The W W Smith Charitable Trust

## Approach & Strategy

The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust is a Philadelphia-rooted private foundation with a clear, geographically bounded mission: serve the five-county Greater Philadelphia region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties) plus the City of Camden, NJ. Founded through the will of William Wikoff Smith (1919–1976), the Trust operates four distinct program areas — Medical Research, Basic Needs, Scholarships, and Maritime Education — each with its own application timeline, eligibility criteria, and award range.

Strategic posture: The Trust is a formulaic, process-driven funder. It does not accept unsolicited general operating requests; every dollar is tracked to a specific program category. Applications are submitted exclusively through an online portal, and the Trust does not accept hard copy or emailed submissions. Preliminary inquiry via email (info@wwsmithcharitabletrust.org) is strongly encouraged before applying if there is any question about fit — the Trust staff will review draft program descriptions up to three weeks before a deadline.

Key strategic considerations: - All four program areas require a strict geographic connection to the Greater Philadelphia region. Organizations without an established service location in the five-county area or Camden are categorically ineligible. - The Trust invests in *promising researchers* and *direct service providers*, not policy advocacy, capital campaigns, or general operating support. - The Trust has a well-established relationship model. Grantees are visited biennially (for scholarship programs), and multi-year relationships are common — the Scholarship program explicitly encourages renewal of aid across multiple undergraduate years. - For Basic Needs, the "3 consecutive years = 2-year wait" rule is a significant strategic constraint. Organizations reaching this cap should plan re-entry strategies with alternative funders during the gap years.

## Funding Patterns

The Trust distributes approximately $10–11 million annually across its four program areas, with asset base growing from $204M (2021) to $243M (2024).

Annual grantmaking by program area (estimated from program guidelines): - Medical Research: Awards range $100,000–$125,000 (including 10% indirect costs). Typically funds multiple projects per discipline (Heart Disease, Cancer, AIDS) per cycle. One-year terms. - Basic Needs: Minimum $5,000; typical range $10,000–$40,000; higher amounts possible for eligible projects. Two funding cycles per year (June 15 and December 15 deadlines). One-year terms. - Maritime Education: Minimum $5,000; typical range $25,000–$50,000. One grant per year per organization. Organizations receiving three consecutive years of funding may be less likely to receive an immediate renewal. - Scholarships: Disbursed through 39 pre-selected accredited colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area; individual student awards are determined by institutional financial aid offices.

The Trust maintains a stable grantmaking posture, distributing roughly 4–5% of assets annually, consistent with IRS 5% minimum payout requirements for private foundations. Total giving has grown roughly 20% over the 2020–2023 period, reflecting both market appreciation and deliberate expansion of programs.

## Peer Comparison

The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust occupies a distinctive niche among Philadelphia-area private foundations: it is one of the few that operates across four distinct program areas simultaneously, making it one of the region's most multi-dimensional private funders.

Key differentiators: - Hyper-geographic specificity: The Trust's five-county + Camden boundary is more precisely defined than most regional funders, making eligibility decisions faster and more certain for applicants. - Medical research specialty: Unlike most community foundations, WW Smith dedicates a significant grant tier ($100K–$125K) to basic biomedical research, placing it alongside specialized health funders like the American Heart Association in terms of research investment. - Dual-cycle basic needs: The June and December deadlines for Basic Needs make WW Smith one of the few regional funders with a second-semester submission window, valuable for organizations with mid-year budget shortfalls. - Scholarship program infrastructure: The Trust's pre-selected 39-institution scholarship network is highly unusual — organizations cannot self-nominate for this program; institutions must already be in the Trust's network.

## Recent Activity

The Trust has been active in the following areas based on publicly available grantee spotlight information and website content (as of early 2026):

Medical Research (recent spotlights): - Saint Joseph's University — Cancer Research (Dr. Bela Peethambaran, PhD) - The Wistar Institute — AIDS Research (Ian Tietjen, PhD) - Temple University — Heart Disease Research (Jillian N. Simon, PhD) - Fox Chase Cancer Center — Cancer Research (Amy Whitaker, PhD)

Basic Needs (recent grantees highlighted): - Rebuilding Together Philadelphia — home repair for seniors and low-income residents - Murphy's Giving Market — food security, Upper Darby - Mitzvah Circle Foundation — children's clothing and essentials - LUCY Outreach — Camden youth development, recently expanded to 10,000 sq ft facility - Urban Resources Development Corporation — housing stability for seniors in Northwest Philadelphia - Ordinarie Heroes — youth services and basic needs - Parkesburg Point Youth Center — serving 400+ at-risk youth

Maritime Education (recent grantees): - Urban Promise - Urban BoatWorks

Scholarship Program: - 39 accredited institutions in the Greater Philadelphia region, including Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, Drexel University, Saint Joseph's University, and 34 others.

Organizational update (2024–2025): Mary L. Smith, Inaugural Trustee and Co-Trustee (1977–2017), passed away on December 28, 2024, at age 87. The Trust acknowledged her legacy prominently on its website as of early 2026. This transition may signal a period of reflection on strategy and mission alignment.

Research findings: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) researchers, likely funded in part by WW Smith, published findings on neuroblastoma immunotherapy targets. Penn State College of Medicine researchers published on bladder cancer genetic diversity. These research themes align with the Trust's cancer and heart disease focus areas.

## Application Tips

General rules for all programs: 1. Confirm geography first. If your organization's established service location is not in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia county (PA) or the City of Camden (NJ), you are not eligible. Do not apply. 2. Use the online portal exclusively. No emails, no hard copies. New organizations must register; returning applicants must login to their existing account. If someone at your organization may have previously applied, contact the Trust before creating a new account to avoid account duplication. 3. Email before you draft if uncertain. The Trust staff will preview draft applications if contacted more than three weeks before the deadline. Use this — it saves both parties time.

Medical Research tips: - Apply as an individual investigator through your institution, not as a research center. - Each institution is limited to one application per discipline (Heart Disease, Cancer, AIDS). Coordinate internally before applying — only one proposal per EIN per discipline category. - Awards are $100,000–$125,000 with 10% indirect cost allowance. Budget accordingly. - The Trust explicitly values researchers with potential to attract larger NIH, NSF, or AHA awards. Frame your proposal around this narrative — show how WW Smith funding enables you to generate the preliminary data for a major federal or national grant. - Deadline: July 15. Decision by December 1 (Fall Trustee Meeting, October/November). - Make all published materials relevant to the proposed project available to the Trust both before and after a grant.

Basic Needs tips: - Target programs serving children or older adults directly. "Further away from literal food, clothing, or shelter" = lower likelihood of funding. - The minimum grant is $5,000; typical range is $10,000–$40,000. Higher amounts are possible — contact the Trust to inquire. - Two cycles: June 15 and December 15 deadlines. Plan your fiscal year to align with one of these cycles. - If you have received three consecutive years of funding, do not apply — you are ineligible and must wait two years from your most recent award year. - Facilities improvement requests are eligible only if they directly improve client access to food programs or housing services.

Maritime Education tips: - Programs must serve school-aged youth in the five-county Philadelphia area or Camden. - Grants range $25,000–$50,000. Minimum $5,000. - Only one proposal per organization at a time; only one grant per year. - After three consecutive years of funding, renewal is less likely. Use this as a planning signal. - The Trust specifically values programs with outcomes in academics, life skills, maritime skills, maritime history, career skills, and youth leadership. Align your outcomes framework with these categories. - No capital campaigns, general operating, computer systems, vehicles, or new building construction.

Scholarship Program tips: - Organizations cannot self-nominate for this program. If your institution is not in the Trust's pre-selected list of 39 schools, contact info@wwsmithcharitabletrust.org to inquire about inclusion. - Students apply through their institution's financial aid office — not directly to the Trust.