The George D Smith Fund makes relatively large, targeted grants to national institutions working at the intersection of public-interest journalism, medical research and health services, and democratic/humanitarian causes. Their giving favors established nonprofit institutions—universities, major media outlets, and service organizations—often providing unrestricted or general support. Recipients include both domestic public-media and advocacy organizations and internationally focused relief and human-rights groups, indicating a mix of civic information, health, and global engagement priorities.
Relatively concentrated, high-dollar grants to well-established national and international institutions; multiple repeat grants to select core grantees; funding often designated as organizational or general support rather than small project grants.
George D Smith Fund Inc. shows a clear preference for large, flexible grants to established institutions that shape public information, health, and civic life. In 2025, one of its largest awards went to Stanford University for $700,000, while Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. received $680,000 and the University of California San Francisco Foundation also received $680,000. The pattern is consistent across prior years as well: the fund has backed major public-interest organizations such as ProPublica, Wikimedia Foundation Inc, and The Carter Center with seven-figure cumulative support across the recent-grants list. The foundation’s portfolio points to a mix of medical research and academic medicine, reproductive health and rights, open-access knowledge, investigative journalism, and international humanitarian and human-rights work. Its recent grants go mainly to universities, media organizations, and large service nonprofits, often labeled for general budget support or an organization’s charitable purposes. That combination suggests a funder focused less on project-specific milestones and more on institutional capacity. Recipients in the recent-grants list include Stanford University School of Medicine, GBH Educational Foundation, National Public Radio Inc, and Doctors Without Borders.
Medical research and academic medicine are a major part of the fund’s giving. It awarded $750,000 to Stanford University School of Medicine for general budget support in 2023 and $680,000 to the University of California San Francisco Foundation in 2023 for general budget support, followed by another $700,000 to Stanford University in 2025 for the organization’s charitable purposes. Public-interest journalism is another visible thread. The foundation gave $680,000 to ProPublica in 2024 and $200,000 in 2025, plus $250,000 to KQED in 2024 and $150,000 to The Center for Investigative Reporting in 2024. It also supports reproductive health and rights, including $750,000 to Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. in 2023 and $340,000 in 2024, with another $680,000 in 2025. Open-access and public knowledge appear in grants to Wikimedia Foundation Inc., including $680,000 in 2024 and $350,000 in 2025.
Typical grants are sizable: the 25th percentile is $100,000, the median is $250,000, and the 75th percentile is $475,000. The recent-grants list shows repeated support to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025, including multiple awards to major universities, media outlets, and service nonprofits. The fund does not give to individuals and does not make program-related investments. The recent awards are described mostly as general budget support or for an organization’s charitable purposes, indicating flexible institutional funding rather than restricted project grants.
$4.4M
$49.9M
$2.6M
$4.6M
Most grants fall between $100K and $475K, with a median of $250K.
25th Percentile
$100K
Median
$250K
75th Percentile
$475K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Notable grantees: Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Wikimedia Foundation, ProPublica, Stanford University School of Medicine, National Public Radio / GBH (public media)
All recent grants in the supplied list went to U.S. recipients. Washington, DC appears frequently, with awards to National Public Radio Inc., National Public Radio Foundation, and Wikimedia Foundation Inc. New York also shows up through Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. and ProPublica, while California recipients include Stanford University, Stanford University School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco Foundation, KQED, and The Center for Investigative Reporting. The foundation’s giving footprint is national rather than tied to its Chicago headquarters.
Recent grants go mainly to universities, public media, investigative journalism outlets, reproductive health organizations, open-knowledge institutions, and humanitarian or human-rights groups. Examples in the list include Stanford University, National Public Radio Inc, ProPublica, Wikimedia Foundation Inc, Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc, and The Carter Center.
The grant-size distribution is relatively high: the 25th percentile is $100,000, the median is $250,000, and the 75th percentile is $475,000. Recent awards also include several grants in the $680,000 to $750,000 range.
Yes. The recent-grants list shows repeat support across multiple years for organizations such as Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc., ProPublica, Wikimedia Foundation Inc., National Public Radio Inc., Stanford University, and The Carter Center.
Its grants are national overall, and the top recipient location by count is Washington, DC. The recent-grants list also includes many recipients in New York and California, with awards to organizations in cities such as New York, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, and Emeryville.
No. The fund does not give to individuals and does not make program-related investments. The recent-grants list instead shows institutional grants to nonprofits, universities, and public-interest organizations.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC | NEW YORK, NY | $700,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $600,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $550,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $450,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $450,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $400,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PROPUBLICA | NEW YORK, NY | $300,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| GBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | BOSTON, MA | $275,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PBS FOUNDATION | ARLINGTON, VA | $250,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA | ST PAUL, MN | $150,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| THE CARTER CENTER | ATLANTA, GA | $75,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $700,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC | NEW YORK, NY | $680,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $680,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $400,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $350,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $350,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| GBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | BOSTON, MA | $325,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PROPUBLICA | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA | ST PAUL, MN | $100,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| THE CARTER CENTER | ATLANTA, GA | $100,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $680,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| THE CARTER CENTER | ATLANTA, GA | $680,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PROPUBLICA | NEW YORK, NY | $680,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC | NEW YORK, NY | $340,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| GBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | BOSTON, MA | $270,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| KQED | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $250,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $250,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| THE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING | EMERYVILLE, CA | $150,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA | ST PAUL, MN | $10,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $750,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC | NEW YORK, NY | $750,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE | STANFORD, CA | $750,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| THE CARTER CENTER | ATLANTA, GA | $300,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| GBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | BOSTON, MA | $300,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| KQED | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| THE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING | EMERYVILLE, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| PROPUBLICA | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA | ST PAUL, MN | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
| FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | BOSTON, MA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL BUDGET |
ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$600,000ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$700,000ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC
$350,000ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
$150,000ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$100,000ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES
THE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
$100,000GENERAL BUDGET