The Ralph L Smith Foundation primarily channels large, unrestricted gifts to philanthropic intermediaries rather than to operating nonprofits. Its recent giving is concentrated in donor-advised and community foundation vehicles—suggesting the foundation uses charitable funds and local community foundation services to manage or distribute its philanthropic dollars, particularly with ties to the Kansas City region. The pattern indicates a focus on enabling broad charitable impact through fiscal intermediaries rather than directly funding programmatic work.
Highly concentrated: very few, large grants directed to philanthropic intermediaries and community foundations (suggesting use of DAFs or pass-through funding rather than many small program grants).
Ralph L Smith Foundation 13952400’s most distinctive recent pattern is its use of major charitable funds held through intermediary vehicles rather than direct operating grants. In 2025, it made multimillion-dollar grants to Vanguard Charitable, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, and Schwab Charitable Fund, all designated for charitable purposes. That structure points to a foundation that routes substantial dollars through donor-advised and community foundation platforms. The giving profile also shows a steady mix of smaller unrestricted grants alongside those larger intermediary transfers. Among direct nonprofit recipients, the foundation supported The Trevor Project in West Hollywood, Students Run LA in Tarzana, and Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in Los Angeles, showing that its charitable support reaches both service organizations and broad-purpose philanthropic channels. The overall pattern is one of general charitable support, with funding spread across organizations that address community needs, education, health, and other public-benefit work.
A clear theme in the foundation’s direct grantmaking is support for nonprofit operating needs through general charitable grants. In Arizona, it gave $40,000 to Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse in Tucson and $20,000 to Step Up to Justice in Tucson, both marked for support of charitable purposes. In arts and culture, the foundation backed The Invisible Theater in Tucson with $40,000, Arizona Theater Company in Tucson with $20,000, and The Loft Cinema in Tucson with $20,000. It also supported health-related work, including $35,250 to Cu Neurosurgery - Als Biomarker Study in Aurora and $32,500 to Cu Dept of Neurosurgery in Aurora. Education and youth-oriented support appears as well, such as $70,000 to University of Denver and $38,500 to The Orme School.
The typical grant size is small to moderate: the 25th percentile is $2,500, the median is $5,000, and the 75th percentile is $10,000. That sits alongside a few much larger charitable-purpose transfers to intermediary vehicles, which lift the overall annual total. The recipient list shows some repeat giving across years, including Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, which appears in both 2025 and 2023 under slightly different naming. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its recent record points to grants made to nonprofit organizations and charitable intermediaries rather than a formal application-based program.
$12.3M
$0
$1.2M
$12.5M
Most grants fall between $3K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 19% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Notable grantees: Vanguard Charitable, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Schwab Charitable Fund
Grantmaking is national, and every recent recipient in the dataset is in the US. California appears most often by grant count, with recipient cities including Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Tarzana, Sherman Oaks, and Santa Monica. Missouri is also important, with Kansas City and Overland Park appearing in the record and 19% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Tucson, Arizona is another frequent recipient city, showing repeated support across multiple organizations there.
It gives mainly to nonprofit organizations and charitable intermediaries. The recent record includes donor-advised and community foundation vehicles such as Vanguard Charitable, Schwab Charitable Fund, and Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, along with direct grants to operating nonprofits like food banks, arts groups, and health-related organizations.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is small to moderate: the 25th percentile is $2,500, the median is $5,000, and the 75th percentile is $10,000. That pattern sits alongside a few much larger charitable-purpose transfers.
California is the top state by grant count. Recent recipient cities there include Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Tarzana, Sherman Oaks, and Santa Monica. The foundation also gives frequently in Arizona and Missouri.
No. Although Kansas City is visible in the record and 19% of grants go to recipients in Missouri, the foundation’s giving is national. Recent grants also went to organizations in California, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania.
Yes. Greater Kansas City Community Foundation appears in multiple years, including a 2025 grant and a 2023 grant under a slightly different naming format. That suggests at least some repeat support rather than one-time-only giving.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VANGUARD CHARITABLE TO THE RALPH SMITH | MALVERN, PA | $5,940,625 | 2025 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| GREATER KANSAS CITY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | KANSAS CITY, MO | $4,234,443 | 2025 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| SCHWAB CHARITABLE FUND | OMAHA, NE | $2,117,221 | 2025 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| ST ANN CATHOLIC CHURCH | PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS | $7,500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ENGLISH IN ACTION | BASALT, CO | $5,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH FOUNDATION OF ASPEN INC | ASPEN, CO | $5,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| HARVESTERS THE COMMUNITY FOOD NETWORK | KANSAS CITY, MO | $3,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $2,500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| PARENTS DEFENDING EDUCATION | ARLINGTON, VA | $2,500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY FOR LAW AND PUB | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| MANHATTAN INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $2,250 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| AMERICA ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,200 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ROARING FORK CONSERVANCY | BASALT, CO | $2,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| LIBERTY COUNSEL INC | ORLANDO, FL | $2,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| SAINT PAULS OUTREACH | MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN | $1,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| BISHOP MIEGE HIGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION | SHAWNEE, KS | $1,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| UNITED CHARITABLE FBO FAIR CHARITABLE FUND | ASHBURN, VA | $1,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ST ANN SCHOOL | PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS | $1,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| GREATER KC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | KANSAS CITY, MO | $200,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| UNIVERSITY OF DENVER | DENVER, CO | $70,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK | LOS ANGELES, CA | $40,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| THE INVISIBLE THEATER | TUCSON, AZ | $40,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| EMERGE CENTER AGAINST DOMESTIC ABUSE | TUCSON, AZ | $40,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| THE ORME SCHOOL | ORME, AZ | $38,500 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| CU NEUROSURGERY - ALS BIOMARKER STUDY | AURORA, CO | $35,250 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| CU DEPT OF NEUROSURGERY | AURORA, CO | $32,500 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| ALS ASSOC OF GA | ATLANTA, GA | $30,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| ALS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA | ATLANTA, GA | $25,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| THE TREVOR PROJECT | WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA | $20,250 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| ARIZONA THEATER COMPANY | TUCSON, AZ | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| PRAGER UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | SHERMAN OAKS, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| HUMANE SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA | TUCSON, AZ | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| TIHAN | TUCSON, AZ | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| GAMMA MU FOUNDATION | FORT LAUDERDALE, FL | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| STEP UP TO JUSTICE | TUCSON, AZ | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART | TUCSON, AZ | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| THE LOFT CINEMA | TUCSON, AZ | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| STUDENTS RUN LA | TARZANA, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| TUCSON BOTANICAL GARDENS | TUCSON, AZ | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| YOUNGLIFE AFRICA | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| SAAF | TUCSON, AZ | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES FOUNDATION OF NORTHEAST KANSAS | OVERLAND PARK, KS | $15,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| BIG BROTHER SISTER OF GR LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| WESTSIDE FOOD BANK | SANTA MONICA, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| CROHN S AND COLITIS FOUNDATION | ATLANTA, GA | $12,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| THE SISTERS OF ST LOUIS | WOODLAND HILLS, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| UNION RESCUE MISSION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| FAMILY PROMISE OF LAWRENCE | LAWRENCE, KS | $10,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
| BISHOP MIEGE HIGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION | SHAWNEE MISSION, KS | $10,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE |
VANGUARD CHARITABLE TO THE RALPH SMITH
$5,940,625CHARITABLE PURPOSES
SCHWAB CHARITABLE FUND
$2,117,221CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ST ANN CATHOLIC CHURCH
$7,500CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH FOUNDATION OF ASPEN INC
$5,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
LIBERTY COUNSEL INC
$2,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
SAINT PAULS OUTREACH
$1,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
BISHOP MIEGE HIGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION
$1,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
ST ANN SCHOOL
$1,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
THE INVISIBLE THEATER
$40,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
CU NEUROSURGERY - ALS BIOMARKER STUDY
$35,250SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
CU DEPT OF NEUROSURGERY
$32,500SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
ALS ASSOC OF GA
$30,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
ALS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
$25,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
HUMANE SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA
$20,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
TIHAN
$20,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
GAMMA MU FOUNDATION
$20,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
THE LOFT CINEMA
$20,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
CATHOLIC CHARITIES FOUNDATION OF NORTHEAST KANSAS
$15,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
CROHN S AND COLITIS FOUNDATION
$12,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
THE SISTERS OF ST LOUIS
$10,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
FAMILY PROMISE OF LAWRENCE
$10,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE
BISHOP MIEGE HIGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION
$10,000SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE