The Eddie And Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $10,314,662 (2024)
Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
Grant Range: $200 - $11,003,000
Median Grant: $10,000
Number of Grants: 202 grants awarded in 2024
Geographic Focus: Primarily North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia
Total Assets: $294,338,522

Contact Details

Address: Greenville, NC
EIN: 56-1844198

Note: The foundation does not have a public website or published contact information for grant inquiries, as they do not accept unsolicited applications.

Overview

The Eddie And Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation Inc was established in 1993 by Eddie Smith Jr., owner and CEO of Grady-White Boats in Greenville, NC, and his late wife Jo Allison Smith. As a private family foundation with assets exceeding $294 million and annual giving of approximately $10.3 million, the foundation supports a broad range of charitable causes including arts and culture, education, environmental conservation, health care, religion, and human services. The foundation particularly focuses on organizations in North Carolina, with additional support extending to Florida and Virginia. Eddie Smith Jr. serves as Chairman, with Kristin Carroll as President, Samuel E. Soliman as Executive Vice President, and Jill A. Carraway as Secretary and Treasurer. The foundation's giving philosophy is rooted in stewardship and the principle "to whom much is given, much is expected," reflecting values instilled by Eddie's father who rose from poverty to successful entrepreneurship.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with published guidelines. Instead, it makes grants through trustee discretion to preselected charitable organizations. Grant amounts vary widely from $200 to over $11 million, with a median grant of $10,000.

Priority Areas

Based on publicly documented grants and leadership statements, the foundation prioritizes:

Health Care & Medical Research: Major support for brain health, geriatric medicine, cognitive and behavioral neurology, sleep science, and Parkinson's disease research. Notable $4 million gift to UNC Hospitals in 2017.
Higher Education: Significant support for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including the largest gift in Rams Club history for football program facilities and operations. Funding for scholarships, professorships, fellowships, and clinical research at UNC School of Medicine.
Environmental Conservation: Major emphasis on protecting waterways, marine conservation, land preservation, oyster and fish habitat restoration. Support for Sound Rivers, Tar River Land Conservancy, Nature Conservancy, Coastal Land Trust, NC Coastal Federation, Coastal Conservation Association, and Conservation Trust for NC.
Arts & Culture: Museums and cultural institutions
Human Services: Child welfare programs
Protestant Religious Organizations: Support for faith-based initiatives

What They Don't Fund

The foundation explicitly states it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Governance and Leadership

Eddie Smith Jr. - Chairman/Director
Eddie is a 1965 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and owner/CEO of Grady-White Boats in Greenville. He serves as trustee for the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) and has been recognized with numerous conservation awards including IGFA's most prestigious conservation honor and the American Sportfishing Association's lifetime achievement award. He has been inducted into the National Marine Manufacturers Association Hall of Fame.

Kristin Carroll - President/Director
Member of the Smith family managing day-to-day foundation operations.

Samuel E. Soliman - Executive Vice President/Director

Jill A. Carraway - Secretary and Treasurer/Director

None of the leadership team receives compensation for their foundation roles.

On Their Giving Philosophy:

Eddie Smith Jr. explained their approach: "We wanted to take a hard look at some of the areas we felt strongly about, allocate an amount of money we felt we could give and find the very best and most productive ways to put that money to work in our areas of special interest."

On conservation: "If we don't have healthy waterways, people are not going to want to recreate in or on them." Conservation represents one of the largest pieces of the foundation's philanthropic focus.

Chris Smith (board member and Eddie's son): "We are grateful, and we want people to know that a high level of care is available right here in North Carolina." The family evaluates opportunities by asking: "Who are the leaders? What is the model? Can this be sustainable? What kind of impact can we expect?"

Eddie's philosophy: "To whom much is given, much is expected" and aims to "touch as many lives as possible" and "leave the world a little better than I found it."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded at the discretion of the board of trustees to organizations they have identified and selected. The foundation does not maintain an application portal, published guidelines, or accept proposals from organizations seeking funding.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. Decision-making occurs internally among trustees based on their strategic priorities and existing relationships.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications from the public.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Application Success Factors

Since the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, based on their documented giving patterns and leadership statements, the foundation values:

Personal Connection & Relationship: The foundation's major gifts frequently stem from personal experiences. Their $4 million healthcare gift to UNC was motivated by family members' experiences with strokes, Parkinson's disease, dementia, and sleep apnea. Eddie's support for focused ultrasound research began when his wife was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Evaluation Criteria (from Chris Smith): The foundation asks:

"Who are the leaders?" - Quality of organizational leadership
"What is the model? Can this be sustainable?" - Long-term viability and sustainable impact models
"What kind of impact can we expect?" - Measurable outcomes and transformative potential

Geographic Ties: Strong preference for eastern North Carolina, particularly the Tar-Pamlico watershed region where the Smith family has deep roots through Grady-White Boats and their Greenville base.

Transformative Potential: The foundation seeks opportunities for significant impact, as evidenced by Eddie's support for focused ultrasound because he believes it represents "the next great breakthrough" with broad humanitarian applications.

Alignment with Business Values: As demonstrated by conservation support, the foundation values causes that align with Grady-White's mission and the health of waterways essential to recreational boating.

Strategic Focus: The foundation takes a deliberate approach, identifying priority areas, allocating specific funding amounts, and finding "the very best and most productive ways to put that money to work" rather than responding reactively to requests.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

No Public Application Process: This foundation cannot be approached through traditional grant applications. They identify and select beneficiaries through trustee discretion and existing relationships.
Personal Connection Matters: Major gifts often stem from personal health experiences, family ties to UNC-Chapel Hill, business connections through Grady-White Boats, or geographic roots in eastern North Carolina.
Focus on Sustainability: The foundation prioritizes sustainable models over one-time interventions, asking whether projects can generate lasting community impact.
Leadership Quality: The caliber of organizational leadership is a critical evaluation factor in their decision-making.
Strategic Geographic Focus: Strong emphasis on North Carolina, particularly eastern NC and the Tar-Pamlico watershed region, with extensions to UNC-Chapel Hill and select organizations in Florida and Virginia.
Major Areas of Interest: Healthcare (especially neurological and geriatric), higher education (particularly UNC), environmental conservation (especially marine and waterway protection), and causes connected to the recreational boating industry.
Transformative Over Incremental: The foundation seeks breakthrough opportunities with potential for significant, measurable impact across multiple beneficiaries.

References

Accessed December 24, 2025