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The Smith Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Smith Family Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$181k
Granted FY2025still arriving
7
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Public Benefit$350kEducation$313kRecreation & Sports$215kCrime & Legal$146kArts & Culture$101kYouth Development$55kEnvironment$51kReligion$30kOther$0
02FY2025 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $6k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $75k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $100k
$15,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$2.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
DEMOCRACY MATTERS FOUNDATION$100,000
ILLINOIS BAR FOUNDATION$35,000
FRANCIS W PARKER SCHOOL$15,000
HORIZONS FOR YOUTH$15,000
LITTLE CITY FOUNDATION$10,000
MISERICORDIA HOME$5,000
ANTI-CRUELTY SOCIETY$1,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–25, $23k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 67% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%PIONEER CENTER FOR HUMAN SERVICES: $5k → 6%PIONEER CENTER FOR HUMAN SERVICES: $3k → 6%MISERICORDIA HOME: $5k → 14%LITTLE CITY FOUNDATION: $10k → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

MN
IL
NY
IA
OH
CO
VA
KS
TN
NC
DC
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

78%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.0M · 17 repeat orgs$297k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +33% since the first grant, against +14% for those funded once.

17 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2025, 13 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
34

Total granted

$1.0M
$281k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
+14%

Still filing today

53%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 91% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $16k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationCrime & LegalHuman ServicesEnvironmentCivil RightsSocial ScienceOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • Northwestern University
    3× · 2020–2024 · $150k · revenue +33%
  • IB
    Illinois Bar Foundation
    3× · 2017–2025 · $46k · revenue +151%
  • FW
    Francis W Parker School
    4× · 2021–2025 · $35k · revenue +31%

Funded once

  • NS
    NORTHWESTERN SCHOLARSHIP FUND
    one grant, 2017 · $30k
  • THE HOWARD UNIVERSITYgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $25k · revenue +38%
  • LU
    LOYOLA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
    one grant, 2020 · $25k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
American Law Institute

The institute's mission, as set out in its certificate of incorporation, is to promote the clarification and simplification of the law and its better adaptation to social needs, to secure the better administration of justice, and to…

Crime & Legal
2
Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Mitchell hamline school of law is an independent law school that advances its mission through a combination of legal education, public service, and community engagement. it is dedicated to preparing students to practice law, while also…

Education
3
Public Interest Law Initiative

PILI engages, inspires and empowers those advancing equal access to justice.

Crime & Legal
4
Roger Williams University School of Law

The only law school in Rhode Island, Roger Williams University School of Law offers future attorneys a rigorous, hands-on legal education in a supportive, personalized environment. Preparing students for success in the public and private…

Education
5
Illinois College

Illinois college is a co-educational institution of higher education learning providing a four-year educational program leading to the baccalaureate degree. illinois college is a community committed to the highest standards of scholarship…

Education
6
National Association of College and University Attorneys

To advance the practice of higher education attorneys for the benefit of the institutions they serve.

—
7
California Western School of Law

California western school of law is an independent, aba/aals and wasc senior college and university commission (wscuc) accredited s.d. law school that prepares graduates for the practice of law through a carefully sequenced program of…

Education
8
Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute

The chicago psychoanalytic institute transforms the lives of individuals, families and communities, using psychoanalytic knowledge to help them grow and thrive.

Social Science
9
Colorado Legal Services

To provide meaningful access to high quality, civil legal services in the pursuit of justice for as many low income persons and members of vulnerable populations throughout colorado as possible.

Crime & Legal
10
Lake Forest College

Provide post-secondary education leading to a baccalaureate degree. Program service expenditures are made in conjunction with the operation of a liberal arts college spread over 107 acres with approximately 63 educational and support…

Education
11
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
12
The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

Enhance the ability of actec members to provide the most efficient and highest quality services to their clients; develop qualified trust and estate counselors; improve and reform probate, trust and tax laws, procedures, and standards of…

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Aspen Institute Inc; the most unlike its peers is Dillon Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

30 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 30 of the 54 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
29/30
Grantees still filing
23/30
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

BIENEN SCHOOL OF MUSIC: $101,000 · OtherBIENEN SCHOOL OF MUSICXS TENNIS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $74,975 · OtherXS TENNIS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONHIGH JUMP CHICAGO ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAM: $44,600 · OtherHIGH JUMP CHICAGO ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGR…NORTHWESTERN SCHOLARSHIP FUND: $30,000 · OtherNORTHWESTERN SCHOLARSHIP FUNDLOYOLA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW: $25,000 · OtherEVANSTON HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $25,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $25,000 · OtherHorizons for Youth: $20,000 · Other+31 more: $166,750 · Other+31 moreDEMOCRACY MATTERS FOUNDATION: $350,000 · Civil RightsDEMOCRACY MATTERS FOUNDATIONLOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: $100,000 · EducationLOYOLA UNIVERSITY …Illinois Bar Foundation: $46,250 · EducationIllinois Bar Found…Francis W Parker School: $35,000 · EducationFrancis W Parker S…THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $25,000 · EducationTHE HOWARD UNIVERS…ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY: $10,000 · Education+2 more: $5,000 · EducationNorthwestern University: $150,000 · Recreation & SportsNorthwestern…NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $32,000 · EnvironmentENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY CENTER OF THE MIDWEST: $19,000 · EnvironmentNATIONAL CENTER FOR STATE COURTS: $30,000 · Crime & LegalSHRIVER CENTER ON POVERTY LAW: $5,000 · Crime & LegalPRAIRIE STATE LEGAL SERVICES INC: $2,500 · Crime & LegalTHE ASPEN INSTITUTE INC: $25,000 · Social Science
Other$512,325Civil Rights$350,000Education$221,250Recreation & Sports$150,000Environment$51,000Crime & Legal$37,500Social Science$25,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetDEMOCRACY MATTERS FOUNDATION: $350,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetNorthwestern University: $150,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: $100,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetIllinois Bar Foundation: $46,250 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetFrancis W Parker School: $35,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $32,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL CENTER FOR STATE COURTS: $30,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ASPEN INSTITUTE INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHorizons for Youth: $20,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY CENTER OF THE MIDWEST: $19,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetGREATER ORGANIZATION FOR LESS FORTUNATE: $10,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetPioneer Center for Human Services: $7,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL CIVIL JUSTICE INSTITUTE: $5,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetMISERICORDIA HOME: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetILLINOIS EQUAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMONARCH LIFEWORKS: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPRAIRIE STATE LEGAL SERVICES INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWORKING IN THE SCHOOLS INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ACADEMY AT ST JOAN OF ARC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUrban Ministries of Durham Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE EDUCATION FUND: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetKids In Danger: $2,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE WESTERN AMATEUR INC: $1,250 over 1y, 3.1% of budgetDILLON FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCOLORADO TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

United Way of Metropo…AbbVie FoundationThe Chicago Community…Synchrony FoundationArthur J Gallagher Fo…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…The Blackbaud Giving …Charities Aid Foundat…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…American Endowment Fo…Morgan Stanley Global…
United Way of Metropolitan Chicago IncIL13.2× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc · AbbVie Foundation · The Chicago Community Trust · Synchrony Foundation · Arthur J Gallagher Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Charities Aid Foundation America · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · American Endowment Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization The Smith Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Smith Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to The Smith Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Smith Family Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

    Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 54 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Smith Family’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home