The Robert H. Smith Family Foundation focuses its giving on large institutional donations that support higher education, national cultural institutions, historic preservation, and public policy thought leadership. Grants are few but substantial and directed to well-established organizations—often flagship institutions with broad regional or national impact. The foundation shows a clear emphasis on supporting the University of Maryland alongside major arts and civic organizations.
The Robert H Smith Family Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by a $6,007,000 donation to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation in 2024, following a $4,104,000 donation to the same recipient in 2023. That two-year pattern points to a foundation that makes concentrated, high-value gifts to established institutions rather than spreading support broadly. Across the recent grant list, the foundation backs flagship public higher education, national arts organizations, historic sites, and civic institutions tied to public policy and Jewish community life. Other large donations include $2,297,590 to the John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, $750,000 to the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, and $650,000 to the Aspen Institute. The pattern is heavily institutional and often donation-style, with grantees such as the National Gallery of Art, Hebrew University, and Charles E Smith Jewish Day School also appearing among recipients. The overall picture is of a family foundation that uses sizable grants to sustain prominent organizations with regional or national reach, especially in the Washington, DC area and in Maryland.
Education is a core theme in the foundation’s grantmaking. In 2024, it gave $6,007,000 to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, and in 2023 it added $4,104,000 to the same institution. The arts also appear in multiple lines of support: the John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts received $2,297,590 in 2023, while the National Gallery of Art received $400,000 in 2024 and another $100,000 in 2023. Historic preservation is another clear lane, with $750,000 to the Mount Vernon Ladies Association and $175,000 to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. The foundation also supports policy and convening organizations, including $650,000 to the Aspen Institute in 2023 and $15,000 to the Woodrow Wilson Center in 2024.
The foundation gives at a relatively high dollar level: the 25th percentile grant is $20,000, the median is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $242,500. The recent record shows both repeat support and one-off gifts. Some recipients appear across multiple years, including the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, the National Gallery of Art, and the National Sporting Library & Museum. The grants are structured as donations rather than program-related investments, and the foundation does not fund individuals. Its giving profile is concentrated, with a small number of large institutional grants alongside a longer tail of smaller donations.
$7.4M
$0
-$2.9M
$7.5M
Most grants fall between $20K and $243K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$243K
About 16% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Robert H Smith Family Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 32 | $15.9M | 97.0% |
| 2 | Israel |
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Highly concentrated giving: very few, very large gifts (multi-million-dollar donations), including repeat support to the same institution (University of Maryland). Funding is institutional and unrestricted/donation-style rather than many small grants to grassroots groups.
Notable grantees: University of Maryland College Park Foundation, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Aspen Institute
Grantmaking is regional and concentrated in the Washington, DC area. DC is the top state by grant count, and Virginia accounts for 16% of grants in the foundation’s HQ state. Recent recipients include Washington, DC institutions such as the John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Aspen Institute, the Capital Jewish Museum, and Arena Stage. Maryland also receives substantial support through recipients in College Park, Landover, Rockville, and North Bethesda. Outside the US, one recent grant went to Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is relatively high: the 25th percentile is $20,000, the median grant is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $242,500. That spread shows a mix of smaller donations and much larger institutional gifts.
Its recent grants cluster around public higher education, performing arts, historic preservation, policy convening, and Jewish community institutions. The pattern includes support for universities, museums, historic sites, and civic organizations rather than individual or small project grants.
Yes. The recent record includes repeat support for several recipients across 2023 and 2024, including the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, the National Gallery of Art, and the National Sporting Library & Museum. That suggests ongoing institutional relationships rather than purely one-time gifts.
Most grants go to recipients in DC, and Maryland is also a major destination, with recipients in College Park, Rockville, Landover, and North Bethesda. Virginia accounts for 16% of grants in the foundation’s HQ state, and there is also one recent grant to a recipient in Israel.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
| 1 |
| $250K |
3.0% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK FOUNDATION | COLLEGE PARK, MD | $6,007,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART | LANDOVER, MD | $400,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF HEBREW UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $391,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CHARLES E SMITH JEWISH DAY SCHOOL | ROCKVILLE, MD | $186,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| HEBREW HOME OF GREATER WASHINGTON | ROCKVILLE, MD | $100,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER WASHINGTON | NORTH BETHESDA, MD | $100,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| NATIONAL SPORTING LIBRARY & MUSEUM | MIDDLEBURG, VA | $50,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S COTTAGE | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM | WASHINGTON, DC | $30,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| JEWISH SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY (JSSA) | ROCKVILLE, MD | $25,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| WA DRAMA SOCIETY INC (DBA ARENA STAGE) | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| DC HISTORY CENTER | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| WOODROW WILSON CENTER | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HOUSE FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $7,500 | 2024 | DONATION |
| DAVID BRUCE SMITH FOUNDATION | ARLINGTON, VA | $548 | 2024 | DONATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK FOUNDATION | COLLEGE PARK, MD | $4,104,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| JOHN F KENNEDY CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,297,590 | 2023 | DONATION |
| MOUNT VERNON LADIES ASSOCIATION | MOUNT VERNON, VA | $750,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| ASPEN INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $650,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM | JE | $250,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| CHARLES E SMITH JEWISH DAY SCHOOL | ROCKVILLE, MD | $240,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| THOMAS JEFFERSON FOUNDATION | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $175,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART | LANDOVER, MD | $100,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF HEBREW UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $66,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| NATIONAL SPORTING LIBRARY & MUSEUM | MIDDLEBURG, VA | $50,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| PHILLIPS COLLECTION | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| JEWISH SOCIAL SERVICES | ROCKVILLE, MD | $20,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| DC HISTORY CENTER | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| HEBREW HOME OF GREATER WASHINGTON | ROCKVILLE, MD | $5,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| SIXTH & I SYNAGOGUE | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,500 | 2023 | DONATION |
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF HEBREW UNIVERSITY
$391,000DONATION
DONATION
PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S COTTAGE
$50,000DONATION
CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM
$30,000DONATION
NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
$25,000DONATION
WA DRAMA SOCIETY INC (DBA ARENA STAGE)
$20,000DONATION
DC HISTORY CENTER
$20,000DONATION
WOODROW WILSON CENTER
$15,000DONATION
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HOUSE FOUNDATION
$7,500DONATION
DAVID BRUCE SMITH FOUNDATION
$548DONATION
HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
$250,000DONATION
THOMAS JEFFERSON FOUNDATION
$175,000DONATION
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF HEBREW UNIVERSITY
$66,000DONATION
PHILLIPS COLLECTION
$25,000DONATION
DC HISTORY CENTER
$10,000DONATION