W. W. Smith Charitable Trust: Grants for Pennsylvania
/OVERVIEW: The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust supports basic needs, medical research, college aid and maritime education and heritage preservation in Pennsylvania.
FUNDING AREAS: Basic needs, medical research, college aid, maritime education and heritage preservation.
IP TAKE: This private funder has very specific funding interests in the Philadelphia area and is accessible for both new and returning grantseekers. It’s more accessible than other small, private foundations and accepts unsolicited proposals. Contact this foundation to figure out if your project aligns with their vision for future funding.
PROFILE: Established in 1951, the W. W. Smith Charitable Trust is a private family foundation that is the successor of the W.W. Smith Foundation and based in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. This is the foundation of William Wikoff Smith, who acquired control of the Kewanne Oil Company and was also interested in photography, model ship building and sailing. He died at the age of 56 after contributing greatly to the Philadelphia community. The foundation mission is "ensuring basic human needs, supplementing higher education scholarships, supporting maritime education/maritime heritage preservation and enabling basic medical research in the areas of heart disease, cancer and AIDS.” It funds local efforts for basic needs, medical research, college aid and maritime education and heritage preservation.
The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust’s basic needs grants support local programs that provide food, shelter, clothing and facility repair costs for disadvantaged children, the elderly, low-income families and other vulnerable populations. Medical grants focus on heart disease, cancer and AIDS research in hospitals, research centers and faculty appointments at universities in the Delaware Valley. Scholarship support goes to local resident students, oftentimes for multiple years. Maritime grants go towards public access to maritime collections, teaching maritime skills, minor construction projects for maritime exhibits and the preservation and education of a sailing ship called the Gazela.
Grants range between about $10,000 and $100,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking focuses on Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania, as well as Camden, New Jersey. Past local grantees include Broad Street Ministry, Women Against Abuse and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits and has an online application system. It does not accept hard copy or email applications. Guidelines vary based on program area. Direct general questions to the staff at info@wwsmithcharitabletrust.org or 610-397-1844.
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