The Schmidt Family Foundation concentrates on supporting local community institutions in the Princeton/Somerset County area, with a clear emphasis on performing arts, basic human services (notably hunger relief), and community recreation. Their grants are typically annual fund gifts to established nonprofits, and they show a pattern of repeat support for a small set of local organizations while occasionally funding an out‑of‑area interest (horticulture).
John P Schmidt and Dorothy E Schmidt Family Foundation Inc. shows a strong pattern of repeat support for a small circle of local institutions, with Princeton Symphony Orchestra receiving the largest recent grant at $115,000 in 2025. The foundation’s giving is centered on community-serving organizations in the Princeton and Somerset County area, and its recent awards show a mix of performing arts, hunger relief, recreation, and civic annual-fund support. Alongside arts and basic human services, the foundation also backs organizations connected to older adults and community life, such as Springpoint Foundation and Greater Somerset County YMCA. The grant list also shows that this is not a one-off relationship model. Princeton Symphony Orchestra appears multiple times across 2023, 2024, and 2025, with gifts labeled annual fund, Annual Fund, and open, while Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and Greater Somerset County YMCA also recur across years. Awards are often substantial for the recipient organizations involved, including $60,000 to Greater Somerset County YMCA, $55,000 to Mercer Street Friends, and $50,000 each to Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and Rescue Mission of Trenton. The pattern points to steady support for operating needs and annual appeals rather than project-only funding.
Performing arts is a clear priority. The foundation gave $115,000 to Princeton Symphony Orchestra in 2025, and the orchestra also received $15,000 in 2023, $15,000 in 2024, and another $15,000 in 2025, indicating repeated annual support. Human services are another major area. In Trenton, the foundation awarded $55,000 to Mercer Street Friends, $50,000 to Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, and $50,000 to Rescue Mission of Trenton in 2025, with additional Trenton Area Soup Kitchen gifts of $10,000 in 2024 and 2023. The giving also extends to Younity in Trenton at $10,000. Community recreation and youth programming appear through Greater Somerset County YMCA, which received $60,000 in 2025 and $10,000 in 2024. The foundation also supported Princeton Family YMCA with $15,000 in 2023. Cultural and civic institutions show up as well, including The Metropolitan Opera and Thirteen PBS.
$729K
$0
$7K
$738K
Most grants fall between $5K and $9K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$9K
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Moderate-size annual fund grants concentrated among a few repeat, local grantees (multiple gifts to the same organizations), with about half of funding directed to arts and a significant share to human services; occasional one-off gifts outside their geographic focus.
Notable grantees: Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Greater Somerset County YMCA, Princeton Family YMCA, Minnesota Horticultural Society
Typical grants are small-to-mid sized, with a p25 of $5,000, a median of $5,000, and a p75 of $9,000. The recent list also includes a smaller number of larger awards, which suggests a core pattern of modest annual support plus occasional higher-dollar gifts. The foundation behaves like a recurring local grantmaker. Several organizations appear across multiple years, including Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Greater Somerset County YMCA, and The Metropolitan Opera. Many awards are labeled annual fund, Annual Fund, or open, and the recipient list points to support for established nonprofits rather than individuals or program-related investments.
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, with 58 grants to recipients in the United States and no non-U.S. recipient countries in the data. New Jersey is the top state by grant count, and 63% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Among recipient cities, Princeton and Trenton appear repeatedly. Princeton grantees include Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Greater Somerset County YMCA, and Princeton Family YMCA. Trenton grantees include Mercer Street Friends, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Rescue Mission of Trenton, and Younity. Outside New Jersey, the foundation also funds organizations in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Minnesota.
The recent grants point to performing arts, hunger relief, community recreation, and civic or cultural institutions. Examples include Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Greater Somerset County YMCA, The Metropolitan Opera, and Thirteen PBS. The pattern also includes support connected to older adults through Springpoint Foundation.
Yes. Princeton Symphony Orchestra appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Trenton Area Soup Kitchen appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Greater Somerset County YMCA appears in 2024 and 2025; and The Metropolitan Opera appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The foundation’s grant-size profile is centered on smaller awards: p25 is $5,000, median is $5,000, and p75 is $9,000. The recent grants list also shows a set of larger awards, including six-figure support for Princeton Symphony Orchestra.
New Jersey is the top state by grant count, and 63% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Recent New Jersey recipients include Princeton-based organizations, Trenton human-services groups, and groups in places such as Wall Township, Plainsboro, Morris Plains, Union, and Skillman.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton Symphony Orchestra | Princeton, NJ | $115,000 | 2026 | open |
| Greater Somerset County YMCA | Princeton, NJ | $60,000 | 2026 | open |
| The Metropolitan Opera | New York, NY | $56,000 | 2026 | open |
| Massachusetts Inst of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $55,000 | 2026 | open |
| Mercer Street Friends | Trenton, NJ | $55,000 | 2026 | open |
| Rensselaer Poly Inst | Boston, MA | $55,000 | 2026 | open |
| Trenton Area Soup Kitchen | Trenton, NJ | $50,000 | 2026 | open |
| Trustees of Univ of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $50,000 | 2026 | open |
| Rescue Mission of Trenton | Trenton, NJ | $50,000 | 2026 | open |
| Academy of Nat Sciences Drexel U | Philadelphia, PA | $50,000 | 2026 | open |
| Springpoint Foundation | Wall Township, NJ | $40,000 | 2026 | open |
| Princeton Medical Center Foundation | Plainsboro, NJ | $25,000 | 2026 | open |
| Stonebridge Employee Appreciat Fund | Skillman, NJ | $10,120 | 2026 | open |
| The Salvation Army | Union, NJ | $10,000 | 2026 | open |
| Thirteen PBS | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | open |
| WHYY PBS | Greencastle, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | open |
| Younity | Trenton, NJ | $10,000 | 2026 | open |
| Planned Parenthood | Morris Plains, NJ | $10,000 | 2026 | open |
| ISLES | Trenton, NJ | $5,000 | 2026 | open |
| Montgomery Twp Voluntary Fire Co 2 | Blawenburg, NJ | $3,000 | 2026 | open |
| Princeton Symphony Orchestra | Princeton, NJ | $15,000 | 2025 | open |
| Trenton Area Soup Kitchen | Trenton, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | open |
| Greater Somerset County YMCA | Princeton, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | open |
| The Metropolitan Opera | New York, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | open |
| Rescue Mission of Trenton | Trenton, NJ | $5,000 | 2025 | open |
| Academy of Nat Sciences Drexel U | Philadelphia, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | open |
| Mercer Street Friends | Trenton, NJ | $5,000 | 2025 | open |
| Massachusetts Inst of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | open |
| Springpoint Foundation | Wall Township, NJ | $5,000 | 2025 | open |
| Rensselaer Poly Inst | Boston, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | open |
| Princeton Medical Center Foundation | Plainsboro, NJ | $2,000 | 2025 | open |
| Trustees of Univ of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $2,000 | 2025 | open |
| Womanspace | Trenton, NJ | $1,000 | 2025 | open |
| Princeton Symphony Orchestra | Princeton, NJ | $15,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| Trenton Area Soup Kitchen | Trenton, NJ | $10,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| Greater Somerset County YMCA | Princeton, NJ | $10,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| The Metropolitan Opera | New York, NY | $6,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| Rescue Mission of Trenton | Trenton, NJ | $5,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| Mercer Street Friends | Trenton, NJ | $5,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| Springpoint Foundation | Wall Township, NJ | $5,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| Massachusetts Inst of Tecnology | Cambridge, MA | $5,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| ACADEMY OF NAT SCIENCES DREXEL U | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $5,000 | 2024 | ANNUAL FUND |
| Rensselaer Poly Inst | Boston, MA | $5,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| Princeton Medical Center Foundation | Plainsboro, NJ | $2,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| TRUSTEES OF UNIV OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $2,000 | 2024 | Annual Fund |
| Princeton Symphony Orchestra | Princeton, NJ | $15,000 | 2023 | annual fund |
| Princeton Family YMCA | Princeton, NJ | $15,000 | 2023 | annual fund |
| Trenton Area Soup Kitchen | Trenton, NJ | $10,000 | 2023 | annual fund |
| Minnesota Horticultural Society | Saint Paul, MN | $10,000 | 2023 | annual fund |
| The Metropolitan Opera | New York, NY | $6,000 | 2023 | annual fund |
Princeton Symphony Orchestra
$115,000open
Greater Somerset County YMCA
$60,000open
The Metropolitan Opera
$56,000open
Rensselaer Poly Inst
$55,000open
Trenton Area Soup Kitchen
$50,000open
Academy of Nat Sciences Drexel U
$50,000open
Springpoint Foundation
$40,000open
Princeton Medical Center Foundation
$25,000open
Stonebridge Employee Appreciat Fund
$10,120open
The Salvation Army
$10,000open
Thirteen PBS
$10,000open
WHYY PBS
$10,000open
Younity
$10,000open
Planned Parenthood
$10,000open
Montgomery Twp Voluntary Fire Co 2
$3,000open
Princeton Symphony Orchestra
$15,000open
Trenton Area Soup Kitchen
$10,000open
Greater Somerset County YMCA
$10,000open
The Metropolitan Opera
$6,000open
Springpoint Foundation
$5,000open
Rensselaer Poly Inst
$5,000open
Princeton Medical Center Foundation
$2,000open
Womanspace
$1,000open
Princeton Symphony Orchestra
$15,000Annual Fund
Greater Somerset County YMCA
$10,000Annual Fund
Springpoint Foundation
$5,000Annual Fund
ACADEMY OF NAT SCIENCES DREXEL U
$5,000ANNUAL FUND
Rensselaer Poly Inst
$5,000Annual Fund
Princeton Symphony Orchestra
$15,000annual fund
Princeton Family YMCA
$15,000annual fund
Minnesota Horticultural Society
$10,000annual fund