The Dorinda Miles Smith Foundation makes a small number of large, targeted grants to established nonprofits across higher education, farmland conservation, humanitarian food relief, and emergency medical aid. Its giving is impact-focused rather than broad-based: major unrestricted support to a university for student tuition, significant multi-hundred-thousand gifts to regional farmland protection, and sizable contributions to international crisis-relief organizations. The portfolio suggests a New England regional interest (higher ed and farmland) combined with a willingness to fund high-profile global emergency-response partners.
A $1,000,000 grant to Simmons University for student tuition assistance stands out in the Dorinda Miles Smith Foundation Inc portfolio and signals the scale at which it operates. The foundation makes a small number of large awards, often in the six-figure range, and its recent grants show a clear preference for established organizations working in higher education, farmland protection, humanitarian food relief, and medical aid. That approach appears in support for Maine Farmland Trust, which received $500,000 to protect farmland, assist farmers, and develop the future of farming, and in $200,000 grants to Doctors Without Borders and World Central Kitchen. Those gifts point to a funder that is willing to back both long-term institutional work and urgent response efforts. The foundation also funds community and faith-based programming, including Camp Mcdowell in Nauvoo, Alabama, suggesting that its portfolio includes direct support for programs serving students, farmers, and people facing crisis.
In higher education, the foundation gave $1,000,000 to Simmons University for general fund support to assist students with tuition assistance through contributions to the university. That is the largest recent grant on file and indicates a willingness to fund institutional aid rather than a narrowly restricted project. For farmland protection and farmer support, it awarded $500,000 to Maine Farmland Trust to help protect farmland, assist farmers, and develop the future of farming. Its humanitarian giving includes $200,000 to World Central Kitchen to provide meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. It also backed faith-based programming with $100,000 to Camp Mcdowell for worship, learning, rest, and play at the camp.
Typical grant size is $125,000 at the 25th percentile, $200,000 at the median, and $425,000 at the 75th percentile, which reflects a concentrated portfolio of large awards. Recent grants show both one-off support and multi-year continuity in subject matter, especially around tuition aid, farmland protection, and crisis response. The foundation is a regular funder and also funds individuals, but the recent record here centers on institutional grants rather than a broad application pool or open-call process. The pattern is direct support for established organizations, often with general fund or mission support language.
$1.6M
$8.1M
$612K
$1.7M
Most grants fall between $125K and $425K, with a median of $200K.
25th Percentile
$125K
Median
$200K
75th Percentile
$425K
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Highly concentrated: very few, large grants to established organizations. No evidence of many small or repeat micro-grants; instead one-off, high-dollar gifts spanning regional civic causes and international humanitarian relief.
Notable grantees: Simmons University, Maine Farmland Trust, World Central Kitchen, Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières)
Giving is national, with all listed recent grants going to U.S. recipients. Alabama appears most often in the recent record by grant count, including Camp Mcdowell in Nauvoo and Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Birmingham. Other recipient cities include Boston, Belfast, New York, and Washington, DC. The foundation’s headquarters are in Saratoga Springs, New York, and 17% of grants in the underlying data went to recipients in New York state.
The recent grant record points to higher education, farmland protection, emergency food relief, humanitarian medical aid, and faith-based retreat or youth programming. Named recipients include Simmons University for tuition assistance, Maine Farmland Trust for farmland protection and farmer support, World Central Kitchen for meals in crisis settings, Doctors Without Borders for medical humanitarian aid, and Camp Mcdowell for worship and learning programming.
The grant-size distribution is large: $125,000 at the 25th percentile, $200,000 at the median, and $425,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from $30,000 to $1,000,000, with multiple grants at $200,000 and above.
Among the recent grants provided, Alabama appears most often by recipient location, with grants to Camp Mcdowell in Nauvoo and Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Birmingham. The portfolio is still national overall, with recipients also in Boston, Belfast, New York, and Washington, DC.
The recent list shows a focused set of large, targeted awards rather than a broad volume of small grants. Several themes recur across years and recipients—tuition assistance, farmland protection, and crisis response—but the specific recent grantees listed here appear only once in the provided data.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $400,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION TO PROVIDE MEALS IN RESPONSE TO HUMANITARIAN, CLIMATE, AND COMMUNITY CRISES |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $300,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO BRING MEDICAL CARE TO PEOPLE AFFECTED BY CONFLICT, DISASTERS, EPIDEMICS, AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION |
| MAINE FARMLAND TRUST | BELFAST, ME | $250,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO HELP PROTECT FARMLAND, ASSIST FARMERS, AND DEVELOP THE FUTURE OF FARMING |
| CAMP MCDOWELL | NAUVOO, AL | $150,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION TO SHOW THE WAY THE WORLD COULD BE THROUGH WORSHIP, LEARNING, REST, AND PLAY AT THE CAMP |
| AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO PRESERVE AND PROMOTE CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES. |
| ENVIRONMNETAL DEFENSE FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO PRESERVE THE NATURAL SYTEMS ON WHILE ALL LIFE DEPENDS. |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO CREATE A MORE INFORMED PUBLIC BY PRODUCING, ACQUIRING, AND DISTRIBUTING NONCOMMERCIAL PROGRAMMING. |
| PBS FOUNDATION | ARLINGTON, VA | $100,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO PROMOTE AND ENHANCE OUTSTANDING PUBLIC BROADCASTING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. |
| MAINE FARMLAND TRUST | BELFAST, ME | $500,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO HELP PROTECT FARMLAND, ASSIST FARMERS, AND DEVELOP THE FUTURE OF FARMING |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO BRING MEDICAL CARE TO PEOPLE AFFECTED BY CONFLICT, DISASTERS, EPIDEMICS, AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $200,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION TO PROVIDE MEALS IN RESPONSE TO HUMANITARIAN, CLIMATE, AND COMMUNITY CRISES |
| CAMP MCDOWELL | NAUVOO, AL | $100,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION TO SHOW THE WAY THE WORLD COULD BE THROUGH WORSHIP, LEARNING, REST, AND PLAY AT THE CAMP |
| SIMMONS UNIVERSITY | BOSTON, MA | $1,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND - ASSIST STUDENTS WITH TUITION ASSISTANCE THRU CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY. |
| BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS | BIRMINGHAM, AL | $30,000 | 2023 | VARIOUS |
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
$400,000TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION TO PROVIDE MEALS IN RESPONSE TO HUMANITARIAN, CLIMATE, AND COMMUNITY CRISES
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$300,000TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO BRING MEDICAL CARE TO PEOPLE AFFECTED BY CONFLICT, DISASTERS, EPIDEMICS, AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION
TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO HELP PROTECT FARMLAND, ASSIST FARMERS, AND DEVELOP THE FUTURE OF FARMING
CAMP MCDOWELL
$150,000TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION TO SHOW THE WAY THE WORLD COULD BE THROUGH WORSHIP, LEARNING, REST, AND PLAY AT THE CAMP
TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO PRESERVE AND PROMOTE CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES.
ENVIRONMNETAL DEFENSE FUND
$150,000TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO PRESERVE THE NATURAL SYTEMS ON WHILE ALL LIFE DEPENDS.
TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO CREATE A MORE INFORMED PUBLIC BY PRODUCING, ACQUIRING, AND DISTRIBUTING NONCOMMERCIAL PROGRAMMING.
TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO PROMOTE AND ENHANCE OUTSTANDING PUBLIC BROADCASTING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.
TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO HELP PROTECT FARMLAND, ASSIST FARMERS, AND DEVELOP THE FUTURE OF FARMING
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$200,000TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION TO BRING MEDICAL CARE TO PEOPLE AFFECTED BY CONFLICT, DISASTERS, EPIDEMICS, AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
$200,000TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION TO PROVIDE MEALS IN RESPONSE TO HUMANITARIAN, CLIMATE, AND COMMUNITY CRISES
CAMP MCDOWELL
$100,000TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION TO SHOW THE WAY THE WORLD COULD BE THROUGH WORSHIP, LEARNING, REST, AND PLAY AT THE CAMP
GENERAL FUND - ASSIST STUDENTS WITH TUITION ASSISTANCE THRU CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY.
BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS
$30,000VARIOUS