.

Themes

Human and animal welfare

Geographic Focus

Priority: Phoenix; Chicago.

How to apply

The foundation invites selected partner organisations to apply for grants for specific needs.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 46% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 38 grants to organisations were $20,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

Partners are chosen by locale, organisational maturity, scope of service and commitment to easing suffering.
The grant must support a project that advances the applicant's mission.
A proposed project must address a tangible need that will not require significant ongoing funding.
The organisation must use the grant in the following calendar year.
The foundation requires a periodic progress report on how the funds are used.

Where grants go

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

Grant dollars by state

Arizona56%

Illinois43%

Missouri<1%

The largest single recipient received 11% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 46% of grant dollars went to organisations The Smith Tieken Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.

Grants

20 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $110k

How much do they typically give?

Share of 20 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$5k–$10k5%

$10k–$25k35%

$25k–$50k5%

$50k–$100k0%

$100k–$250k55%

Median $110k (tax year 2024)

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

Cristo Rey Saint Martin College Preparatory · Fund the purchase of two school buses
$215,0002024 tax year
Center for Enriched Living · Fund the purchase of passenger vans, smart boards and ipad airs
$210,0002024 tax year
City Hope · Fund the purchase of a box truck and various items related to the opening of the gilbert location
$210,0002024 tax year
Be Kind People Project · Fund high impact projects including a co-branded cargo van, additional led technology,stock & inventory management equipment upgrade and security upgrades
$191,2002024 tax year
AgeOptions · Fund the first year of the community-based ageism reduction research project
$180,0002024 tax year
L'Arche Chicago · Fund the remodeling of peace house
$170,0002024 tax year
Saint Mary's Food Bank Alliance · To purchase a tractor-trailer with refrigeration unit
$160,0002024 tax year
Willow House · Fund technology upgrades and marketing projects
$118,0002024 tax year

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

Officers and directors

John Borta — President
Robert L Packard — Secretary / Treasurer

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$82,270	$80,000	$1,714,718	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$1,379,088	$1,285,000	$34,389,543	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$2,034,428	$1,909,200	$39,049,483	Filing 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.